Sailor Ted said:
It is telling that the detractors of the M8 for the most part have never used the camera.
I hope you're not including me in that generalization. First because while I may fit the definition if you define a detractor as anyone who doesn't put a 100% postive spin on it, in fact I recognize all the M8's excellent qualities and want one more than you can imagine. Second, and more importantly, because I
have used the camera. It's good, the IQ is great. Not better than a 5D and not significantly better than a 20D. If it makes people happy to believe the M8 is far above those, and if it bolsters their egos to ridicule users of other cameras as not being capable of discerning IQ, that's their personality problem to deal with. The advantages the M8 has over those cameras are the same ones my M6 has over an EOS 3: physical size. That's extremely important to me as a travelling photographer, and why I am still not 100% decided against the M8.
barjohn said:
Think about it rationally, 99% of the problems are problems that can be fixed in firmware (AWB, eratic crashes, cyan shift with filters, better or added menues, etc.)
Do you have any idea why the firmware that alleges to fix these issues is well past-due, and when (or if) it's likely to be released? One thing is certain, I would not buy an M8 before 1.10 is available and has been shown to fix all it proposes to fix, including the current spate of crashes, without adding another rasher of bugs of its own.
How many people buy a range finder to carry more than 4 lenses? How about more than 3 lenses? The whole point of RF photography is to be nimble, mobile and to not have to carry a ton of stuff so after two filters we are talking buying 1 or two more or basically a couple of hundred dollars. Once they are on you mostly forget about them.
I have about 13 lenses, and I normally carry 6 on a trip:15, 21, 35, 50, 90, 135 (with M8 probably add the 12mm and subtract the 135). Of those only the 35 and 135 share a common filter size. Since unlike a UV, the IR filter is essential to assuring no weird color shifts in incandescent or daylight (both strong containers of IR), I couldn't afford not to have a spare in each required size. That would make a minimum of
eleven IR filters I'd need to own, so 9 I'd need to pay for. That's over $1000 in the sizes I need.
If it turns out that there are additional hardware fixes required, hey, it has a two year warranty.
And just how much of that two years would you consider reasonable for someone who's got $4800 sunk into a camera to expect it to be out of his hands getting fixed?
I would love to get an M8. I may still. IR filters aside, not before the new firmware is up and running. The recent falling-out between Leica and Jenoptik (developer of the M8 firmware) has me a little concerned and I need to see that the same thing isn't going to happen that has happened to the DMR (no promised firmware upgrade because of lack of Imacon's participation).
The camera is great, at least in concept, and it has tremendous IQ potential, that I'll grant. I want one. But I'm not about to pretend that it doesn't have serious issues that need addressing.
