Leica M8 Photo Gold Mine

[Peter G1G2]

I've just been irritated by the lowering of the bar for quality images when it comes to the M8.

I can understand that. Maybe that's because people are just enthousiastic, and wish to share their first results ASAP.
I have a feeling that with some patience, great pics will start to pop-up soon...

BTW, what do you think of these?

http://inmotion.magnumphotos.com/essays/color.aspx

Cheers,

Peter

 

[humanized_form]

snapshot(s)

snapshot(s)

I am afraid that there are more people than I can imagine who can go no further than appreciating a picture that is a rectangle with an object in the middle of it, which they can identify. They don't care what is around the object as long as nothing interferes with the object itself, right in the centre. Even after the lessons of Winogrand and Friedlander, they don't get it. They respect their work because they are told by respectable institutions that they are important artists, but what they really want to see is a picture with a figure or an object in the middle of it. They want something obvious. The blindness is apparent when someone lets slip the word 'snapshot'. Ignorance can always be covered by 'snapshot'. The word has never had any meaning. I am at war with the obvious.

William Eggleston
From a conversation with Mark Holborn, Greenwood, Mississippi, February 1988

 

[rvaubel]

U guys are right, I'll try to keep my comments to myself from here on out. I've just been irritated by the lowering of the bar for quality images when it comes to the M8. I'm not lashing out at anyone directly.

Ywentz

As a member on the waiting list for the M8 I am looking for a cross section of any pictures, good or bad. The bad ones, in some ways are as interesting as the good ones. In other words , evaluating the M8 picture taking qualities requires a wide range of picture qualities.

What is not helpful is the frequent comment " The photoghrapher and his picture suck.....therefor the M8 sucks"

Actually about 99% of the photographs I have reviewed are better than or equal to the best 5D or 1Ds2 files I have seen . Notwithstanding the poor exposures, focusing, etc.

Rex

 

[roblumba]

Credibility of Ywenz

Credibility of Ywenz

ywenz, don't take it personally, but I think your credibilityis close to zero. All the photos are garbage? I don't think so. Garbage is a very ultimate judgement. It's like saying they have zero worth and deserve the trash. Perhaps in your house.

Anyhow, there are several members that update their sites more than the Leica group pool. Check out "Susan NYC". She usually posts a few new ones everyday. They are not all trash. Photography is also a personal art that involves relationships between people. Those relationships and moments bring value to photos.

 

[AShearer]

U guys are right, I'll try to keep my comments to myself from here on out. I've just been irritated by the lowering of the bar for quality images when it comes to the M8. I'm not lashing out at anyone directly.

Solid, stand up way to react Ywenz. I was about to comment on your negativity myself, then saw this post.

 

[ywenz]

ywenz, don't take it personally, but I think your credibilityis close to zero. All the photos are garbage? I don't think so. Garbage is a very ultimate judgement. It's like saying they have zero worth and deserve the trash. Perhaps in your house.

Just to set the record straight, I said "most" of the pics in the M8 pool are garbage, relative to the normal Leica pool. They have zero worth as a picture that is presented in a "public" pool. I'm done now.

 

[roblumba]

Straight Record

Straight Record

Ywenz, I think you have a lot farther to go before your record is straight. It still fairly crooked.

 

[Susan_NYC]

That shot of the mariache players is drop dead gorgeous!
Steve

Thanks! The mariachi picture on Flickr is mine.

 

[SolaresLarrave]

The truth is... I'm glad there's something good said/written about the M8! 🙂 All the whining was getting to be a little tiresome.

Nope, don't have my name in any M8 waiting list, don't have anything against digital either.

And, by the way, I do like the mariachi and the girl-in-bar shots, and I'd like them whether they had been made with a Leica or not.

 

[ywenz]

I consider these M8 pictures to be excellent. A goldmine at the link below.

http://www.koo22images.com/-/Koo22images/gallery.asp?cat=42923&pID=1&row=9

 

[Keith]

Is this...........umm........ where am I.......oh s**t I thought I was on P.net for a moment? 😱

Excuse me ... I seem to be lost ... I thought RFF was here! 😀

R ...really

F ... friendly

F ... fotographers

 

[roblumba]

Ywenz's Gold Mine

Ywenz's Gold Mine

Ywenz, good come back. There are definitely some excellent photos there. Thanx. 😉

 

[inuaart]

I believe in waiting till a new product proves itself before i run out and buy it. So far i've read nothing but bad things about the new M8 but all the photos i've seen look perfect to me. So i guess i'm going to join the club to, looks like a great camera to me!!

Yes also my conclusion!
So maybe a little Christmasgift from me to me:angel:

 

[Nick R.]

To be fair to Ywenz and Christopher, neither one of them is asking you to judge the quality of a $5000 camera via snapshots posted in their galleries.

ywenz,

So what about your website. Just a bunch of snapshots? I don't think you should really criticize someone else for posting something that resembles a snapshot when you have a bunch of them on your site. Perhaps you should reduce your site down to a few dozen amazing shots and then I'll be impressed. Meanwhile, I think it is good to see the day by day shots of people with their M8, especially since there are so many people on waiting lists, and wanting to see more. (e.g. me).

Anyhow, the group's photos really are just a little taste. Do a search on Leica M8 and there's a bunch of other stuff.

Here's a coupel favs from Christopher

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/294587559/in/set-72157594370916117/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmichel67/294587681/in/set-72157594370916117/

 

[roblumba]

Judging by Snapshots

Judging by Snapshots

Good point, there is no explicit mention of the purpose of these photos. However, they are photos taken with the new M8. Of course, people will judge the performance of the new camera.

When I look at the photos in these galleris, I look at the lighting conditions, the ISO setting, focus, shutter speed, DOF, color, constrast, etc. I inevitably compare it to what I typically come up with under similar circumstance for my 1D MarkII.

I think we still need to see a variety of properly profiled pictures with good post processing for exposure, contrast, white balance, etc.

 

[boilerdoc2]

Yes, they are really nice scenics. Color is beyond reproach. Starting to see the 'good stuff' now! Keep it up folks.
Steve

 

[Jamie123]

don't mess with mr. cent

 

[Toby]

Just as an aside, I've more or less decided that I'm going to get an Eos 5d or its sucessor soon. When I look at M8 shots I think to myself "I did the right thing selling film gear to buy Canon L lenses, these M8 shots are nowhere near the 5D or 1Ds II". I'm pretty much using the problems of the M8 and the posted pictures to justify my own choices, and I hold great stock in good 5D photos whilst ignoring the dross. With the greatest respect, I think prospective M8 are doing the same, we see what we want to see. The bottom line there is probably no justification in spending £000's on a hobby when that money could supply clean water for an african village and save the lives of many children. But none of us like to hear that do we? Our lives in the West are often built on the misery and hardship of others, but yet we all sit here and talk about £500 for this and £1000 for that as if this was in some way important. I couldn't live in a state of hair-shirted self righteousness, and I'm as guilty as anyone of wasting money on frivilous hobbies. But at the end of the day, there are so many more important things going on in the world than the M8, and there are so many better ways to spend $5000 than on a camera you couldn't hope to get the best out of, and may never reach its own potential. Not that I'm saying I'm first in the queue to give my money away, just that we should try and gain some perspective.

 

[blakley]

Just as an aside, I've more or less decided that I'm going to get an Eos 5d or its sucessor soon. When I look at M8 shots I think to myself "I did the right thing selling film gear to buy Canon L lenses, these M8 shots are nowhere near the 5D or 1Ds II".

Really? What exactly are you looking at - internet JPEGs, files straight out of the camera, adjusted files, or prints? The M8 actual files are fantastic. I've not spent a lot of time looking at actual files from 5D or 1DsII, since I own neither. But if they're a lot better I'll be very surprised.

The bottom line there is probably no justification in spending £000's on a hobby when that money could supply clean water for an african village and save the lives of many children. But none of us like to hear that do we?

Mmmm? So wait - you're going to buy a 5D instead of an M8. How much does this leave for the African village? What on earth does any of this have to do with M8s or any other topic relevant here?

Our lives in the West are often built on the misery and hardship of others, but yet we all sit here and talk about £500 for this and £1000 for that as if this was in some way important. I couldn't live in a state of hair-shirted self righteousness, and I'm as guilty as anyone of wasting money on frivilous hobbies. But at the end of the day, there are so many more important things going on in the world than the M8, and there are so many better ways to spend $5000 than on a camera you couldn't hope to get the best out of, and may never reach its own potential.

So the translation here is what? That neither art nor personal happiness is important? No one - most especially those who are starving or suffering - believes that. That we should help those less fortunate than ourselves? Do you think this is news, or that your audience doesn't understand that, or that they aren't actually DOING it? That your upcoming 5D purchase is somehow more virtuous than an M8 purchase? Really, you're just not being coherent here.

Photos documenting injustice reduce injustice. Photos documenting beauty preserve beauty. Photos documenting ugliness reduce ugliness. Art inspires, heals, saves, and educates. Art ennobles the artist and the viewer. As individuals and as societies, we allocate resources to sustenance, to justice, to progress, to art, to charity, and to other things. Don't like my choices? Make your own.

 

[roblumba]

Left Field Post

Left Field Post

Toby, I understand how you might feel the discussion it not meaningful in light of starving in Africa, but there is a time and place for taking a moment to think about starvation in Africa, and there is a time and place for thinking about how to invest that $5,000 in an M8.

Photography is actually a very powerful tool to bring the suffering of other nations at the doorstep of people in wealthy nations. Because of my religion and the photo journalism of organizations like WorlVision and Compassion International, I donate and support children in other nations and often send extra support in emergency times. Photography gives a face to suffering and a story to go with it.

Also consider that these discussion are important for people who are spending a good amount of money. Who wants to be frivolous with $5,000? I think people here are trying to be wise about spending this amount of money. If you really want to be frivolous, spend the $5,000 on an M8 and stick it in a draw and forget about it! That's truly frivolous. The discussion here are about uncovering the truth about the M8 and it's capabilities as a camera.

I think the M8 has shown itself to be a powerful tool. The 5D is definitely an excellent camera too. I personally have a 1D MarkII. As a hobbyist, it's pretty much paid for itself with the wedding gigs and portraits I've done on the side. I've also had the opportunity to use it in charitable ways with Church, the workplace, family and friends. I don't think it's just frivolous and self-righteous. I think it has geniunely brought people joy and provided a snapshot of casual and important moments in life. I've always enjoyed photography and it's been a way to have fun with the art and give and connect with others. Photos often go hand in hand with relationships.

Rangefinders and DSLR's are two different worlds. And the file quality from an M8 looks extremely encouraging. I'm not quite sure that it can perform as well as the Canon DSLR's in the variety of lighting conditions. Perhaps it's just the poor-post processing we are seeing in some cases. I'm currently on the waiting list for an M8 but still on the fence.