M8 Focus/sharpnness
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Ray Kilby
Established
focus
focus
I am so glad someone else has asked this question. First, I have very steady hand and I have been using an m6 for many years and latterly an RD1. I now have an M8 and it has gone back to Leica to be looked at as I too was not and am not happy with the focusing of this camera. Since it came back it's pretty much the same. I am so disappointed that I am thinking of selling it. And for me this is a first, I have loved Leica's since I was in my 30's and I am approaching 50. Incidently I took muy M6 out recently and it was fine. Very sharp and reliable.
focus
I am so glad someone else has asked this question. First, I have very steady hand and I have been using an m6 for many years and latterly an RD1. I now have an M8 and it has gone back to Leica to be looked at as I too was not and am not happy with the focusing of this camera. Since it came back it's pretty much the same. I am so disappointed that I am thinking of selling it. And for me this is a first, I have loved Leica's since I was in my 30's and I am approaching 50. Incidently I took muy M6 out recently and it was fine. Very sharp and reliable.
lilyblossom
Member
Try shooting the chart i linked too above (at varying apertures) and see where your M8 focuses. It's really quick and easy to do and even at smaller apertures you can estimate where the centre of the 'depth of field' is and thereby estimate if it is focusing correctly.
All my brand new Leica lenses focus spot on, all my brand new CV lenses do but the 3 Zeiss lenses I returned and several 2nd hand Leica lenses I tried did not focus.
Phillip
kuzano
Veteran
Take yourself out of the equation
Take yourself out of the equation
Put the camera on a tripod. Do not trip the shutter with your finger. Use a remote release or cable release (I have no idea what Leica uses for a NONHUMAN release on the M8, but there must be some way to handle that). Be very careful on the focus, and take a static shot...no moving water or objects. Don't do it on a windy day.
Only then will you know if you are part of the problem.
I flatly reject that an M8 will give you the sharpest digital image, but some have said it is very good.
There are varying reports, and obviously some M8's with problems if you can believe all you read.
Take yourself out of the equation
Put the camera on a tripod. Do not trip the shutter with your finger. Use a remote release or cable release (I have no idea what Leica uses for a NONHUMAN release on the M8, but there must be some way to handle that). Be very careful on the focus, and take a static shot...no moving water or objects. Don't do it on a windy day.
Only then will you know if you are part of the problem.
I flatly reject that an M8 will give you the sharpest digital image, but some have said it is very good.
There are varying reports, and obviously some M8's with problems if you can believe all you read.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
That is true, mid-format digital backs will outperform it, but in the 135 class it comes in second after the Leica DMR. Leaving out the AA filter will do that for you.
RichC
Well-known
I agree with Jaap - the M8 is an astonishingly good camera, and the quality of its files is among the upper echelons of the very best 35mm-format digital cameras.
The following photo was taken using an old and ratty 35mm Summilux from 1966 (a good modern lens would've given this shot even more sharpness and microcontrast - i.e. "pop") at f/8 using a tripod.
The thumbnails below this photo are 100% crops from it. As you can see, razor sharp! If printed at 100% screen size, it would be a massive 100 cm wide (over 3 feet), with perfectly acceptable quality at a normal viewing distance for such a large print despite a 96 pixel per inch (ppi) resolution.
(As an aside, if I were printing it this large, I would interpolate the resolution to 180 ppi, to maximise the quality (no need for a higher resolution with prints this large).)
The following photo was taken using an old and ratty 35mm Summilux from 1966 (a good modern lens would've given this shot even more sharpness and microcontrast - i.e. "pop") at f/8 using a tripod.
The thumbnails below this photo are 100% crops from it. As you can see, razor sharp! If printed at 100% screen size, it would be a massive 100 cm wide (over 3 feet), with perfectly acceptable quality at a normal viewing distance for such a large print despite a 96 pixel per inch (ppi) resolution.
(As an aside, if I were printing it this large, I would interpolate the resolution to 180 ppi, to maximise the quality (no need for a higher resolution with prints this large).)
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lilyblossom
Member
God, that spider is horrible!
(I'm looking for a shoe to swat my laptop monitor)
Phillip
(I'm looking for a shoe to swat my laptop monitor)
Phillip
RichC
Well-known
Sorry about that ...! 😱
Ascender
Established
Don't be so bloody rude!
Don't be so bloody rude!
It's also amazing how whenever someone asks for help on this forum, there's always someone who comes out with yet another unkind, thoughtless comment. Furthermore, the whole point of the M8 is that the images out of the box need little if any sharpening period.
-charlie
Don't be so bloody rude!
It's also amazing how whenever someone asks for help on this forum, there's always someone who comes out with yet another unkind, thoughtless comment. Furthermore, the whole point of the M8 is that the images out of the box need little if any sharpening period.
-charlie
Leighgion
Bovine Overseer
Wow, really? Here I thought the point was to make a digital rangefinder that used Leica lenses. 🙂
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