M8 good enough?

L

_larky

Well-known
Local time
11:16 PM
Joined
Dec 4, 2010
Messages
628
Silly question, of course it is. Anyway, I recently bought an M6 and although I am enjoying it, I feel I need to buy it a baby sister. A digital baby sister.

I heard about so many M8 problems, but cannot afford the 8.2. Is the M8 any good, really? Or does it suffer from issues? If I buy one with 16,000 actuations, how long before it dies on me? I know nothing about these cameras, I'm buying blind. So any help would be truly appreciated.

Thanks, A.
 
Hi Larky,

I think you should keep the M6 alone. Getting some digital gear on top of the M6 is going to provide more overall hassle than just fun with the M6.
You need about 20 years to explore all the possibilities of your M6 if you use it regularly !
 
_larky said:
Silly question, of course it is. Anyway, I recently bought an M6 and although I am enjoying it, I feel I need to buy it a baby sister. A digital baby sister.

.... Is the M8 any good, really? ....
Click to expand...

I can't speak to your "filial" need (which may be more GAS than substance - don't know), but the 2 M8s I've owned were a lot more than "any good" for my needs. Had no operational issues with either, although I didn't use them very hard.

What are your needs, by the way?
 
The cropped sensor is a biggie, and would be a deal breaker for me if I wanted a digital body. If you want a moderately wide angle of view with that sensor you need an expensive ultra-wide lens (OK, you could go for a CV 21mm) which is being largely wasted. You can't get the shallow depth of field and bokeh you're used to because for a given angle of view you're on a much shorter focal length.

The flipside of a cropped sensor can be cheap telephoto capability, so your 135mm becomes an effective 200mm (or whatever the crop factor is). However, rangefinders don't tend to be used for the sort of shots that require a 200mm lens.

I would stick with the M6 or hold out for a cheap M9 one day. Now, if CV were to come up with a full-frame digital body for the M-mount things would get very interesting indeed...
 
I have and M6 and love to use it, especially for film (LOL) but also purchased a used M8 recently. Here is my 2 cents, make sure you buy it from a dealer. a Good dealer will give you a competitive price, you might have to press a bit, but then you have recourse if you have problems, as I did. I noticed the infamous "red-line issue" after about 2 weeks. The camera was out of warranty, but since it is a known issue, my dealer went to bat for me with his Leica rep. It was fixed in NJ, right when they said it would be, which was still about a 5 week turn-around. I would rather be told 5 weeks and have it take five weeks than be told 3 weeks and it takes 5. Anyway, the camera is now perfect, with an additional 1 year warranty on the whole thing. If I had bought it on ebay or somewhere other than a Leica dealer, I would have been out $1800 for the repair, or having to deal with the issue. Other than that, get IR filters and use them, or an white light filter and shoot fully in IR. I think that it is an amazing camera and just love it. The prices are pretty decent as well, I got mine for $2300 USD. All of this and I still use my M6 all of the time. Good luck.
 
I bought an M8 last year and think its great, I don't mind the cropped sensor its the same as my work cameras 1.3x value for money I think the price of them secondhand is pretty good now.
As said already I would spend a bit more and buy from a dealer my M8 had the red line and had the sensor replaced under warranty I would not have wanted to pay for that.
 
Hi, the m8 IS good enough...

....but as goodtime said you have years to discover all the possibilities of the m6.

Bye and luck!
 
Had the M8. It died during some long exposure shooting. Leica fixed it under warranty. Sold it shortly thereafter. I've had film cameras freeze up and thought nothing of it, but when the M8 froze, it really turned me off (no pun intended).
 
Yes, it is good enough- not as good as an M9. It cost 1/3rd as much these days, for a lightly used one. I bought mine in Jan 2010 with under 400 actuations, "Mint-", for $2500.

If you shoot mostly monochrome, you will not require IR Cut filters. If you want color, you can pick up IR cut filters second hand for about 1/2 of new.

Look around the threads on M8 shots, decide for yourself.
 
Yes. Like any camera it can have issues, so check the threads as to what to look out for. I've had no regrets with mine, and once you're used to the crop factor it's not such a big deal. If you can't afford something more expensive, then it's your best option, I think.
 
Larky if you want an informed opinion of how the M8 is then this lady, Susan http://www.flickr.com/photos/kenstein/516345400/in/photosof-en321/
is probably as equipped as any to give an informed opinion. I think I'm right in saying she has shot more than 100,000 actuations on her's. She has over 36,000 pictures on flickr, the vast majority shot with her M8. Drop her a message, a very friendly lady. :)
 
Thanks everyone.

My needs are mainly down to the digital aspects of the camera. Basically, I want the hassle free digital use with the operational feel of the M6. I want a digital M6 in fact. I'd even be willing to sell the X100, with it's hood and case and extra bits.

The X100 is wonderful, but I think I am wanting to take photography more seriously again, and for that I need to have a camera that can be serious with me. Unless Fuji fix the manual focus and EVF problems, it ain't the camera I need right now.
 
Mixing digital and analog does not work for me.
I bought an M6 about 2 years ago after using an R-d1 for 3 years and after that an m8 for 3 years as my only camera's. Never shot a digital picture ever since.
So i would say: either buy an M8 and sell the m6 or stick to the M6 and shoot film, whichever suits you!
 
_larky said:
Thanks everyone.

My needs are mainly down to the digital aspects of the camera. Basically, I want the hassle free digital use with the operational feel of the M6. I want a digital M6 in fact. I'd even be willing to sell the X100, with it's hood and case and extra bits.
Click to expand...


Maybe nit-picking here. The M8 is more like a digital M7. Like the M7, the M8 has auto exposure, will do timed long exposures up to 30 sec, has the bigger opposed direction shutter speed dial, has flash ttl.
 
Contrariwise, I shoot MP and M9. Trouble is, the M8 and M(Film) are not really interchangeable. Unless you want to keep swapping filtes, you need one or two lenses for each. On the other hand, the M8 with the lens of your choice (I like the C-Sonnar) is a wonderful camera. 'Good enough' for what? Just about anything...

From my M9 review, http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/m9 review.html

Is the M9 worth the very considerable premium over a new M8.2, and the still greater premium over a used M8? In our view, absolutely, and without question.

On the other hand, if you can't afford an M9, does it make sense to go for second best and buy an M8 or M8.2, even used? Once again, in our view, absolutely and without question, though we would very strongly counsel choosing the M8.2 for the quieter shutter and added features - though if 1/8000 second is important to you, the M8 may be more suitable.

But if you can afford it - buy an M9.


Cheers,

R.
 
The M8 is good enough. The camera was plagued with problems and who knows when it might dies on you. I would not but one with out at least a one week return so I could test it and make sure it is a good one.

I have an M8 and use it for both work and pleasure. If I could afford an M9 I would probably buy one...
 
Yep it is especially technically in terms of its ability to turn in good images. I say this notwithstanding some "first generation" issues which are common with new products and which Leitz seemed to deal with rapidly. There are still a few minor niggles. Like the shutter sound which is louder even with the firmware upgrade. And like the shutter release which to me is much coarser than the silky feel you get with film Ms. But in terms of results................No worries. With few exceptions the complaints about the M8 revolve around issues of "the user experience" or because people are comparing it with high end digital SLRs that have already been through 5-6 generations of development by well heeled companies like Nikon and Canon who can throw money at development.

Will it be worth it to you? Now thats something I cannot answer. It was for me but then I have pretty much abandoned film as I find it all too much hassle. I still have one film M body which I bring our now and then though. But its safe to say my M8 is now my main "ride".
 
Last edited:
You've probably seen Red Dot have 5 M8's at present including a black one with only 1663 actuations for £1699. Aperture have a black one for £1490 with 6 month warranty
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom