Review of M8 from a photographer

MP Guy

MP Guy

Just another face in the crowd
Staff member
Local time
9:07 AM
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Messages
2,737
Sean Reid from http://www.reidreviews.com has completed a comprehensive review of the M8 from a photographers point of view. The current review is part 1 of 2 and it goes into details not covered by your typical review. Although it as a fee based website, it is definetly worth the read.
 
I second Jorge's recommendation. The $25 annual fee is nominal for what you get, which is just about the best equipment reviews out there, which avoid the silly comparisons of which is the best & which report descriptions of how the equipment actually performs & what the results are.

I might add that every time we buy a magazine, we pay for someone's opinion.
 
Thank ya Jorge!

GeneW,

Thanks and I appreciate your point of view. To each his own.

Hiya Huck,

Thanks. You have an even better point of view <G>...just kidding.

BTW, my review was published about 2 mins. before Phil Askey's (just for the historical records <G>). Many on this site have probably read it already.

Cheers,

Sean
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm quite impressed with what I'm reading about the M8. It's still going to be well outside of what I can afford to spend on a camera but it looks like Leica got a lot of things right.
 
I paid for Sean's site, but thanks to Pay-Pal it is still locked against me :( :bang:

Let's hope it will be resolved soon.
 
Jaap,

You should be all set now.

Nachkebia,

E-Mail me.

Cheers,

Sean
 
I'm also a Sean's reviews fan, as he depicts the way he use a gear as a photographer, not to mention other very interesting general articles.

In fact, I try to avoid read him too often, which always induces GAS ;) .

Waiting now for M8 part.2

Philippe.

PS: by the way Sean, you have my private E-mail. Can you just send me some M8 shots? I promise I will not share them:angel:
 
Sean,

Your business model is going to limit your business growth. The only reviews that cost money are the ones that is going to, at least, look like it's going to make me a lot of $$$, like stock reviews. What $$$ are your reviews going to help me make? All camera equipment review sites make their money from ads.

Good luck!
 
Well he reviews some stuff that nobody does, like ZM lenses, and I am ready paying for it, so are alot of people like me :)
 
The $25 I payed was quickly earned back as Sean's reviews informed me that neither of the two cameras that I was interested in (D-Lux 2 and Ricoh GRd) were anything worth buying for me..:D

/Håkan
 
hth said:
The $25 I payed was quickly earned back as Sean's reviews informed me that neither of the two cameras that I was interested in (D-Lux 2 and Ricoh GRd) were anything worth buying for me..:D

/Håkan
Click to expand...


He turned thumbs down to the GR-D? Interesting--glad I didn't buy one. I was scared off by the curious limited market and expected resulting poor service. Now leaning toward the high ISO Fuji F30 for lower light than my film cameras can go w/o flash.
 
arthury said:
Sean,

Your business model is going to limit your business growth. The only reviews that cost money are the ones that is going to, at least, look like it's going to make me a lot of $$$, like stock reviews. What $$$ are your reviews going to help me make? All camera equipment review sites make their money from ads.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

So you don't pay for your photo-magazines either? interesting....
 
For the skeptics, Sean's reviews are required reading for photographers. He doesn't just tell you what he thinks about the item under review, he also compares it to alternatives -- over a complete price range -- and displays pictures taken with the lenses and bodies. Wanna see a kilobuck lens compared to one that costs a few hundred dollars? With pictures, so you can visualize the product? Look no further.

Well, if you look further, you'll see that no one else does this.

I just bot a used Leica 24mm f2.8 asph lens based on the images I saw in his review.

The review helped me in the following way: I was contemplating a new, wide lens and didn't know how to evaluate them. I use a 35mm f1.4 asph in my stage photography work and the M8 turns this lens into a 46mm lens, so it no longer covers enough of the stage.

I was trying to decide between a 21 and 28 mm lens, but when I saw the images on Sean's site from the 24mm lens, I was blown away.

In addition, Puts rates this lens at the acme of Leica lenses -- ignore his current unpopularity following his M8 review (sorry, haven't read it).

The images did it for me. I bot the 24mm lens.

The fee for Sean's site is worth more than any equivalent expenditure in my photographic year. If you want to make jokes about only valuing things that are free, you will have a wonderful time tasting your sardonicism, but you won't get valuable information about lenses and bodies.

BTW, he reviews things other than Leica's. I don't own any other stuff, but the reviews are still brilliant.

Also BTW -- his web site is free. Go look and see some exceptional architectural photography and some wonderful, warm wedding pix.

Knock yourself out (thank you "I Spy").

Bill
 
arthury said:
Sean,

Your business model is going to limit your business growth. The only reviews that cost money are the ones that is going to, at least, look like it's going to make me a lot of $$$, like stock reviews. What $$$ are your reviews going to help me make? All camera equipment review sites make their money from ads.

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Is it really? Well, thanks for your opinion. The site is a year old and has actually been quite successful because it offers a very unique kind of content that is not easily found elsewhere. I've never been much of a "me too" guy so I 'm not too concerned about what other sites do. The world didn't need *yet another* typical camera review site. It's pretty simple really; in photography or in writing, I expend time and effort to create something useful and people who value it pay me for that thing. If you are a professional photographer, I would think you should understand that system.

In any case, we all make our own rules as to what's worth spending money on and what isn't. To each his own. By the same token, I've designed RR to be exactly what I want it to be.

Cheers,

Sean
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Bill58 said:
He turned thumbs down to the GR-D? Interesting--glad I didn't buy one. I was scared off by the curious limited market and expected resulting poor service. Now leaning toward the high ISO Fuji F30 for lower light than my film cameras can go w/o flash.
Click to expand...

I definitely did not give a thumbs down to the GR. I looked at its pros and cons, as I do for every camera, lens, etc. I'm not interested in telling people what they should buy, only in trying to describe things honestly and accurately. It's then up to the photographer to decide how well a given camera or lens suits him. Many people bought the GR because of my review and many didn't because of the same review. In fact, I think that many people get duped into thinking that they need to buy certain gear in order to make strong pictures when that often is not the case. I also wrote an article for photographers who've chosen to stay with inexpensive older cameras and film (that piece prompted by an e-mail from a subscriber who's a retired minister and lives on a very tight budget).

BTW, to the people above who value RR and took the time to say so in this thread, thank you kindly.

Cheers,

Sean
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Sean: I just signed up with your site; especially to read your M8 opinions. I have one problem: How can I print your review out, so I can read at my liesure, possibly propped up in bed with my night light, or sitting on my deck sipping a cold one?
Thanks
Dave G retired in NJ
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom