Talk me in to / out of a used M8

The last shot of the M8 shutter.

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lonemantis said:
Coming from an M3, you will be disappointed with any digital Leica, even the M240 - build quality is nowhere near as good, and unlike a smooth and refined film Leica, they're pretty loud and clunky. The larger size is very noticeable if you shoot it alongside a film M as well.
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This is stated so often its become a fact.
I almost believed it myself until I handled an M8 for the first time a couple of weeks ago.
I currently use an M3 and an M2.

I thought the build and the handling very good and I`m at a loss to understand where this idea of a loud shutter comes from
or indeed that the camera is somehow too large.

It was more pleasant to handle in a lot of ways than either of the film cameras ... not that I have a problem with them .

Best advice is try it for yourself .
 
I had an M8.2 for a short period of time and sold it to get an M9.

I did love the M8.2 and would have enjoyed keeping it but a good opportunity to buy a used M9 came along and I need the cash to make the change.

Good luck with your decision.
 
I owned an M8 for a couple of years. I had been using an Epson RD-1 and from the moment I purchased the M8, the Epson sat on the shelf. The M8 produced great images. I purchased the M9 only, and I mean only, because of the crop factor. That was just an important issue to me, and I have been very happy with the M9. However, none of the issues that the M8 had as Leica digital RF 1.0 (IR filters, high ISO noise etc.) kept me from enjoying the camera, and if it had been full frame, I would probably not have upgraded based on IQ alone.

If I were making the decision today, and the crop factor were not an issue, I would just get a Fuji X-Pro 1. Seriously. The chip in that camera is superior to the chips in all cameras from five years ago in a quantum sense. Better high ISO performance, higher resolution, movies, etc. The camera has higher motor drive speed, panoramic mode, autofocus or manual focus at your option etc., etc. The M8 was an amazing camera for its time, but times have changed.

Now. Having said all that, if you want an M8, there will never be a better time to get one. Sometimes you just have to scratch that itch. One of the tragedies of the digital age is that when a camera comes along with which you just "click" there is a tiny little window to enjoy it. Seriously. You want to enjoy a 75 year-old M3 DS? No problem. You want to enjoy a digital camera after 75 months? Don't hold your breath on finding a battery that works, let alone spare parts. Ugh.
 
Thanks for all the advice, all. As some of you might have predicted, I came home this evening with an M8 (in original setup, with none of the M8.2 upgrades).

I spent some time playing with it alongside both my M3 and RD-1. The M8 doesn't feel as good as the M3, but then I never expected it to. Nothing could beat that finder for a 50mm lens - but at the end of the day the M3 isn't digital and I just don't have the time in my life for film in my main camera.

It does feel as good as the RD-1 to me. I'm going to miss that 1:1 magnification, but the increased focussing accuracy and reduced crop factor are worth it, I think. And it just fits my hand better. Not too sure about the shutter noise, but honestly, compared to any SLR all three are pretty quiet.

I have no doubt it'll get changed for an M9 when the price drops further - but for the time being, I think I can live with the M8 as my main body.

Now I need to sell the other two to pay for it! They'll be in the classifieds pretty soon...

Cheers
Jamie
 
Congratulations - enjoy your new M8!
FWIW, I had an M8 which I uptraded to an M-E. Whilst I am fully aware of all the arguments for the superiority of the M-E, in my daily use the only thing I really notice is the lack of a crop factor, so a 50 really is a 50 etc. In my own daily use I don't otherwise find the M-E a massive step up (just my own experience, others will have other views), more of an improved version of same. I do miss the small led on top of the M8 (never thought I'd say this). And the M8 is an absolutely excellent bw camera. What I'm really saying is that the m8 is without doubt an excellent camera. I am sure you will enjoy using it, and that you won't for a minute regret buying it.
So: congratulations! And enjoy!
 
I owned a M8.2.
Sure it has some quirks, but they never bothered me. And once you get beyond the niggles, it really is an amazing camera. I loved the pixel sharpness and the color I got from it. And when it gets dark switch to black/white at 640 iso. Sure, it's not much, but plenty of film users make do with less. Somehow people seem to think available light photography only started when iso 12800 sensors were made...
Anyway, I loved my M8.2.
 
pieter said:
I owned a M8.2.
Sure it has some quirks, but they never bothered me. And once you get beyond the niggles, it really is an amazing camera. I loved the pixel sharpness and the color I got from it. And when it gets dark switch to black/white at 640 iso. Sure, it's not much, but plenty of film users make do with less. Somehow people seem to think available light photography only started when iso 12800 sensors were made...
Anyway, I loved my M8.2.
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Pieter mentions a key point that speaks for the M8. Incredibly sharp files. I forgot that on my previous post. I have never seen files from a digital camera as small yet as scalable.

The buffer is small, but for the small files it kind of works. This was one reason why I never upgraded to the M9, I just never believed the electronics would be good enough for the much bigger sensor (i.e. file size.)
 
Congratulations on your new acquisition. Can I say also that I could never see what the criticism of the M8 shutter noise was all about. I think it sounds great!
 
JPSuisse said:
PThe buffer is small, but for the small files it kind of works. This was one reason why I never upgraded to the M9, I just never believed the electronics would be good enough for the much bigger sensor (i.e. file size.)
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I don't know how significant the difference is in practice, but IIRC M8 is rated at 2 fps for 10 shots and M9 at 2 fps for 8 shots.

I did perform two tests with my M8 using a class 2 SD card recently. The first one simulated quick shooting for 15 seconds. The camera achieved 13 exposures, which is the number of exposures I tried to make in that time. No issues with responsiveness. In the second test, I tried continuous shooting for 1 minute. The camera achieved a total of 32 exposures. The first 12 exposures were fairly fast (more or less 2 fps), but after that the camera complained about "data transfer" before allowing each following exposure. These are not impressive results, but they have been good enough for my needs so far. The M9 can be expected to be a bit more sluggish.
 
Lss said:
I don't know how significant the difference is in practice, but IIRC M8 is rated at 2 fps for 10 shots and M9 at 2 fps for 8 shots.

I did perform two tests with my M8 using a class 2 SD card recently. The first one simulated quick shooting for 15 seconds. The camera achieved 13 exposures, which is the number of exposures I tried to make in that time. No issues with responsiveness. In the second test, I tried continuous shooting for 1 minute. The camera achieved a total of 32 exposures. The first 12 exposures were fairly fast (more or less 2 fps), but after that the camera complained about "data transfer" before allowing each following exposure. These are not impressive results, but they have been good enough for my needs so far. The M9 can be expected to be a bit more sluggish.
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If you hold the shutter button down in S mode the camera will take 12 exposures (M9 8) at 2fps and then settle down to approx 1 image per 2 seconds ad infinitum, well, until your card is full. As soon as one image is transferred from the full buffer it will accept the next one.
The speed of the SD card has no influence on this behaviour as the camera is the limiting factor.
 
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