Leica M8 in 2016, bad idea?

pepeguitarra said:
snip...The problem with the digital cameras is that they end up being obsolete in few years because of the digital advances...snip
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I've never understood this comment. I believe it to be pure marketing wank.

If the camera was good enough for one to buy and produced images one were happy with then why would it become obsolete after only a few years? The camera still takes the same images that it did on day 1.

I believe this obsolescence to be in the mind of the beholder planted therein by marketing people.

Would you deem a late model car obsolete? They get you from point A to B
Just like a 3,5,10 year old camera can still get you that 8x10 or even 11x14.

Not to beat up on you Pepe but something has to be said about the "O" word coming up in a thread about the M8 after I made a post about its usefulness in 2016.
 
BLKRCAT said:
... Not to beat up on you Pepe but something has to be said about the "O" word coming up in a thread about the M8 after I made a post about its usefulness in 2016.
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Well, in a way, the first digital Leica was the M8 with the ISO limitation. Then the M9 came. That was a technological improvement. I can now take good shots at ISO2500. Then the M246 came wit a better viewfinder that allows you to zoom while focusing. Those are little improvements that keep the people interested in the latest. I like the colors of the M8 and M9 and decided not to pursue the M246 because my M8 and M9 are worth a small fraction of what I paid. Instead of getting some little money, I decided to keep the two cameras, and invest in the mechanical tools already proven, the M3 and M5. Again, all these is to be able to use the Leica lenses.
 
M8/9 shutter sound was non issue 5-10 years ago. In interwebs they became loud only after newer models came to market.
 
Landberg said:
I have now ordered a almost "brand new" M8 with 6 months warranty. I will get it to morrow.
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Congratulations. I now remember why I went to Leica after using Pentax, and Canon: The size. Those were too big and lenses were heavy. After 1 month walking in England, I developed back pain. That is when I sold Canon and moved into Leica. Although, I had to get used to MF again, and the RF, I now love the RF and the quality of the Leica lenses.
 
BLKRCAT said:
If you are looking to get into Leica and M glass then I would say this isn't as much of an advantage as there are many cheaper offerings out there.
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If you want a digital camera, there really aren't many cheaper alternatives. There is only the Epson, which I have recently seen go for anything between 50-100% of what the M8 is selling for at the lower end. Perhaps some later ones are still available new from Japan. If yes, those should command M9 prices.

Having extensively used these two cameras side by side, the M8 for me is easily worth the money for its performance. The issue with both of these cameras is the crop factor which may limit your lens choices. The files are also small given current display resolutions. But they print fine and can be viewed large on displays from normal viewing distances.
 
jarski said:
M8/9 shutter sound was non issue 5-10 years ago. In interwebs they became loud only after newer models came to market.
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no...if you were there, the general consensus was that the shutters were loud. go look at posts from back then.
 
aizan said:
no...if you were there, the general consensus was that the shutters were loud. go look at posts from back then.
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my impression is opposite. shutter noise was on par with other contemporary digital cameras. M8/9 all the sudden became loud, when Leica brought new models that were quieter.
 
jarski said:
my impression is opposite. shutter noise was on par with other contemporary digital cameras. M8/9 all the sudden became loud, when Leica brought new models that were quieter.
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Nope, the M8 was so loud compared to any other Leica rangefinder before it that people DID complain right from the start.
 
pepeguitarra said:
No stealth photos are possible.
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In silent environment for sure, but with a little noise around nobody will hear it in 3m or more distance. The shutter sound is the smallest problem in stealth mode, dito the size of the camera as long as you don't shoot with an 8X10 😎 The behavior makes the big difference, and this starts with the unnecessary fear that somebody could hear the shutter. You can easily recognize this stealth mode shooting-from-the hip-with silent-mirrorless-via-touchscreen-feeling-guilty-shooter always because they look like little kids who do something wrong. I shoot since 1 year 'stealth' with a Nikon F3 (similar loud to the M8) and nobody realized it until now because of the shutter sound, and I get sometimes really close to my objects.

Yogi
 
mod2001 said:
In silent environment for sure, but with a little noise around nobody will hear it in 3m or more distance. The shutter sound is the smallest problem in stealth mode, dito the size of the camera as long as you don't shoot with an 8X10 😎 The behavior makes the big difference, and this starts with the unnecessary fear that somebody could hear the shutter. You can easily recognize this stealth mode shooting-from-the hip-with silent-mirrorless-via-touchscreen-feeling-guilty-shooter always because they look like little kids who do something wrong. I shoot since 1 year 'stealth' with a Nikon F3 (similar loud to the M8) and nobody realized it until now because of the shutter sound, and I get sometimes really close to my objects.

Yogi
Click to expand...

true, but not everything can be dealt with through behavior, so there are times and places where a quiet shutter is a good thing. it has been an advantage that rangefinders traditionally have had over slrs, and now a big reason why they pay a premium for the priviledge, so people get frustrated when it is not the case.

anyhow...
 
Landberg said:
It was a bad idea! I got it today, the sensor had a blue line in it.. I guess it can't be fixed? I'm happy that i can return it.
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Not a bad idea, just bad luck or a lazy/dishonest seller.

You cannot fix it yourself. Leica can take care of the issue. Returning the camera may be the path of least hassle.
 
Lss said:
Not a bad idea, just bad luck or a lazy/dishonest seller.

You cannot fix it yourself. Leica can take care of the issue. Returning the camera may be the path of least hassle.
Click to expand...

I too ordered "like new" M8 for a reputable seller that also offers 6-month warranty. I elected to let them sent to Leica to fix the vertical line of my "like new" M8 instead of just return it (the shutter count was so low!). It has been 3 months now and they still cannot tell me when I will get my camera back. :bang:
 
sad to here, but for sure no individual case, even guys in Germany have to wait sometimes months to get their camera back. I was also tempted by the M8 as comeback to the RF world, but finally decided to get a fresh CLA'd M2 for exactly this reason.

Yogi
 
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