Leica M8 Field test, Iraq

jaapv said:
It beats me why they didn't use the DMR system to charge the battery, i.e. use a wire to plug into it. They could have had a miniscule charger that way. Hm.. Battery upgrade?
Click to expand...

I was kind of hoping that a battery upgrade may be the "some exciting news" coming in september. I'd dig the he!! out of a battery that lasted 2 to 3 times longer.
 
That should be easy enough for Leica - they should put in a business request with Ansmann to produce said battery and perhaps a smaller charger.

Leica's not making either of those items themselves anyway so it's not something that they have to "learn" per se or retool an assembly line (if they have one of those that is).

Dave
 
When all is said and done, the verdict on the M8 will be: great lenses, sh1te camera. Much the same could be said about a camera I mentioned above: the Nikon D100. I took this beast out to Iraq when I was sent there and the fact is that I took a few really good pictures with it, but it was very inconsistent. It was Nikon's first real attempt at a 'prosumer' DSLR and it wasn't very good.

The M8 is Leica's first attempt at a transitional camera within the M system: it was never going to be super perfect. Unless you've actually coughed up £3000, then why worry: if Leica are serious, they will come up with a better digital M. If they don't, then buy an M film body and get into a system that really does work.
 
just sitting here getting ready to go shoot, i have to ask something...Anyone notice the m8's viewfinder seems significantly better sealed than the m7's?
 
Jaap,
I am enjoying the camera... but @ $5500 new... or refurbished @ $4000... my pickup doesn't cost this much 🙂
Although I'm liking it thus far, as I mentioned in another thread, I'm not quite sold on it yet... keeping my fingers crossed as I have yet to see any of these dreaded M8 issues.
j
 
The M2 and M4-P cameras are the extent of my experience with Leica. It has been good.
Simple, reliable, very good optics and a few interchangeable lenses. At the time I bought them; reasonable prices.

Now we have this new M8, a great idea (still a great idea) but from a company like Leica I expect much more. Like innovation, reliability, usability, costs that reflect manufacture etc. The M8 could really hurt Leica, and it would really be a shame if they disappeared or were bought out by another manufacturer who would put the Leica name on some real junk.
Their design and marketing department needs a good makeover. Hopefully this happens soon.
 
I couldn't bear to go through the whole thread. We used to complain about the rewind knob on the M2/M3, we used to complain about having to remove the baseplate, we used to complain about holding the Nikon F back in our teeth while running and trying to reload at the same time, we even used to complain about having to rack the Nikon lens aperture ring back and forth...not to mention the notion of holding an F-36 in our teeth....
Evidently the M8 has some serious boogers. This is normal in a new camera. Remember the early F2 Photomic finders that used to just arbitrarily pop off and fall on the ground, in the water etc?
The M8 is essentially a first attempt. Should it have been farmed out to PJs for a couple of years? Probably, but otoh the market was demanding a digital M. Consider the first M3 vs the last M3; they almost aren't the same camera, and what was the development time?
Cost? Well, I'm not astute enough to run any numbers but I'd suspect that in real money the M8 costs less work-hours than the first M3.
I don't have a horse in this race, don't want an M8, but just want to remind everyone of some history, early failures that were revised etc. The expectation of perfection because of the nameplate or price has not been supported in reality in the past; is it reasonable to expect it now? These things are nothing more than tools which work better or worse than older tools. They're not objects of deification.
That's my two cents worth, which is about all it's worth. <g>

-jbh-
 
I think I agree with those who say this is a result of user error. What is to be expected when taking a Dentist's camera on a war correspondent assignment?

I have used the M8 for a year, and while I don't concur with all Mr Kamber's issues, I am certainly open minded enough to see his point. I cannot imagine someone in situations like he is placed in relying on the M8. The simple fact that it locks up and requires a battery removal to revive would seem enough to let rest at home till the assignment is over.

Add the fact that he finds that bumps to the buttons turn on the LCD when it could be a life threatening situation, and I think it is clear that the target audience is not primarily those like Mr. Kamber.

As for the "impeccable" source refernence, I would suggest looking into the credentials of the reviewer.
 
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Yes, but again he's probably asking himself where the legendary build-quality of Leica has gone... in the past a Leica WAS THE tool of each photoreporter. In the digital age it looks no longer like that, although the need for being "stealthy and unobtrusive" is remained. This is what Leica has to write down and improve.
You do an M8 for common people? Ok but do also a M9 for reporters.
 
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