M6 to M8? Will I be happy with the results?

[click]

I love my M6, I've had it over ten years and have enjoyed every second of it. I'm starting to get gigs with my little camera and the film is piling up rapidly and the time to develop, dry, scan, manipulate and print is exhausting but rewarding. So I'm considering making the move to a M8 for the convenience factor. Also the ability to do color and adjust film speed seems pretty cool to me.

Given the beauty of film will I be satisfied?

Will the digital images still have that M6 glow that I love?

Tell me the truth have you made the jump from an M6 to an M8 and are you truly happy with it?

Thank you,
-J

 

[popeye]

I would suggest that you beg, borrow or... rent one to find out for yourself if an M8 or an M9 will meet your needs beyond just the convenience of moving to a digital M body to mount your M lenses to and having a similar handling.

I would do this regardless of the opinions you will gather here or other forums...

 

[tim_c]

I've had my M6 classic for 6 years and was my main camera until 2 months ago when I bought a used but immaculate M8. Aside from the convenience of being digital, aperture priority auto-exposure, customisable auto iso, 3 shots per second shooting rate, flash syncs at 1/250 and a self timer definitely make taking pictures a lot easier. The files it produces give massive amounts of headroom for adjustment in Photoshop- much greater than scanned colour print film.

If you update your M8 with the latest firmware upgrade you'll also get a discreet shooting mode.

Though I'll still keep my M6 for using B&W film as there's something really wonderful about it. 35mm colour is pretty much out of the window apart form the occasional roll of Portra 160 or 400NC.

 

[menos]

I don't see the M8/M9 as a valid replacement of a film M.

I love my M6 with pushed Tri-X, added a M7 for the AE and 0.85 finder as well and continue to use them in the evenings/ nights.

I love the convenience of my M8.2, but hate (did I stress that enough?) - hate - the poor performance in dim light.
BW film is still far ahead, when it comes to the task of shooting low light and hold shadows AND highlights, while being able to still shoot at shutters above 1/15.

Don't make a switch - do an add and you will be very satisfied with the new possibilities (more flexible exposure in good light, color/ BW on demand, quick prints, skipping the darkroom, …).

Make sure, to educate yourself about the possible issues and select a sample, that does not show any of them before shelling out cash.

I am very satisfied with mine on that basis.

 

[Phil_F_NM]

If your M6 is a TTL model you'll get the camera quickly with regard to having your eye in the VF and shooting.
If you have an older M6, you'll notice that the shutter dial of the M8 rotates in the opposite direction. It also doesn't stop so you can't count clicks to a shutter speed. The M8 shutter dial has 31 clicks between 4 seconds and 1/8000 second. Add aperture priority mode & bulb and there are a total of 33 clicks. It has half-stop shutter clicks. I'm sure there are a few out there that have become used to it, but I'm always looking at the dial. I came from an M4 with a total of 12 clicks and the dial that stops at Bulb & 1/1000 so I know where I'm at when at either end.
I wish the shutter speed was displayed in the VF at settings other than aperture priority.
You'll notice the apparent focal length crop factor a bit, but it's not too pronounced. I notice it mostly with the very wides like my 15mm and the other end with my 90mm and 105mm lenses. The mild wides and normals act relatively similarly though there still is a crop factor, just not as pronounced in my opinion.
In all reality, it's a fantastic camera and for me it allowed me to shoot more, constantly and consistently.
Definitely try to test one out though before making that plunge.

This doesn't mean that I don't miss film. If I had both the time and money, I'd be exposing mostly Plus-X with my M4 and loving every fraction of a second of it.

Phil Forrest

 

[Roger Hicks]

When you say 'gigs', do you mean shooting music under artificial light? Because much as I love the M8, that's the thing it's worst for, because of the IR sensitivity, even with IR filters. I spend too much time correcting red/purple blacks. That's the ONLY time it really worries me, but it really is a drawback.

If you're using 'gig' in a more general sense, the M8 is great.

Cheers,

R.

 

[click]

Thank you for your responses.

I'm using "gigs" in both senses. Lately at least three times a week someone asks me to take pictures for them and they pay me. This has gone on for the last several months and I'm happy about it. Last weekend I shot a band from Chicago.

I'm sad that the M8 doesn't count clicks. I have so much experience with my camera in the last twelve years I can literally use it total darkness. I got my M6 TTL in '98, or maybe it was '99 and I carry it with me EVERYWHERE I go. The automatic functions of the M8 have zero appeal to me but the convenience of not having to process other people's pictures does. Having the ability to take pictures in any kind of light is essential to me, so I think the best advice here is that I could rent one and see what it can do and to keep my film camera. I do sincerely taking your time to answer my questions. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. I would post some pictures of my work but it says I can't post tiffs. I'll have to convert them later.

Shine on,

-J

P.S. What angle of view is an 84 degree 24 millimeter lens reduce to on a M8?

 

[menos]

Thank you for your responses.

I'm using "gigs" in both senses. Lately at least three times a week someone asks me to take pictures for them and they pay me. This has gone on for the last several months and I'm happy about it. Last weekend I shot a band from Chicago.

I'm sad that the M8 doesn't count clicks. I have so much experience with my camera in the last twelve years I can literally use it total darkness. I got my M6 TTL in '98, or maybe it was '99 and I carry it with me EVERYWHERE I go. The automatic functions of the M8 have zero appeal to me but the convenience of not having to process other people's pictures does. Having the ability to take pictures in any kind of light is essential to me, so I think the best advice here is that I could rent one and see what it can do and to keep my film camera. I do sincerely taking your time to answer my questions. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out. I would post some pictures of my work but it says I can't post tiffs. I'll have to convert them later.

Shine on,

-J

P.S. What angle of view is an 84 degree 24 millimeter lens reduce to on a M8?

The 24mm lens would equal the field of view of a slightly wide 35mm.
The bad thing is, that fast 24mm lenses do cost quite a bit 🙁

 

[Roger Hicks]

It DOES count clicks, but they're at half-speed intervals (two clicks to double/halve instead of one) and the dial rotates all the way in either direction. If you can use any Leica by touch, it won't take you long to learn to use an M8 the same way. I had no trouble whatsoever. And that's after an MP, where the dial goes the 'right' way (unlike M6ttl, M7, M8-9 where it goes 'backwards' to a long-time Leica user).

24>32 equivalent, 28>37 equivalent (and a lot cheaper).

Cheers,

R.

 

[pachuco]

I would suggest that you beg, borrow or... rent one to find out for yourself if an M8 or an M9 will meet your needs beyond just the convenience of moving to a digital M body to mount your M lenses to and having a similar handling.

I would do this regardless of the opinions you will gather here or other forums...

I agree 100% - You just have to try it for yourself. Will the files look identical to what you get from your M6? Not without knowing how to make a digital file look like a film file. Will you save a bunch on immediate cost per gig? Yes. There are all sorts of variables, to many to ask a general question. Good luck!

 

[maggieo]

When you say 'gigs', do you mean shooting music under artificial light? Because much as I love the M8, that's the thing it's worst for, because of the IR sensitivity, even with IR filters. I spend too much time correcting red/purple blacks. That's the ONLY time it really worries me, but it really is a drawback.

Roger, what are you using to process your DNGs? I haven't had any problems with IR filtered lenses when I use Capture One or LightZone. ACR is a bit wonky for me, though.

 

[click]

I already have a nice Leica 24mm Elmarit 2.8, not the fastest lens on around but I truly love it. It is far and above my favorite lens of all time. I have used it for all kinds of things that a Photographer shouldn't use it for with great success.

As long as I can count something in my shutter speed I'll be fine. I read that a remote control can be used on a M9, is this the case with the M8 as well? Remote capability would be very useful when shooting a model/portrait.

I think I recall reading that a 35 will give me about a 50mm view and a 50 will give me close to a 75mm view. Is this right?

Well I have another gig today where I'm going to take pictures of these concrete religious statues that were in a business that burned. I think it will be pretty neat. I actually got paid to shoot it once before and sold pictures of it to three different people. Another person wants some specific shots so I'm getting paid again for it. Yah!

 

[click]

Okay, okay, one other question: can I use a collapsible 50mm with the M8?

 

[click]

Oh and another one? What about the dual range? Does it work just like with my M6?

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

Okay, okay, one other question: can I use a collapsible 50mm with the M8?

Yes, I use the old elmars and summitar. also the old summicron can be used

Oh and another one? What about the dual range? Does it work just like with my M6?

no you can't use it

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger, what are you using to process your DNGs? I haven't had any problems with IR filtered lenses when I use Capture One or LightZone. ACR is a bit wonky for me, though.

Used to be Capture One. Not impressed. Better with Lightroom but still room for improvement.

Of course I'm biased because many of my favourite shots weren't IR filtered. I may be seeing memories rather than what's actually there.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Ranchu]

If you're going to take paying jobs, it's a good idea to have two bodies.

 

[click]

Does the dual range work as a regular lens just not in close focus mode?

 

[cs_foto]

I love my M6, I've had it over ten years and have enjoyed every second of it. I'm starting to get gigs with my little camera and the film is piling up rapidly and the time to develop, dry, scan, manipulate and print is exhausting but rewarding. So I'm considering making the move to a M8 for the convenience factor. Also the ability to do color and adjust film speed seems pretty cool to me.

Given the beauty of film will I be satisfied?

Will the digital images still have that M6 glow that I love?

Tell me the truth have you made the jump from an M6 to an M8 and are you truly happy with it?

Thank you,
-J

I can't be bothered reading all the previous posts... but the definite answer is a big huge NO!

 

[MCTuomey]

If your current workflow hasn't unmistakably pushed you into digital, to the point where you know a film workflow isn't the answer, then I think you're not ready to move to an M8.

I say so because I think a commitment to digital processing is important to being able to overlook some of the M8's "faults" such as IR filters, less pleasing shutter, frameline inaccuracy, crop factor, etc.

By the way, to determine the equivalent focal length on a crop sensor, just multiply the lens length by the crop factor: 24mm * 1.33 = equivalent 32mm.