Is the problem still there?

[rvaubel]

I shot these sample just a little while ago at iso 640. taken with the 35 lux NO IR filter. I thought I saw the band in one of the images. The one where mom is preparing a cup of ice cream for the boy. but now I can't see it. It could be my monitor. but all of the attached were done at 640 with Auto Levels in PS.

For now, I can acceptthe camera the way it is and hope firmware updates will resolve the issue. The pros of the camera outweigh the cons and beside the RD1 there is nothing out there that will take my M lenses. So, my only issue now are the WB and the banding. The IR was never an issue since the filters corrected the problem. I am sure the WB will get better in the future. and the banding is hard for me to see.

Jorge

Lets hope that the banding issue part 2, is isolated. Your posted photos have shown that from a practical point of view, the camera performs fine.

Rex
P.S do you leave the Heliopan filter on all the time? Does it seem to resolve the Purple/black issue 100% of the time?

 

[harmsr]

Rex,

Unfortunately, the vertical band really does show in night shots on the street.

This does need to be fixed or we lose what used to be the strong point of the M.

Ray

 

[Ben Z]

but the implication is, "Boy, am I glad that I'm smarter than you stupid people because I didn't buy (or returned ) the M8 and bought something good like a Canon, where I don't consider the inherent softness and the blotchy wide-angle corners to be a problem."

No sir, that's not the implication, that's your inference for whatever reason. My exact feeling is that I can swallow "inherent softness and the blotchy wide-angle corners" from my $800 20D refurb than I could swallow all the designed-in problems, not to mention the added expense and further problems created by the band-aid "solution" on a $5000 Leica. I'm not feeling smug about not buying an M8, I'm feeling cheated and disappointed. I wish I could muster a positive attitude instead of feeling like a sucker for punishment or believe me I'd be on a waiting list right now.

 

[rvaubel]

Rex,

Unfortunately, the vertical band really does show in night shots on the street.

This does need to be fixed or we lose what used to be the strong point of the M.

Ray

harmsr

I know that your camera, unfortunately has the vertical band. I am hoping that yours is an isolated incident. What I wondered is how many others have had a vertical band problem with their returned cameras?

Rex

 

[MP Guy]

Rex, Look at the first post in the thread. You will see that I have the band as well. It just does not show up very often for me.

 

[John Camp]

There is a similar-looking problem with some medium format backs, which is being discussed in the MF forum on Luminous Landscape. Without repeating what is said there (where it's called the "centerfold" problem):

1) Some people say that although the banding looks very similar, the problem is not the same. I'm not a tech guy, so Ican't argue, but I will say that it appears to be identical, just looking at it.

2) Those who have the MF problem say it tends to get worse over time. That is, it first shows up in dark high-ISO shots, and slowly becomes more visible, and in lower ISO shots. If I had a camera with this problem, I'd make some match shots that show the problem in conditions that you can replicate (dark wall, single light) to see if it gets worse over time. Even in some cameras that have the problem, you can only see it in certain extreme conditions, and you could live with it. If it gets worse, then you can't.

JC

 

[MP Guy]

Has anyone seen the band on an actual print? My printer is not hooked up so I cannot tell.

 

[harmsr]

Jorge,

I have an Epson R800 and yes it shows in the prints exactly as it does on the screen.

Ray

 

[MP Guy]

that is not good 🙁 Anyone here from Leica on this? Most likely they are all gone for the holidays.

 

[jaapv]

Last news is that only some camera's are affected, some not.
And there is a suggestion that the band mainly shows up on unfixed camera's that downloaded 1.09. For what it is worth.

 

[lovelyleica]

Still a problem with new batch of M8

Still a problem with new batch of M8

After series of photos made with an M8 from the latest batch, I got on 2 pictures a very strange green banding. Photos and details on my web site here :
www.e-mager.com

 

[John Camp]

After series of photos made with an M8 from the latest batch, I got on 2 pictures a very strange green banding. Photos and details on my web site here :
www.e-mager.com

This is dealt with on the LUG. That band appears only when a very bright light (VBL) hits the non-photo-registering line of pixels at the very edges of the frame. (Better to read the LUG for the technical explanation of this.) But the banding occurs only when the VBL hits the very edge of the frame. If you have a camera with this fault, you can learn to make band every time by slicing the edge of the frame though a VBL. You can also learn to avoid slicing the edge of the frame through a VBL, and you'll never get a band. In your photos, look where the frames slice the VBLs, and you'll see what I mean.

Like a couple of other problems with the M8, this apparently involves some kind of a timing problem, and can be fixed.

Another problem is called "scratchy lines" or "rainbow lines" and shows up if you try to take a photo when the camra is asleep, by forcing it to fire. In other words, wait until the camera goes to sleep, then frame a photo and hold the trigger down until the camera fires. The frame will have scratchy lines. If you wake the camera, wait a split second before you fire it, then you won't have the scratchy lines. The cure for this one is for Leica to issue firmware update which inserts a small period of time (perhaps a tenth of a second) between the time the camera is waked and the time it fires.

JC