One more photo of the M8

I've never felt that half cases were particularly practical, having to undo the whole thing every time you want to change film, but have recently thought that on a digital camera using one might be a good idea--especially considering the princely price for the M8.
 
Nice but I find it VERY hard to believe that that is a photo - look at the adjustment knobs at the top left. Now, it may very well be a 100% accurate digital composite of the M8 - but I do not think it's a photo of it.

(These photos from another site looks even less real though: http://macandphoto.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/leica_m8d.jpg)

So, to take Jorge up on his 'challenge' from this thread - http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27799&highlight=M8

I promise I will say 'I will never doubt a RFF again (but they were never photos - just computer images)!' - should the final, revealed M8 look exactly like these images on Sept 15 🙂
 
Your on! 🙂

Keep in mind, I said no photoshop editing was done but it was misleading. The image you see is a 150% of the original. Sorry.
 
I'm more and more convinced that these are indeed accurate 'visualizations' (if not actual photographs) of the forthcoming M8. Personally, i think the camera looks great.

Now I'm interested to hear from some of the severest critics - who've also been the most enthusiastic and vocal anticipaters of the camera: if these images turn-out to be accurate - how disappointed are you going to be, and will you still buy the camera?
 
I admit this latest picture is more plausible, note the lever to the left of the lens for, presumably, previewing frame lines as normal. If this is real, they have certainly played safe with the design.

My biggest question now is how the photographer is going to set things like ISO, how will he/she find out the state of the battery and memory remaining. I had expected there to be some sort of secondary display but it looks like everything is going to be seen/set through the LCD and the menus. they may think it's not necessary to be able to check/change these things quickly.

There may be some extra information in the viewfinder but space is tight around the frameline masks to do much more than the M7. The DMR has the settings dial and the separate settings display. Looks like these have gone on the M8.
 
Like the half case, it's possible the back might have a thumb "bump" to compensate for the lack of a wind-on lever to help you hold the camera.
 
Hi Mark

I don't mean for you to take this personally, but i'm especially interested to know your response to the images precisely because you've been one of the most passionate enthusiasts of Leica and the M8, at the same time as you've been a particularly forthright critic of the way these images have portrayed the camera.

If you're still as keen (i think you've said you intend to buy two M8s as soon as they're available), then the psychology of buying the camera becomes interesting for those of us who are waiting to see how the M8 actually turns out: in other words, there would then appear to be Leica-enthusiasts who will buy the camera, no matter what.

Right now, my own personal feeling is that i'm keen to buy also - but my resources and the fact that i think me and my partner need a bigger apartment in the near future, mean that the decision to buy just one M8 will be a very, very hard one to make.

Best //mani
 
Mani, you're correct, I am very enthusiastic about the M8, as keen as mustard as we would say here and I am planning to buy two. That doesn't mean at all I think Leica can do no wrong.

Most of all, I want the M8 to deliver outstanding images, but I also want it to be an ergonomic success and my fear is that with memories of the M5 and the opinions of Leica traditionalists in mind, they have gone for too minimalist a design with all the digital "stuff" swept under the LCD/Menu/Buttons "carpet". This camera will miss the point if the user has to page through menu after menu to change a common setting and miss the photographic moment as a result.

For example, to change ISO on a D2x, press a button and click a dial. To set EV+/-, press a button and click a dial, and so on. How easy will these operations be on an M8?

Even if it is an ergonomic dog, I will still buy the cameras because I think Leica deserve my support - I'm a fervent believer in precision value-added manufacturing and I don't subscribe to the view that you can build an economy by flipping hamburgers and selling each other life insurance.

I do understand though that for all sorts of reasons, the M8 is a very significant purchase for many people and they want to wait and see and that even then, there are higher economic priorities. In the meantime, they can see how people like me get on with the warm glow of schadenfreude when it all goes wrong...
 
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I can second Mark's thoughts for 100% and would like to add my own additional reasons: I have been using Leica M camera's for more than 35 years (in case you did not notice the number in my profile is not my post count, but my age....😀)) so there is no way that I want to lose the Leica "feel" but I decided to "go digital" for a large part about three years ago, as I felt digital was approaching film in quality ( not meant to start an analog-digital war again, but just my personal assesment) and I wanted to get my colour darkroom back which I sorely missed without the hassle of chemicals etc. In addition I travel a lot through Africa where memory cards are alot more practical than large amounts of film. That caused me to sell my Leica R system (it was back when the DMR was just a question mark) for Canon DSLR, which was fine, but I regret it enough to never do that to my M system. So there remains just one option: the M8, hoping for the best.
 
Mark - Thanks for your polite answer - lesser challenges have led to 'troll' accusations on forums such as these.

I totally agree with your economic assessments - i am extremely fearful for Western societies that seem to believe that longer holidays and fewer people actually producing things is a sustainable model for future prosperity.

Furthermore, i'm always extremely keen to only buy the very best example of any product i own (usually preceded by a few months of careful pondering) and i expect it to last a long time: this is why my stereo is built by Quad and my TV by Loewe.
I definitely wouldn't even consider buying a Leica digital camera otherwise.

Anyways, personally i'm actually more enthusiastic for the M8 after seeing the images - when using my (admittedly relatively basic) Dlux2, i tend not to change settings very often: the camera stays pretty much at ISO 80, and the only time i find myself reaching for the quick-menu button, is to change the LCD preview to b&w.
So for me, this minimalist design is EXACTLY what i want.
 
I don't doubt the M8 will look like the ones in the images. I do think it's odd that these images are perfectly lit with no background, like catalog shots. I would think that unauthorized sneak-peek shots would be of the M8 sitting on a table or something, taken surreptitiously, and would not look so ideal. Unless these are actual catalog shots that someone has leaked, which since the photos are copyrighted to Leica, taking them without authorization would be a criminal offense, as would publishing them, no?
 
Ben Z said:
which since the photos are copyrighted to Leica, taking them without authorization would be a criminal offense, as would publishing them, no?
Click to expand...

Yeah - there's an armed SWAT team outside Jorge's door right now. In 50 seconds they're gonna smash their way in, and RFF will be no more. Jorge will be locked in a dark cell somewhere underground, and the authorities will throw away the key!!

Or just possibly not... 🙄
 
Mark Norton said:
my fear is that with memories of the M5 and the opinions of Leica traditionalists in mind, they have gone for too minimalist a design with all the digital "stuff" swept under the LCD/Menu/Buttons "carpet". This camera will miss the point if the user has to page through menu after menu to change a common setting and miss the photographic moment as a result.

...
Click to expand...
Hi Mark,
One of the trends that I have seen in DSLR design is to have one screen that contains the principal shooting parameters accessed by one button, like a shortcut (info button?). The other approach is to have that menu page up except when images are post reviewed. The hints may be in the DMR literature, which I haven't bothered to download. They would probably follow the same thinking. This is an area where I wish we would gets some leaks, if only for more discussion:bang:
Bob
 
Ben Z said:
... Unless these are actual catalog shots that someone has leaked, which since the photos are copyrighted to Leica, taking them without authorization would be a criminal offense, as would publishing them, no?
Click to expand...

You're probably right that they are catalog shots and that publishing them without permission is a criminal offense, but in the spectrum of criminality, publishing photos of a yet-to-be released product to a community of potential customers (essentially doing advertising work for the company for free, albeit admittedly on a different timetable than the company envisioned) is about as serious as a speeding ticket in my mind.
 
Bob, I certainly agree that a second, static display is a waste, but it all depends on how good the battery life is and it needs to be instant on to see it.

Still, we'll know in little over a week...
 
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