M8 Pics with IR cutoff filter

[jaapv]

I'm sure that for those that refuse to use filters, Leica will issue a whole new line of lenses with internal IR filtering incorporated.....😱 🙁 😱

 

[Keith]

I'm no photographer and I will never own an M8 but I can't believe you can pay 5k for a camera that can't represent a basic colour accurately without the use of a filter. I really want Leica to succeed with this camera but if I was in the market for one I would be backing away rapidly now! 🙁

 

[Plasmat]

You are all barking mad.

Please send me all unwanted M8's.

This is like a floating nuthouse. You're all feeding off each other and magnifying the problem to insane proportions. The "internet effect".

Will you all be happy when you've put Leica out of business and there are NO M-digital cameras in production?

It's the first run of a very new product and there are MINOR teething pains that will be addressed and fixed. What a bunch of babies.

Anyone who works with high tech products on a regular basis takes things like this as a matter of course.

Stop the hysteria. Most of the photos from the M8 are GORGEOUS.

 

[johnastovall]

Well, I just ran the numbers for B+W IR cut off filters for the 4 lenses I plan on using.

From B&H (all special order) 560 dollars worth of filters. Not bad, not good but rather netural.

If this fixes the magenta fine but there's to me the deal killer of the banding.

 

[ampguy]

not all blacks

not all blacks

specifically it's black synthetic fibers.

Just tell your subjects to remove that offending material, because you have a Leica 😛

You are all barking mad.

Please send me all unwanted M8's.

This is like a floating nuthouse. You're all feeding off each other and magnifying the problem to insane proportions. The "internet effect".

Will you all be happy when you've put Leica out of business and there are NO M-digital cameras in production?

It's the first run of a very new product and there are MINOR teething pains that will be addressed and fixed. What a bunch of babies.

Anyone who works with high tech products on a regular basis takes things like this as a matter of course.

Stop the hysteria. Most of the photos from the M8 are GORGEOUS.

 

[MP Guy]

I dont have an issue with the problem. I am keeping my M8. I want Leica to stay in business so we can continue having great lenses and camera bodies. My concern is that this is a Leica issue that they probably knew about yet they want the consumer to pay for the fix.

 

[jaapv]

Well, I just ran the numbers for B+W IR cut off filters for the 4 lenses I plan on using.

From B&H (all special order) 560 dollars worth of filters. Not bad, not good but rather netural.

If this fixes the magenta fine but there's to me the deal killer of the banding.

Is banding camera related? I tried and tried and cannot get any. Straight into the sun, street lights-nothing....

 

[iml]

My concern is that this is a Leica issue that they probably knew about yet they want the consumer to pay for the fix.

I want Leica to survive and prosper too, but if they expect customers to pay to fix a $5K camera so it takes pictures properly, they don't deserve to prosper.

Even with the filter, the M8 is showing significant colour casts in the original post.

Ian

 

[ywenz]

I wish Leica would be bought out by a giant like Canon or something... that'd be great. Plenty of capital to come up with a proper M8.

 

[ampguy]

Hi Jorge

Hi Jorge

I read your "open letter..." and it makes good sense.

I don't think there is any evidence of bad business practices here yet, it just seems that they (along with some early reviewers) got caught with their pants down and are now doing damage control. I think you early owners should keep the pressure on them to offer free or discounted filters or whatever else is reasonable.

However, I think it was brave and responsible of Sean R. to come forward early, surely knowing that it would cause a snowstorm.

I dont have an issue with the problem. I am keeping my M8. I want Leica to stay in business so we can continue having great lenses and camera bodies. My concern is that this is a Leica issue that they probably knew about yet they want the consumer to pay for the fix.

 

[AusDLK]

I, for one, photograph only in black and white.

And I am happy with the camera's high IR sensitivity -- I have taken many test images with an 89B filter -- some that I will post online soon -- and think that the M8 may be a suitable alternative to using HIE.

 

[J. Borger]

Well the hell with it ... people cross proces, use outdated film to get away from real colors, use warming filters, cooling filters etc... . ....
The M8 is an artist's tool that fits perfectly in this tradition 😎 😎
In the meantime i enjoy it as a wonderful dedicated B&W camera, because i bought it to shoot B&W anyway ....... in this case the IR sensitivity is even a Bonus!
At least one happy Leica customer here 🙂 🙂

 

[jaapv]

I'm no photographer and I will never own an M8 but I can't believe you can pay 5k for a camera that can't represent a basic colour accurately without the use of a filter. I really want Leica to succeed with this camera but if I was in the market for one I would be backing away rapidly now! 🙁

Don't buy any camera using film then... There wouldn't be a huge market for colour-correcting filters otherwise.Colour rendition is high science with the human eye the least accurate measuring instrument.The Leica M8 is a rather extreme but all digital camera's have colour inaccuracies.,the filter fix, even if temporary and not very elegant, is pretty logical...I'm a bit unhappy with this as well, but a reason for overreacting - rather not.
90% of my photo's are technically the best to come out of any camera I've ever owned. Pretty redeeming imo.

 

[Jim Watts]

Is banding camera related? I tried and tried and cannot get any. Straight into the sun, street lights-nothing....

Well it may be, but if it is a whole batch of cameras or sensors must be involved as there are quite a few M8's out there with the problem.

I had my first hands on experience of the M8 at a dealers yesterday and it does handle beautifully, but I was easily able to detect the 'banding' problem even on the LCD at anything above 320 iso by pointing to an area in the shop where there was a couple of spot lights. The background behind the lights where the 'banding', 'steaking' occured wasn't even very dark, they were readily visible. My R-D1 could not be provoked into giving the same problem.

I would like this camera for its build quality, handling and for the wider fields of view in comparison to the R-D1, but not until Leica fix the problems or I could find one that is 'problem free' as it would effect too many of the situations I shoot in.

 

[John Camp]

Is banding camera related? I tried and tried and cannot get any. Straight into the sun, street lights-nothing....

Straight into the sun, distant streetlights won't do it. You really have to force it. You pretty much need to shoot a very bright light fairly close up with a large adjacent dark area, and ***you have to expose for the dark area.*** I don't know why, but that seems to be the way it works. I can force mine to band; but I went out shooting a town along our river the other night, kind of foggy and cool, streetlights and city lights, and got no banding whatever -- I think because there was enough ambient light around to reduce the relative overexposure of the street lights.

You notice in the now-infamous photos taken at the photo show, that the banding was taken of very bright lights in the ceiling, but the exposure was for the black ceiling, and that you can see details in the black areas. In other words, the lights were not only super-bright, they were massively, massively over-exposed (not just over-exposed like you usually over-expose lights.)

JC

 

[PHOTOEIL]

I shot an election story for a big national magazine yesterday, had one 5D and one M6 w/ Kodachrome in it. I really wished I had a digital M, even would have settled for the 1.33 crop M8. But, not with a single issue that has popped up. None.

Banding, blooming, IR color shift? Not with my 5D. I can put a good roll of film stock in my M6 and won't have to deal with any of those issues. That is what I expect from a digital M as well.

I am baffled at how it has become that none of this was discovered by top pros as it most likely would have been. Instead, the major portion of the feedback is by hyped up internet gear testers who test and test and test and miss the magenta, the banding, the blooming and test and write about those tests, test some more, reply to fan letters in public, and test and test and test.......

WTF is going on Leica??

I am sure the Magnum shooters ran into this stuff. Did Constantine Manos shoot and black velvet garments turned grape?

You NEED this camera to work like we expect it to in order for you to subsist any further, period!

At last, someone who's clear headed!

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

And another small percentage of good photographers shooting digital..... 😀

And a small percentage of those know what they're doing.

 

[jaapv]

Straight into the sun, distant streetlights won't do it. You really have to force it. You pretty much need to shoot a very bright light fairly close up with a large adjacent dark area, and ***you have to expose for the dark area.*** I don't know why, but that seems to be the way it works. I can force mine to band; but I went out shooting a town along our river the other night, kind of foggy and cool, streetlights and city lights, and got no banding whatever -- I think because there was enough ambient light around to reduce the relative overexposure of the street lights.

You notice in the now-infamous photos taken at the photo show, that the banding was taken of very bright lights in the ceiling, but the exposure was for the black ceiling, and that you can see details in the black areas. In other words, the lights were not only super-bright, they were massively, massively over-exposed (not just over-exposed like you usually over-expose lights.)

JC

I don't think that kind of shot on slide film would be very nice....

 

[Peter G1G2]

Is banding camera related? I tried and tried and cannot get any. Straight into the sun, street lights-nothing....

Interesting Jaap,

some people seem to just not have the problem. no matter how hard they try.

Do you think there might be a problem with a curtain (the first?) batch after all?

Peter

 

[ghost]

purple is the new black.