M8 upgrade?

M

MrDan

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Seeing how the M8 has come down to a price within reach of most folks (and hence i picked one up for myself), how many of you new M8 owners are opting for the factory upgrade (sapphire glass, quiet shutter, brighter frameline etc)? Is it worth the money? Main reason i ask is because for a little more $$$ i guess one can pick up a used M8.2
 
i'm using mine as is, i.e., with none of the upgrades. i thought i would like to have the sapphire glass, but a flimsy little screen protector has stayed on and done it's job. when i was looking, about a year ago, the m8.2 were priced (used) about 1k over the m8. i will just use mine as is and continue to enjoy it.
 
I have been very cavalier with my M8 - buying to use vintage screw lenses , Summitar , Elmar , a crisp little Fed Collapsible and a solitary new CV 35 f2.5 Color Scopar .
I could just scrape the cost of the CV lens , but am content as it is .
Indeed , my latest outlay has been an amadeo adpater to use my Contax / Kiev 50mms .
I am uncertain whether the upgrade is cost effective .
 
i have had an m8 for a few years and have no interest in the upgrade. want screen protection, buy a giotto protector. want a quieter shutter, use the discrete setting and get a luigi leather case, which dulls the sound. simply put, if i were to put more cash into a body, it'd be on an m9.
 
I had an M8 a coupe of years back and sold it, then finally this year picked up an M9 and have since bought a very cheap M8 again as a backup with 6k shutter actuations and no upgrades and I love it.
 
No upgrades on mine. I use the higher shutter speeds, am not bothered by wear on the LCD. Frame lines...well, maybe, but I've adapted to them at this point.
 
The upgrades are not very compelling to have. You can hold back the money for the upgrade and wait until the shutter on the M8 dies (if it dies) and then go for the upgrade and get another 1 year warranty on the body as well.

Or use the money for the upgrade for lenses
 
I had mine upgraded with shutter, frames, and LCD. Whereas when I sold it I recouped half of my purchase price on the M8, I only recouped a third of what I paid for the upgrade. Both in terms of that and the fact the in-use advantages of the upgrades fell far short of my expectations, I fully regret having done it. But at the time Leica was strongly implying that production of a full-frame M9 was still waiting on as-yet undeveloped technology. That was 6 months prior to the M9 going on sale. :bang:

If I were buying a used M8 today I would either look first for an M8.2 or alternately an M8 that that already been upgraded, if only for knowing that either would have the latest internals. However if I bought or owned a non-upgraded M8 I would not think about upgrading it. For the cost of the 3-way upgrade ($2000 approx) you could almost buy a second M8.
 
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Ben Z said:
If I were buying a used M8 today I would either look first for an M8.2 or alternately an M8 that that already been upgraded, if only for knowing that either would have the latest internals. However if I bought or owned a non-upgraded M8 I would not think about upgrading it. For the cost of the 3-way upgrade ($2000 approx) you could almost buy a second M8.
Click to expand...

Well said.

The only upgrade I'd consider is from my original M8 to an M9, which would of course give me more resolution, full frame, and better high iso performance - things I value. I'm accustomed to shooting my M8, as is. I like it fine. No appreciable benefit for me (same sensor, etc) from an M8u or M8.2, although if I started with one I'm sure I'd be liking it too.
 
Probably not economical today to opt for these upgrades. A few months after I bought my M8, I noticed it had the vertical line problem, so it went in for warranty repair. I had the shutter and viewfinder upgrades applied at that same time. But we weren't expecting the M9 at that point! OTOH, I have enjoyed the upgrades for quite a while now, and will for some time to come.
 
If Leica offered an option to upgrade your m8 with M9 internals, (sensor, frameline(s), electronics, etc) that would be something.
 
There is an option - buy an M9 and exchange the hot shoe with your M8. As it is, even the body shells are different....
 
MrDan said:
Seeing how the M8 has come down to a price within reach of most folks (and hence i picked one up for myself), how many of you new M8 owners are opting for the factory upgrade (sapphire glass, quiet shutter, brighter frameline etc)? Is it worth the money? Main reason i ask is because for a little more $$$ i guess one can pick up a used M8.2
Click to expand...

At this moment I have no intention of upgrading the M8. The main reason is that my M8 fulfills my needs at this moment. I purchased it at the moment the M8.2 was released (rebate promotion).

If ever I would upgrade, the only upgrade I would take is the shutter.

Best
 
I agree with the consensus that the M8 is perfectly usable in its original form, otherwise the cost/performance ratio and purchase feasibility is lost (for my budget).

The going rate for the M9 is about $5900, currently...
 
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