R-D1s user's experance with an M8

[jmarcus]

My friend who works for one of the online photo sites got an M8 for review this weekend. I got to try it and I was surprised by a couple of things.

1. The camera felt a little thick in the hand, I was surprised because I had picked up an M3 about a month ago and that felt awesome. The M8 didn't feel so good.

2. What happened to the shutter? (Pre hardware update) does anyone else think it sounds kind of clunky?

3. Viewfinder and patch was brighter.

4. I always shoot on manual exposure. Do you? I had to use my thumb to adjust the exposure, I couldn't get my pointer finger around to adjust it from the front.

5. The exposure read out. This is only the second rangefinder I have shot with, but why wouldn't Leica provide an actual number for the exposure? Instead you get these arrows and dots. This might be user configurable, I didn't get a chance to read the manual.

Any one else feel the same way? I was kind of bummed that the only possible in PRODUCTION replacement for a digital rangefinder was, less then exciting.

 

[0bli0]

James,

i have been a long time r-d1(s) user and recent M8 owner. there is a bit of 'culture shock' between the two. the r-d1(s) feels (to me) naturally like an analogue rangefinder. i find the shooting style is very similar to traditional film. with the M8, it's far too easy to 'shoot away'. i also hate the exposed LCD compared to the r-d1. i almost forget it's there...

the m8 is definitely thicker than any of my voigtlander or leica bodies. it was almost uncomfortable to hold - moreso due to the 'faux vulcanite', than the thickness. someone was nice enough to get me a Luigi case and it makes the camera so much nicer to hold - even for hours. the nice thing about the case is it covers the LCD. it's far easier to not chimp. i shot a whole day without looking, so my shooting style is now much more like the r-d1.

the shutter isn't as loud as the cocking mechanism. reminds me of an old olympus motordrive. it's muffled a bit in the case and not that noticable from a ways away.

yes the m8 viewfinder patch is nicely bright. as nice or nicer than my M6, but less prone to 'whiteout'

i find the shutter speed dial adjusts quite easily with shooting finger - especially when using the luigi case, due to the ease of holding.

i like the analogue style metering readout - just like my M6 or many other film cameras. it's very easy to adjust the shutter speed wheel, find the exposure, and shoot.

i still love my r-d1(s) but i also love the M8. i'm glad i finally decided to pick it up.

 

[jmarcus]

Thanks for the replies. I'm glad no one got pissed.

the shutter isn't as loud as the cocking mechanism.

I think this is what I was hearing.

I like the idea of the LCD being hidden, but I don't like the idea of a case, although they look beautiful.

Thanks for the other informative responses.

James

 

[mani]

4. I always shoot on manual exposure. Do you? I had to use my thumb to adjust the exposure, I couldn't get my pointer finger around to adjust it from the front.

Maybe someone can explain to me why they didn't stick with the M6TTL and M7 type of dial? For me, the simple accessibility of those dials set at the front edge of the camera are the easiest and best solution ever.

The dots and arrows are actually my favored way for indicating exposure - I'm still not accustomed to seeing the exposure setting in the R-D1s viewfinder yet, but I'm sure it's mostly just what you're used to...

 

[bluepenguin]

The bad thing about M8 is using UV/IR filter. Sometimes the UV/IR filter gives really dumb flare.... 🙁

And at night, you also have to put dumb UV/IR filter to generate right color.

Picture you taking a shot without UV/IR on college graduation, all wearing purple ... 🙁

 

[jmarcus]

I shot with an M8 again today. I'll consider getting one now, but I'll mention my thoughts. Some of these are well known.
The camera came without an IR filter and wow I can't believe Leica let the camera out the door with that issue. Not sure if it matters but the firmware was 1.2. On the other hand it is now clear that my rangefinder is significantly out of alignment. I shot a 180 pictures with my Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 and after I adjusted for the lack of blacks, I thought the snaps were really good. I would definitely get a thumbs up for the camera because I still feel that the camera is going to fall out of my hand. I still wish the exposure dial was closer to the front of the camera and that it was quieter.

James

 

[yanidel]

I shot with an M8 again today. I'll consider getting one now, but I'll mention my thoughts. Some of these are well known.
The camera came without an IR filter and wow I can't believe Leica let the camera out the door with that issue. Not sure if it matters but the firmware was 1.2. On the other hand it is now clear that my rangefinder is significantly out of alignment. I shot a 180 pictures with my Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 and after I adjusted for the lack of blacks, I thought the snaps were really good. I would definitely get a thumbs up for the camera because I still feel that the camera is going to fall out of my hand. I still wish the exposure dial was closer to the front of the camera and that it was quieter.

James

James, did you compare M8 files to RD1 files next to each other ?

 

[0bli0]

was the rangefinder out of alignment (oof shots) or mis-framed? it is notorious for bad framing. replacement framelines are now available as an 'upgrade', along with a new shutter and lcd cover.