New M8 and M8.2 users- report in!

[dof]

I've had an M8 for a little more than a year and a half. In that time, it has performed mostly without flaw. (See fine print below.)


My recommendations:

1) Having a second battery is mandatory and a third is desirable.
2) Always check Leica's card compatibility listings whenever buying cards. Having multiple cards is valuable not only for shooting many images, but as a backup as well.
3) UV/IR filters are mandatory to get the best results, but 6-bit coding of lenses 35mm and longer is not. Your results may vary.
4) If hard drive space permits and one has little to no aversion to post-processing, skip the use of JPEGs all together. The camera is capable of producing beautiful files and shooting RAW will allow one to get the most from them.


The fine print:

The one issue I've found that concerns the body itself is that it has become inoperative several times, and have lost opportunities to shoot as a result. All of these cases were cured by replacing the battery, or switching the camera off and re-inserting the same battery.

I've also encountered memory card corruption and lost a few files I thought I'd taken, but that was the card at fault not the camera. Actually, I'm pleasantly surprised at how well the body deals with a malfunctioning card. Just insert a new one and off you go.


Ta,

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

I actually have decided not to code anything at all. I'm using filters, and will be selectively processing heavily color-shifted photos (e.g. from the CV15) with Cornerfix, which I must say is a miraculous piece of code. I can't believe it's free. And it is incredibly easy to use, too.

 

[naruto]

Well, I put my money in for a M8, and it's arriving tomorrow. I am excited about using the digital M (perhaps a tad too late) with my vintage lenses.

Meanwhile, I have downloaded all the documentation and necessary digital workflow pieces for Lightroom (camera profiles, B&W presets). 🙂

 

[noimmunity]

I got one at the beginning of last year when the pound crashed and there was a rebate.

I use CS1v.5 to process, and go to Nik Silver Efex and/or Color Efex for PP.

The thing that has really revolutionized my workflow and ability to process the images was getting a 2.8 Ghz 15" Macbook Pro to go with it.

I'm really interested in finding a vintage wide to go on the M8. Any suggestions? Canon or Nikon 28 seems the ticket, but a little pricey.

 

[tbarker13]

I used to use a canon 28/2.8. I'd say it's a very good choice. Hard to find a smaller lens if that matters at all.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I'm waiting for mine, coming in.

Oh la la. Oh la la! 🙂 😎

 

[jlindstrom]

reporting for duty! (had mine for just over a month now)

//Juha

 

[Strangeluv]

Got mine a couple of weeks ago. Tbh, I love it!
Your favourite lens, UV/IR filter, a couple of spare batteries, a few SD cards, and youre set to go.
My best advise, as a total RF novice, shoot and enjoy. And shoot lots. Thats the way to learn.
Comming from the world of DSLR's, it feels so refreshing actually having to think again when shooting.
Without a shadow of doubt, my next camera will be an analouge M 🙂

 

[jsrockit]

The prices have come down enough coupled with cheap voigtlander lenses that I bought an M8 a couple of months ago. I'm loving it enough and feel back at home again after many years of ****ty digital P&S and DSLRs.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Wow- I AM NOT ALONE!

I plan on reporting back to the thread, mine is in the mail. Will be here for the weekend.

I'm thinking about which lens to use on it first. I'm thinking the Nickel Summar as it is my Oldest Leica lens coupled with the newest camera.

 

[johannielscom]

... I've been looking at Voigtlander, Zeiss and Leica so far.

...

Any other suggestions?

Do NOT look at Konica Hexanon lenses, I repeat, do NOT look at Konica Hexanon lenses

(how come everybody keeps forgetting these?)

😛

 

[johannielscom]

Wow- I AM NOT ALONE!

I plan on reporting back to the thread, mine is in the mail. Will be here for the weekend.

I'm thinking about which lens to use on it first. I'm thinking the Nickel Summar as it is my Oldest Leica lens coupled with the newest camera.

I'd love to see some shots with that Summar Brian, good choice, stick to it!

 

[Bavaricus]

I got my M8 in november last year, new at a strong reduced price - and i am happy with it. BUT i am not happy with some of my lenses. Some do have a loevely character and some aren't great performers - what i haven't recognised on the prints before.

Only thing i would like to have are improved jpgs, this is a weakness of the M8 (my Oly E-510 is much better in OOC jpgs).

 

[Sonnar Brian]

> BUT i am not happy with some of my lenses. Some do have a loevely character and
> some aren't great performers

Which lenses are these? Fellow Sonnar Addict. I'll be putting a full range of Sonnars on the M8. It will make testing converted and shimmed lenses much easier.

On the performance issue: do you think this a function of the CCD and microlenses? Or just Film vs Digital look?

 

[jaapv]

I really like the way the Summarit 5 cm/1.5 works on the M8. Just stay away from busy backgrounds.

 

[chenzhaohy]

Bought one before Chrismas and now it's on its way to Leica NJ.
Any SD card used in the camera can not be recognized by computers. Saying it is not formatted.
Why leica makes a simples thing so complicated?

 

[Cron]

got a rarely used one before christmas 😀
spot on with my lenses wide open and no problems with SD-cards so far

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I really like the way the Summarit 5 cm/1.5 works on the M8. Just stay away from busy backgrounds.

I know THAT will be a winning combination- low-contrast lenses are perfect for Digital. That is a lesson learned in the 1980s for me: Intensity Clipping, once a pixel saturates the information is gone. I plan on doing some tests between the Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4 Ltm and the Summarit, using the Histogram with the camera pointed at the same subject.

 

[Makten]

I was this >< close to selling all of my Nikon SLR gear including a D700 and some very nice glass, to buy the M9. But I ended up with keeping the D700 and buying an M8 instead, in october last year. 😎

I'm really happy that I did and I love the camera. But the lenses... I'm having so much trouble with focus shift, smeared corners and stuff with my CV 35/1.4 and 28/2 plus Leica Summicron-C 40/2 and Elmar-C 90/4 that I'm gonna try a slower Zeiss instead. Leaning towards the 28 Biogon, but the 35/2.8 seems even nicer. A tad long though.

 

[jaapv]

Wouldn't it be a better idea to trade all this for a really good lens like the Summicron 35 asph?