M8 purchase advice

O

otaku

Established
Local time
11:01 PM
Joined
Oct 26, 2007
Messages
62
Location
boise idaho
View My Gallery
Ok so I'm looking at an M8 sometime in the next couple months (plan on taking it with me to new york this winter december, january) anyway probably going to go used to save money what is the proper price for one without any damage to it (no scuffs etc) and what would be the best lense to get for the money? Should I get a spare battery? How big/fast of a memory card? And finally is it worth it and would my m8 be back in time to have it upgraded through leica's new program? (what's the cost of that btw?)

Thanks!
 
get a spare battery(or 2)...get yourself a few fast 2gig card and don't bother with the upgrade right now...it'll probably take a longish time.
An average price for a refurb is around/possibly less than $4000USD
as far as lenses...the new summarits seem pretty good for the money if you want to stick with leica...otherwise I'd grab a CV lens...they're really nice and cost next to nothing.
 
Last edited:
Demos can now be had for less than $4000... they come with a one year warranty, and though I don't know price of a used M8 I can't imagine they wouldn't be so much cheaper. PLUS with the demo you'll get the two free filters, too.
 
Get a 35mm lens. It'll be good for most photographs, unless you specifically want something else. A 50 might be just a bit too tight.
 
I have one spare battery and that's enough for me. I use 2GB cards. Recommend looking or talking to Popflash they'll help you. I have all kinds of lenses but favs are 28/2 or 35/2.
 
The 35mm 1.2 Nokton is excellent on the M8 ... the lens doesn't intrude very far into the 35mm framelines and balances very well with the weight of the camera which is quite hefty for it's dimensions ... I also use a 25mm Zeiss Biogon f2.8 and like it a lot as well. These two lenses with the Leica's crop factor give pretty close to the ideal 50mm 35mm combination of focal lengths.

If you're into available darkness shooting the Nokton is superb at 1.2 with the M8 set at 1250 ISO!
 
Last edited:
Funnily enough, my favourite lenses with the M8 are 50mm (f/1.5 Sonnar and f/1 Noctilux), 90mm (f/2.2 Thambar) and 135mm (f/2.8 Elmarit). Equivalents are 67mm-120mm-180mm. With film Leicas it's 35mm and 75mm (Summilux and Summicron).

Of course I'm wondering about a 24mm...

Yes, buy at least one spare battery (I have two batteries, and will probably get a third soon) and 2GB cards work best for me. I've been using an M8 since November 2006 so I have a reasonable amount of experience: probably close to 10,000 pics (the counter reset a couple of times using unformatted cards) and a fair amount published, plus what's on the web-site -- where there's also a review: http://www.rogerandfrances.com/photoschool/m8.html

Cheers,

R.
 
I mostly use the Nokton 1.2 nowadays, or the Summicron 35/2.0 asph.
The other lens I use most is the Summicron 90 AA. Old lenses work wonderfully too...
A few 2 Gb cards and a spare battery and you are ready to go. Oh - and don't forget to load the latest firmware - that is very important!
I've been running two M8-s since November 2006 - about 20.000 shots - you've made an excellent choice!
 
I would encourage you to buy from the classified section here or the sponsors of RFF. You can email/call in your questions with the seller. I purchased all my Leica equipment here, or getdpi (although it looks like the only way to get a 75mm Leica is to buy it new ;>)) and have never had a bit of problem with a single seller on RFF.

Used M8s on RFF seem to run anywhere from $3,600 - $4000 depending on condition and accessories, and shipping arrangements.

Lenses: as was stated earlier - new CV lenses are great values and in some cases rival Leica glass in quality., Zeiss lenses are superb and middle of the road cost wise, and then there is the Leica glass.

I agree with Chris101 - get a 35mm lens - close to 50mm on the M8 - and then whatever other glass fits your needs.

O.C.
 
JWW said:
I have one spare battery and that's enough for me. I use 2GB cards. Recommend looking or talking to Popflash they'll help you. I have all kinds of lenses but favs are 28/2 or 35/2.
Click to expand...
I second everything that JWW said. Popflash was a lot of help when I bought my M8. The 28/2 and 35/2 lenses are good choices.
 
Congratulations to your decision. I have the M8 since 01/07 and enjoy it immensly. You already got good advice, but I thought I would throw in my 2cents.
- Buy a demo or refurbished M8 from a reputable dealer, simply because of the warranty (Popflash, Kurland etc)
- 35mm or 28mm most likely will become your most used focal length. I never got along with the 28mm, but like the 35mm.
- If I would start all over again, I would only buy those Leica lenses which are unique or simply best in class. As far as I'm concerned the only "must have Leica glass" presently is the 50 lux asph. Otherwise, I would buy Zeiss lenses, the ones I have (or had) are superb in performance, and build quality, costing a fraction of the Leica equivalent. CVs can be from good-excellent, but sample variations (maybe except for the Nokton 35 f1.2) and lower build quality explain the price difference to the Zeiss lenses.
- A subscription to Sean Reid's webpage is highly recommended, to learn about the many excellent lens options available.
- For your NY stay, a wide lens is recommended (21mm or 24mm), maybe accompanied with a CV 15 or 12mm, which are great value for the money and fun to use in the Big Apple.
 
Last edited:
For reference I sold mine here on RFF for $3900 last week with two batteries and three 2GB cards with 15 months left on the warranty.

As for lenses, I really like the 40/1.4 Nokton and the 40/2 Summicron-C (both were modified to bring up the 35mm frames.) Either of these are basically 50mm on the M8.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom