Initial Impressions M8

[atlcruiser]

Hi,
Been saving my $$$ and got a great used M* from pphung...(thanks again Paul)!
I just got it yesterday and i am already snap happy 🙂

1. I hate the covering. Already contacted cameraleather. I am thinking red snakeskin (chrome body)
2. Love the controls. I got out of SLR digital cuz i hated the menues and such. The M8 is just easy to use.
3. Love AP mode. Never had it before on a RF. Quick and easy shooting..results "good" but I think I will be manual most of the time
4. I am used to a M6 and M4. I have a habit of setting the camera down on its back.....BAD for the LCD. Need to get used to it.
5. In love with the exact same LEDs as my M6 for metering
6. The frame lines are worse than I thought they would be. They suck! My 40 'cron fits perfect on the 35 lines and that might be the only lens for a while
7. I now see why the thumbs up is almost required. My right hand is "lost" without the advance lever.

Overall it rocks....I need to get used to it. I feel like I am headign to the dark side 🙂

david

 

[Ben Z]

Glad you mostly like it. If you make a point of studying what the framelines show vs actual capture at close, mid, and far distance it will quickly become ingrained, and accurate composition will become a matter of habit. The upgraded framelines (aka M8.2 lines) do require less extrapolation though. Less even than the M9.

And unless you regularly shoot one-handed, I'd hold off on the Thumbs-Up, you will probably find you won't need it. I got one and sold it quickly. 99% of the time the weight of the camera is in the palm of my left hand, with my right hand lightly holding on just for balance and to release the shutter.

Re the LCD scratching: Google "Best Skins Ever". This is the same material used by Zagg, except you can get it very cheaply in sheets and then just measure and cut it to fit. For about half the cost of one Zagg protector you get enough to cover the M8 and 3-4 other cameras or devices. Once it's on it's forever...almost impossible to scratch it, and it doesn't peel at the corners.

 

[OurManInTangier]

The framelines are something you'll get used to after a while, with practice. I've picked up a thumbs-up and love it along with my convex softie, it's transformed the way I shoot. Overall a very good camera IMHO. I'm sure you'll continue to enjoy it immensely.

 

[Jeff S]

For you, Leica made the right steps with the M8.2...better cover, better frame lines, and sapphire LCD screen. The frame lines and LCD can be formally upgraded on your M8 and, as you note, two of the three issues can be addressed without Leica.

The M8.2 also has faster EV compensation, black paint versus black chrome, a quieter shutter (also upgradable on the M8), discreet mode, a black dot and, unfortunately, snapshot mode. Not that you asked.🙂

Jeff

 

[MCTuomey]

... and as a bonus the M8's files are sorta kinda really good too 😉

 

[atlcruiser]

For you, Leica made the right steps with the M8.2...better cover, better frame lines, and sapphire LCD screen. The frame lines and LCD can be formally upgraded on your M8 and, as you note, two of the three issues can be addressed without Leica.

The M8.2 also has faster EV compensation, black paint versus black chrome, a quieter shutter (also upgradable on the M8), discreet mode, a black dot and, unfortunately, snapshot mode. Not that you asked.🙂

Jeff

Yep...Leica did get it closer to right on the 8.2 but I need them to mail me a check for about $1500.....that was about the difference between the "good deal" M8 and the M8.2 🙂

 

[atlcruiser]

What is the "stick on 3M rubber bumper"mentioned above....



Forgot to mention the crazy good quality of the pictures 🙂 I am sure that will eventually trump all the other issues.

 

[jsrockit]

6. The frame lines are worse than I thought they would be. They suck! My 40 'cron fits perfect on the 35 lines and that might be the only lens for a while

Yes, they do...bad. So, when you use your 40mm, the 35mm frames come up and are more accurate than when using a 35mm lens?

 

[atlcruiser]

My 40 is filed down to make the 35 lines come up so on the M6 et al it is a bit narrow but on the M8 it is almost perfect.

 

[jsrockit]

I've picked up a thumbs-up and love it along with my convex softie, it's transformed the way I shoot.

How so? I'm intrigued.

 

[peewee]

The 'thumbs up' is the best thing i've bought, since I bought the m8 nearly a year ago. I wish i'd bought it with the camera, it really feels right for me and has transformed how i feel about using the camera which was great any way. I have subscribed to LFI for the magazine and getting a free covex shutter button thingy which hopefully will be good too.

 

[atlcruiser]

Any opinion on exposure in the M8? I set it at -2/3 EV...feel things are a bit dark but when I return it to +/- 0 EV it is a bit light.

On my M6 I always under expose the B+W and over expose the E-6 about a 1/2 stop with good result. How will that equate to the M8?

 

[Ben Z]

Any opinion on exposure in the M8? I set it at -2/3 EV...feel things are a bit dark but when I return it to +/- 0 EV it is a bit light.

It's always possible for a meter to be off, and as long as it's consistent you'll find the compensation that works. When I had Nikon F3's I remember having to set one of them one stop higher ISO so they both read the same scene the same exposure. However, the M8 is not a know-it-all matrix/evaluative metering, it's an oldfashioned centerweighted, which means you have to intervene whenever you have a scene where the main subject is very small and vastly brighter or darker than the rest.

On my M6 I always under expose the B+W and over expose the E-6 about a 1/2 stop with good result. How will that equate to the M8?

That's odd, usually I would err on the underexposure side with slide film, and overexposure with print film. With digital, I find that in general I treat it more like slide film, i.e., tend to be conservative with the exposure so as not to blow out the highlights (not that I'm always successful :bang🙂, but with the M8 at ISO 640 or above, if I underexpose it exaggerates the noise.

The best I can tell you is to shoot a lot and make notes. Trial and error, you'll find what works best for the camera, your workflow, and your taste. And as with slide film, if you have time and it's an important shot, bracket. Unlike slide film, bracketing is free with digital!

 

[ChrisC]

Any opinion on exposure in the M8? I set it at -2/3 EV......

David - If you do a search on LUF this subject has been thrashed. With the M8 I have changed my accurate metering technique evolved over too many decades. I recommend [for outdoors particularly] manual metering set to +1 2/3 stops exposure compensation, and meter off the brightest highlights. For a landscape, for example, aim at the brightest clouds, and that exposure should give an unclipped histogram. Learn how the meter responds to different contrast situations, and when to throw in 'exposure tweaks' of, say, a+ or- 1/3 stop change. I tend to determine the aperture I will work with, and then only adjust shutter speed.

The above is written with the assumption that one does not want clipped highlights [I hate them]. Try it; practice the technique - it works flawlessly and effortlessly for me.

.......... Chris

 

[atlcruiser]

David - If you do a search on LUF this subject has been thrashed. With the M8 I have changed my accurate metering technique evolved over too many decades. I recommend [for outdoors particularly] manual metering set to +1 2/3 stops exposure compensation, and meter off the brightest highlights. For a landscape, for example, aim at the brightest clouds, and that exposure should give an unclipped histogram. Learn how the meter responds to different contrast situations, and when to throw in 'exposure tweaks' of, say, a+ or- 1/3 stop change. I tend to determine the aperture I will work with, and then only adjust shutter speed.

The above is written with the assumption that one does not want clipped highlights [I hate them]. Try it; practice the technique - it works flawlessly and effortlessly for me.

.......... Chris

Coooool!

Thanks chris. I just registered and now have another forum to spend/waste time on 🙂 My GF askes me all the time...are you going on line to play camera?

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

Any opinion on exposure in the M8? I set it at -2/3 EV...

That's what I do, too, typically.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I hear M8 impressions leave bruises.

 

[MCTuomey]

interesting thing about EC with the M8 files. when i work with -1/3 to -2/3 EC and then process in Capture One, the default exposure adjustment is almost always +1/3 to +2/3. not sure i trust C1 but it does agree with M8's meter, apparently.

i don't have a standard EC. in lowlight i lean to +EC. outside in bright, harsh light i lean to -EC. i just try to be responsive to conditions, that's all.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

I think a big issue is the metering pattern of the M8. I have one and I love it, but I wish that frame-wide stripe were a 12mm spot or oval. A bright light source in the middle of the frame out at the side can ruin exposure. It's not center-weighted at all, it's a hard-edged stripe. I think about the metering pattern all the time when I'm using A mode and often times I just forgo the meter reading altogether, instead using my brain and proven exposure settings.
Even the Leica meter MR4 was more spot-on than the M8 meter. I wish I could clip one to the top of the M8 too 😉

 

[jaapv]

It IS an oval. The white stripe is indeed a stripe, but the sensor has a limited field of view, measuring only off the central bit of the stripe. If all wishes were as simple to grant..🙂 See page 105 of the manual The metering pattern is shown there.