Leica M8 Field test, Iraq

Well, to echo that, this dentists' report....Six weeks through Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi last year, dust, no roads, slammed in the Landrover through the bush, dropped on tough hikes in National Parks, Dust again, 110 degrees, worked without a hitch like it did for 18 months and 10.000 exposures... The other body had no chanche to prove itself, it went down a cliff for a 1700 Euro repair, but it stayed in one piece where another camera would have bean a heap of screws and parts.
No bullets to dodge, but two elephant charges and one very angry lion...
 
jaapv said:
Well, to echo that, this dentists' report....Six weeks through Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi last year, dust, no roads, slammed in the Landrover through the bush, dropped on tough hikes in National Parks, Dust again, 110 degrees, worked without a hitch like it did for 18 months and 10.000 exposures... The other body had no chanche to prove itself, it went down a cliff for a 1700 Euro repair, but it stayed in one piece where another camera would have bean a heap of screws and parts.
No bullets to dodge, but two elephant charges and one very angry lion...
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I've taken mine to the mall & to Starbucks... dodging my baby's pureed cereal... barely missing all the other parents' strollers...
it's a tough life 😉
 
While I don't doubt that everyone who's here (and more specifically, those who are here and on the Leica Forum) loves their M8.

John's seems to work flawlessly (now that it was fixed by Leica).
Jaap loves his (and I would guess that even if he had a problem with his he could probably afford another)
And ya... Leica WAS the tool for every photographer back in WW II - but then again... the tools of war have changed since then and have gotten faster, more accurate, etc. - yet Leica's only just entered the digital age (2006) so I think that sometimes we ask too much from such a small company.

Dave
 
Actually, big LF press cameras & MF TLRs like the Rolleiflex were the main tools for photojournalists back in WWII. In 35mm, @ least as many (& probably more if they worked for big, fancy outfits like Time-Life) shooters used the Zeiss Ikon Contax system (higher maintenance, but better lenses & better/more rugged RF) as Leicas. 35mm, & Leicas, didn't become really popular w/PJs until after WWII. But, getting back to your point, back then Leica was the innovative upstart (though their bread & butter market has always been rich amateurs, not PJs) & had lots of competition.

FWIW, after a forced 3 month "vacation" in Solms right after I bought it (AE/meter/shutter malfunction) in December 2006, my M8 performed well for me through the occasional dousing of beer, rain, & salt spray, but the "up" button is now giving out on me, necessitating another holiday (hopefully only to NJ).

dcsang said:
. Leica WAS the tool for every photographer back in WW II - but then again... the tools of war have changed since then and have gotten faster, more accurate, etc. -
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jaapv said:
Well, to echo that, this dentists' report....Six weeks through Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi last year, dust, no roads, slammed in the Landrover through the bush, dropped on tough hikes in National Parks, Dust again, 110 degrees, worked without a hitch like it did for 18 months and 10.000 exposures... The other body had no chanche to prove itself, it went down a cliff for a 1700 Euro repair, but it stayed in one piece where another camera would have bean a heap of screws and parts.
No bullets to dodge, but two elephant charges and one very angry lion...
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I'm sure 5D would have done just as well......at a lower price. 😉
 
NB23 said:
Ah yes, the "L" primes. What a load of silly marketing gimmick.
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Ned, what exactly is your problem with Canon L lenses? From what I have seen and from my own experience - they are very good. If you make a comment like that at least I'd expect some evidence to support it.
 
I have never used M8 and don't really plan to. But as far as original post / report on M8 goes - I think it's a good and honest opinion, which may be helpful to many when they are to chose to buy or not to buy an M8. Every camera has faults. Question is - will one want to deal with them at the given cost. Some do, some don't. For me - even if M8 was a "perfect camera" without any issues I would still not buy it - just way too much IMO to pay for any camera. Maybe if I was making money with one, but not as a hobby. But thats me. I really don't see a reason why some accuse that reprter of not knowing what he is doing, or not skilled enough in PS. He shoots photos and from what I see - does very well at that. I think he experience is a good enough reason for his review to be accurate. Doesn't mean that M8 wouldn't work better for some one else. But honestly, cmon!. Camera is only as good as the photos one can produce with it.
 
Krosya said:
Ned, what exactly is your problem with Canon L lenses? From what I have seen and from my own experience - they are very good. If you make a comment like that at least I'd expect some evidence to support it.
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I think Canon have been very smart with their marketing. I have nothing against Canon primes. It's the L victims that I find rather funny.
 
I agree with you there John.

The thing is, for most folks that are vociferous Leciaphiles, they can't understand or accept any slagging of the gear - regardless if you, the person doing the slagging, actually has used the gear and enjoys using the gear.

Hell, I've got problems with the 5D's, some other Canon gear I've used over the years and when I used Pentax, there was the same whining that went on about their equipment. These types of comments / concerns / problems will always be around until some company actually makes "the perfect camera" - but that is nary impossible since each photographer is different in terms of usage, style, wants/needs etc.

No one camera is perfect.

Just like us human folk.. 😀

Dave
 
dcsang said:
I agree with you there John.

The thing is, for most folks that are vociferous Leciaphiles, they can't understand or accept any slagging of the gear - regardless if you, the person doing the slagging, actually has used the gear and enjoys using the gear.

Hell, I've got problems with the 5D's, some other Canon gear I've used over the years and when I used Pentax, there was the same whining that went on about their equipment. These types of comments / concerns / problems will always be around until some company actually makes "the perfect camera" - but that is nary impossible since each photographer is different in terms of usage, style, wants/needs etc.

No one camera is perfect.

Just like us human folk.. 😀

Dave
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Well said sir, well said.
All that you said goes for anything that you purchase. Hell i've received food poisoning from a 5 star restaurant before. My nice new A/C that I just put in the window(since it's getting a tad hot here) came without a compressor in it, and the lovely folk at the eyeglass shop just gave me my glasses back with the wrong rx.
And although people seem to have had many problems with Leica customer service, my mentor had his sensor go wonky in his m8, sent it off to Leica and had it back to him in 10 days, during said time he had a loaner from them to use.
 
yes, nothing is expected to be perfect, but when you get a 5,000 $ camera if no more you have for sure a much higher expectation about reliability in the field than a cheap plastic compact costing 10 times less.. Otherwise you wouldn't hire a very expensive lawyer if you could think to win a cause with your neighbour friendly suggestion, isn't it? Maybe I'm deriving here, I hope none could feel offended, it's just an example..
 
italy74 said:
yes, nothing is expected to be perfect, but when you get a 5,000 $ camera if no more you have for sure a much higher expectation about reliability in the field than a cheap plastic compact costing 10 times less.. Otherwise you wouldn't hire a very expensive lawyer if you could think to win a cause with your neighbour friendly suggestion, isn't it? Maybe I'm deriving here, I hope none could feel offended, it's just an example..
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Nothing new - there has been some enthusing about the reliability of film M cameras in this thread. That is a bit of a myth. I bought one of the first M6 cameras, longer back than I care to remember - and it spent three months of its first half year at the factory, because the electronics failed - twice. The M2/M3 were deemed not robust enough nor fast enough for for heavy pro use - so Leica had to come out with the MP and the Leicavit...
 
jaapv said:
Well, to echo that, this dentists' report....Six weeks through Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi last year, dust, no roads, slammed in the Landrover through the bush, dropped on tough hikes in National Parks, Dust again, 110 degrees, worked without a hitch like it did for 18 months and 10.000 exposures...
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Hopefully your Tilley hat fared as well.

The other body had no chanche to prove itself, it went down a cliff for a 1700 Euro repair,
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More evidence of the superior finger control developed as a result of your previously mentioned Dentist training?

but it stayed in one piece where another camera would have bean a heap of screws and parts.
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LOL!

No bullets to dodge, but two elephant charges and one very angry lion...
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No doubt those elephants saw that M8 in your avatar and figured you had kidnapped one of their calves!

:angel:

Ok, enough fun ...

You really should look at the credentials of the reviewer you try to impugn by referring others to "impeccable" sources. Mr Kamber has multiple Pulitzer nominations and other kudos - plus his shots on his site are outstanding.
 
emraphoto said:
well i just spent three days shooting with my dentist camera. dust, dirt, 44 degree's.
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Three days without a problem in hot weather?

I guess it is the perfect camera - maybe it would be more appropriate to call it the Dentist's Long Sub Saharan Weekender camera? 😀

Seriously, I like my M8, but I am never blind to flaws in anything I own. I know it can't be trusted to be as reliable as a mainstream DSLR, but I decided it was at least as reliable as my R-D1 so I kept it (and the SLR obviously!)
 
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