M8 opportunity cost

[aka5ha]

Friends,

I am about ready to buy an M8, but I can't help but think about what I could get with over $5000.

My current equipment: Canon EOS-1, 15mm 2.8, 24mm 2.8, 35mm 2.0, Leica MP, CV 21mm 4.0, 28 Elmarit ASPH, 50 Summicron.

I could buy an M8 or: a 5D body, 35mm 1.4L, 50mm 1.4, 70-200 2.8, Nikon Coolscan, a Macintosh with Aperture (or a PC with Lightroom), and an Epson printer.

I am on the verge here and would like to hear your views.

Right now I just think I would be more likely to carry around and use the M8, but on the other hand I really despise the cropped sensor, and the 5D is a more capable machine. Perhaps however, the M8 will hold it's value better over time, though I'm not sure.

Thanks for your thoughts...

 

[lemos]

it does make you wonder on the value of the M8 😛

*flame suit on*

 

[tmfabian]

I made the mistake of buying a canon 1 year ago when it was darn near brand new to the market, now it's off the market, no parts being made for it and is currently sitting under a few feet of asphault after the shutter died and there were no parts to repair it with. Going with one of the big 2 DSLR people means buying a very expensive disposable camera.
To be fair, I thought this of all digital cameras, the m8 included until the anouncement that there's going to be an upgrade program for it.

 

[JTK]

Consider Sony Alpha 700 and Zeiss lenses, also the new Sigma DP1 "rangefinder" which will rival M8. Do you really want to carry a camera body that costs twice as much as superior technology?

 

[JTK]

...I mentioned Sony & Sigma because that's exactly what I have in mind, pending only Sigma's reported March availability (per Amazon.com)

 

[RF-Addict]

I don't think anybody can help you with your decision. Either way you will have "regrets", it sounds like. All I can tell you is that I would not spend 5K for a crop sensor RF - but that's just me and everybody who owns a M8 will tell you otherwise.

Maybe you should wait until you feel more confident with your decision. Maybe you should wait until the new 5D comes out - I am almost certain that you would/will regret spending 5K now.

 

[dannynono]

The 5d and M8 are on my wishlist as well. the difference that I see between the two is that the Canon's price (for a new body) is getting lower and lower, while a new M8 is the same if not more given the USD decline.

It's still too early to know, but I'd guess that with Leica's commitment to upgrading the M8 (for however long) will mean its price isn't going to drop as quickly unless a competitor puts out a decent Digi RF (not sure if the Sigma counts) or unless an M9 makes an appearance.

 

[naos]

Do you have any film m's? You could just buy some sweet glass and a CoolScan.

The M8 is a great camera, but always remember:

"Glass before brass!"

 

[nobbylon]

You have great kit there already! whats your reason for going digital? If it's for convenience then you could just get a 40d and still use your other canon gear. me? I would get myself a dedicated Nikon film scanner , a new imac and sit on the fence until Leica come up with a full frame RF. Does anyone honestly believe it won't happen? may take a while but it will, and then where will the M8 upgrade program be! I would like a digi rf but i'm more than happy with my scans from film until it happens and for happy snapping, use my D70. just my thoughts so please M8 people, don't get offended!!!😀

 

[ZebGoesZeiss]

Well, if I were starting out all over again, and these were my two options - I would get the Canon 5D. Now, the thing that should make you hesitate is that you already have some capable lenses with M mount. Do you intend to keep the Leica MP and lenses no matter what? If so: You're spreading your costs here, building two sets of expensive glass. I bought the M8 after realizing that it would cost me a fortune to get into that EOS stuff again, and I really wouldn't want to spend the money on two different systems.

Of course, 6 months later I bought a Canon 40D and the 35mm L and 17-55mm IS. 🙂

Honestly: If you're in doubt, think it over. Try to concolidate your gear: Sell off what you don't need, and try to define what you miss with the stuff that you already have. I'm happy as can be with my setup now (Canon 40D, Canon EOS3, Leica M6, Leica M8), but if I were to sell one camera - it would be the M8...

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

The opportunity cost? I'll need a Ph.D. in Economics to figure that one out.

 

[dcsang]

hehe.. my favourite kind of thread - the "Why is the M8 so darn expensive when compared to . . . . " thread.

It's funny how many M8 users/owners will defend their purchases with vitriol at all costs 😀

It's also funny how it's always Canons that the M8 is compared to. Why not the Nikon D3??? Oh.. wait.. ya.. high ISO images on the D3 kill all other cameras 😀

That said, I still have Canon 5D's that are running just fine after almost 2 years of weddings, portraits and events. I may send them in soon for a general check up - just as one would send in the M8 for a general check up when needed.

I think Sitemistic and Gabe and Naos have good posts here that may help - ideally, if you had ooodles of money, you could buy both systems - but it really depends on what you're going to use the camera for. Macro? Sports? Long telephoto nature shooting? go for the Canon. "Street", portraits, and general photography... go for the Leica.

Either way, you'll likely end up like a bunch of other folks on this or other boards - defending your decision against anyone that dare speak negatively on the choice that you eventually will make.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[Benjamin Marks]

hehe.. my favourite kind of thread - the "Why is the M8 so darn expensive when compared to . . . . " thread.

Good one Dave . . . Here's the thing (and I guess I'd better make this personal and don my asbestos skivvies). Here's my hypothesis: No one except a working pro _needs_ a $5,000 camera. We need food, oxygen, water, shelter. So: it's about want, desire, curiosity, hope, envy, aspiration . . . all that good stuff. You could take $5K and blow it on a motorcycle, a used car, a stereo, a house repair, plastic surgery, music, dining, a weekend in Vegas and so forth. Or you could spend it on a camera. Go and get the Leica. It'll feed that animal part of your brain (as it has mine). Me, I never felt the pull of Vegas.

ducking,

Ben

 

[jaapv]

It is indeed a funny thread. No need to don your flame-proof coveralls, Ben I can quite sympathize with the "I can buy a lot of darn good cameras for that price" faction. After all, after agonizing over a pair of Zai skis last week I decided very reluctantly that my two year old Salomon Equipes were far better than my skiing skills anyway and no way was I going to pay 3000 Euro for a pair of skis. But they had get a mop to remove my drool of the floor....
And I don't think even a working pro really "needs"an M8, unless it is an extremly rare job that demands a digital rangefinder. But hey! Why not buy a BMW M series instead of a Hyundai, a Panerai instead of a Seiko or an M8 instead of a 5D if you dont go bankrupt and appreciate the machine? At least we have progressed beyond the point of "why pay 5000 Euro for a flawed camera" by now.... The thing is pretty good with the last firmware and will even be a bit better with the upgrade. Actually was pretty good before that, but not all agreed. 😉

 

[tomasis]

If you want a Leica, you have to buy a Leica

word, nikon 🙂

me, former owner of nikon, lol

 

[Roger Hicks]

The M8 is not expensive compared to other currently available 10 megapixel rangefinder cameras.

Only you can decide if it is worth it.

'Versatility' is completely meaningless: much better to buy a camera that suits the way you work and will allow you to shoot the kind of pictures that interest you.

If that's an M8, buy it. If not, buy something else.

Can't say I'd have much difficulty in choosing between a 3-ton DSLR and an M8, but hey, that's just me.

Cheers,

R.

 

[BigSteveG]

Before the M8, Leica fans had to defend their purchase of $3k or so on the MP,7,6 etc. Now, the trend continues. It really doesn't matter. Leica, for the most part are no longer suited for professional photography. They are primarily for hobbyist and "art" photogs. Such as the majority of members here. Do I have more money than sense? Yeah, probably. Have fun with this thing. Don't use it to further insecurities. If you've got the money, do what you like with it.

 

[Richard Marks]

All of these opinions are valid but the one which really matters is yours. Try the gear our for yourself. Bottom line.

Richard

 

[kuzano]

Oh Heck. Lets just PO two big marketplaces

Oh Heck. Lets just PO two big marketplaces

I like the comment in one post about the defensive (vitriolic) attitude of M8 owners. Yet, here is a crop sensor camera with fairly ambivalent reviews, a growing list of issues, expensive beyond reason, being produced by a recently realigned company which can't even make up it's mind whether to write off this first exercise, as well they should, or provide a "perpetual upgrade" to prolong this agony and continue to suck money from a following of moneyed gentry with misplaced loyalty huge and indefensible amounts before finally coming to market with a new crop sensor digital camera with new issues and ................

Oh wait, I forgot, was I talking about Leica, or Harley Davidson, or.....

There is no accounting for, or justifying blind brand loyalty. But how many new loyal followers is Leica bringing into the flock with their current business model and care program (known as customer service and development)

If you want a Leica (or a Harley), just buy it. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone, unless, as a result you cannot feed or house your children.

My outer epidermal layer has been replaced with nomex.

 

[Roger Hicks]

. . . But how many new loyal followers is Leica bringing into the flock with their current business model and care program (known as customer service and development)
.

Quite a lot. Leica M-sales are at levels not seen in 40 years, mostly thanks to the M8. Old Leica diehards flocking to digital? Probably not, in my estimation.

Cheers,

R.