sell my canon 5d + lenses for a second hand m8?

[adrianzg]

Recently, I had the opportunity to shoot with the M8 and my M-lenses (I have an M7 and M4-P). It was at night shooting some candids at festivals (I shoot 90% of my photos at night). From my - very limited experience - If you can live with ISO400 and slower, the M8 is nice and convenient but you need fast lenses or are limited to daylight work. Also, you need the UV/IR filters at night due to the high amount of IR radiation of some light sources.

Films like Fuji Natura N1600 (color) or Neopan Superpresto 1600PR give better results with a film Leica than the M8 at night, IMHO.

i do have 1 or 2 fast 5s and a 90 summicron. nowhere near as fast as the 1.2 monsters from canon tho.

i've heard about the ir issue. how bad is the problem at night? i'm thinking of using one of the icc profiles provided before leica provided ir filters to salvage the shots.

I shot this night before last, Leica M8.2 with a Canon 50/1.2, wide open @ 1/45 @ ISO 640.
<http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30628768&l=4d23d92e7c&id=1063188065>

how dark was it then? seems pretty dark looking at the shot details. and was b/w chosen to mask the noise?

I'd just get a film scanner and keep shooting on the old M film bodies and not have to deal with the crop factor. The M8 doesn't have anywhere NEAR The lowlight capabilities of the 5d. I'd say get an m8, but don't get of your 5d to get it. As someone said, the 85 1.2 and 50 1.2 are _THE_ canon lenses to have, an argument could be made for going to canon digital just to use those two lenses.

In brief, you might want to sell your 5d later, after you get an m8 are become familiar with it's capabilities, but I think it'd be a bad idea to sell it before seeing what you'll be giving up/comprimising with the m8.

yes! the 5d is amazing in low light. i've made 24 x 18 prints with shots made at 3200 and the level of detail is astonishing.

 

[maddoc]

About the shutter noise... I was positively surprised that the shutter-sound of the M8 that I have tried is as quiet as the one of my M7. Only the motor that actuates the shutter is noticeable loud. With the newest firm-ware the original M8 can be programmed to actuate the motor when releasing the shutter button so you can take a candid shot, keep the shutter button pressed and later release it to advance to the next shot.

I am not sure if I have some shots at 1250ISO but if I could sent you the DNG-file by email.

Cheers,

Gabor

thank you for all the replies. i guess i'll keep the 5d for the time being and try to get my hands on a m8 to try it out before deciding which to keep.

anyone has any techiques to keep shallow dof candid/potrait shots in focus? i've heard of the technique where u move alone with the subject. i've not tried that as i can't review the shots immediately to determine if i need to take another shot.

another question to m8 users. is the shutter on the original m8 much louder or more noticable than a traditional film m?

could someone also provide me with a raw file from a m8, shot at high iso, 1250 and 2500? i can only find jpgs online and i can't do much with them in terms of noise reduction and highlight recovery.

thank you all once again!

 

[wesley]

I acquired a used M8 2 weeks ago, and I sold my 7 months old 5DII last Saturday... I enjoy to use M8 on my hand!

 

[PrisonersDilema]

Sell some Leica lenses

Sell some Leica lenses

I was in a dilema like you.

I started photography recently in 2003 on a Nikon and then switched to Canon and since I have been using the 1dmk2, 5D and owned and sold 85 f1.2L, 70-200 f2.8, 15mm FE, TSE 24L, TSE 90 and 24-70L etc. I used these to do some freelance wedding assignments and with the money earned, it fed my hobby.

Then in 2007, I bought the Epson RD1s and 15mm Super Heliar sold them as I could not find enough time to shoot two systems due to work and family commitments. But, I always found SLRs too big for my trips that I primarily find time to shoot.

Earlier this year 2009, with the UK 650GBP cashback and 15% cashback on lens and the low GBP/SGD (pounds to Singapore dollar) exchange rate, I thought hard and took the plunge to get an M8 and 28 cron asph. Since then, I added a cheap Canon 50 f1.4LTM and recently a CV 15mm Super heliar M mount.

I never did look back as tyhe weight suited my travels and my primary type of shots - street and candid street portraiture. The M8 files were as good if not better than the 5D's at low ISO's below ISO 800.

I lost the autofocus, the focusing point for DOF shots, the long lenses, close-up distance shots and easy flash photography. But I gained, stealth, an ability to compose despite being handicapped with the fixed non-zoom, non-AF lenses, using my sense of imagination of what the scene would be like and spending time to compose.

I sold off my remaining Canon gear 1dmk2, 24-70L, 70-200 f2.8, my domke F2's and all the heavy stuff.

In summary, If you do not shoot enough to justify two systems, sell the Canon gear if you like the rangefinder. I would not be bothered with the 1.3x crop factor. However, if you are unsure about the M, you should sell some of the 17 Leica lenses to buy an M8. Frankly, you have way too many lenses.

 

[Merkin]

The first thing I would do is wait a month and a week to find out if the M9 will be coming out, and whether or not it is full frame. The M8, objectively, is not a particularly good digital camera as digital cameras go, IMHO, and I think that even its biggest fans know the reasons I say that. It sounds like you could pretty easily part with enough gear to pick up a brand spanking new full frame M9, which will (if leica wants to survive) correct the myriad problems of the M8 and 8.2. Even then, I wouldn't sell the entirety of the Canon setup, as you never know when someone might want to throw a paying gig your way. You could do things like sell six to ten leica lenses, particularly the ones that have more collector value than practical shooting value, or that matched 1985 set that some collector would probably pay a premium for. You could then downgrade your canon kit a bit, like selling the 50 1.2, buying a used 50 1.4, and putting the extra loot toward the M9. If you don't use the 85 1.2 at 1.2 most of the time, the 85 1.8 is actually a better portrait lens. You could sell the 1.2, buy a 1.8, and put the rest of that money toward an M9. If you did something like that, you would end up with more options shooting wise, instead of fewer, and you would be culling out some stuff that doesn't really get used a lot.

 

[PrisonersDilema]

M9

M9

The first thing I would do is wait a month and a week to find out if the M9 will be coming out, and whether or not it is full frame. The M8, objectively, is not a particularly good digital camera as digital cameras go, IMHO, and I think that even its biggest fans know the reasons I say that. It sounds like you could pretty easily part with enough gear to pick up a brand spanking new full frame M9, which will (if leica wants to survive) correct the myriad problems of the M8 and 8.2. Even then, I wouldn't sell the entirety of the Canon setup, as you never know when someone might want to throw a paying gig your way. You could do things like sell six to ten leica lenses, particularly the ones that have more collector value than practical shooting value, or that matched 1985 set that some collector would probably pay a premium for. You could then downgrade your canon kit a bit, like selling the 50 1.2, buying a used 50 1.4, and putting the extra loot toward the M9. If you don't use the 85 1.2 at 1.2 most of the time, the 85 1.8 is actually a better portrait lens. You could sell the 1.2, buy a 1.8, and put the rest of that money toward an M9. If you did something like that, you would end up with more options shooting wise, instead of fewer, and you would be culling out some stuff that doesn't really get used a lot.

Merkin,

Good advice on leaner lens set-up for TS.

But, Knowing Leica's issues on the M8 (I own one), maybe it is better to wait a while. None of us have seen the M9. It may come or it may not come so soon as yet. When it comes, am sure there will be hiccups and TS probably would not want to pay a premium to be an equipment reviewer for Leica.

remember, you have still not seen the M9, nor have I.

 

[Merkin]

Merkin,

Good advice on leaner lens set-up for TS.

But, Knowing Leica's issues on the M8 (I own one), maybe it is better to wait a while. None of us have seen the M9. It may come or it may not come so soon as yet. When it comes, am sure there will be hiccups and TS probably would not want to pay a premium to be an equipment reviewer for Leica.

remember, you have still not seen the M9, nor have I.

Agreed. I certainly wouldn't want to be the first person in line to buy an M9. Hopefully they will get this one right, though.

 

[adrianzg]

Thank you everyone for the replies.

i took some shots using my m6+50 lux with kodak bw400cn rated at 640 at an event on friday and although the shots are not perfect (motion blur of subjects due to 1/60 speed), there is something about the shots which stands out, they look very very different from the shots taken by 5d and converted to b/w using my standard pp. the shots from the m6 has a sense of immediacy, it's as if the action is happening as u're looking at the photo. kinda like this photo:

things i've gathered:
- i'm less bothered by the fact that i have a camera in my hands when i was using the m6, it's easier to move around with the m6 than with the 5d + 85L
- the tunnel vision on the 5d feels restricting.
- i prefer the look of the images from the m6. but that could just be due to the film
- iso 640 is not enough for low light, even af f/1.5. i used 1000-1600 on the 5d and i think 800 would be the minimum iso i'll be using on the m8 in such situations
- focusing is fine as long as i keep the subject fairly close to the centre. i've not tried anything with a moving subject that is off centre.

i can only conclude that i need a m8 to play with for a week or two before i can decide if i should go the digital rf route.

 

[Nick De Marco]

This is a difficult dilema, but I went the other way

I really enjoyed my time with the M8, and like the OP stopped using the 5D quite a bit. But when the 5D II came out I decided to sell the M8 to pay for the 5d II. I don't regret it as I find the 5D II is far more versitile than the M*. I can use it better in low light with high isos and I have gotinto using it with Leica R and Contax lenses. I also find it is a more reliable all round camera and I appreciate the longer battery life.

However, I miss the rangefinder style of shooting and have recently gone back into it with my M6 and some other film RFs. I fortunately never sold all my M glass, and have been acquiring more now.

Much of what I enjoyed the most about the M8 I find I enjoy even more going back to film - the small camera and low noise, the ability to use great RF lenses, the more careful and contemplative approach I take when using a manual focus camera (especially when using film) than a DSLR, and the feel and handling of a 35mm RF camera. I don't really miss the M8 - I would like it to test out new or old RF lenses, but even then it's not the same as it is not full frame and it would be a waste of money to only use the M8 for such things.

I'm not knocking the M. It is a beautiful camera in many ways. I personally just find if you want the best affordable digital camera you are better off with a 5D II or Nikon equivalent, and if you want a beautiful RF camera you are better off with a film M6 etc. And you can ust about afford both for the price of a M*.2

Right now I prefer to use the film RFs, but if I had a rare professional job, or did some fashion shoots for friends on Model Mayhem, or a wedding as the other day, I would rely on my 5D II. It's also good fun to use medium format too sometimes.