IEDEI
Well-known
the fact is, the IR sensitivity of the M8 is unique.....it's pretty much the perfect B&W shooter, unless one has the $$$ for a Monochrome.
the M8. iz it worth it?
- Thread starter meandihagee
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Lss
Well-known
I still consider M8 the best buy at its price point in 2012, but obviously I am speaking based on my own needs, preferences, and experiences. There are however so many other sets of needs and preferences that one can arrive at very different conclusion.
I regularly use the M8 at ISO 1250 with no noise reduction.
Great B&W can be made from any digital camera. I think the light outside and your PP skills are more important than the lack of a AA filter.
Yes, I can make them too... but compared to my other cameras, I see a difference.
gdi
Veteran
You keep saying that as if it were a given and not an opinion. What cameras have you directly compared it with?
I have owned the M8, R-D1, and M9 (and now the X-Pro) and to me even the Epson produced better looking B&W than the M8 (it also has the "unique" IR characteristic). And it was much more usable at high ISO, with a far better noise pattern.
And, while I am not a huge fan of the digital B&W look, the M9 was every bit as capable as the M8 after processing, and it was far more flexible given the better high ISO results. I have thousands of photos from both and honestly see no meaningful advantage to the M8.
I'm not saying it doesn't produce good images, but it can't be denied that the M8 is very long in the tooth, and a somewhat risky proposition due to the servicing situation. My recommendation, if one must have a mechanical RF digital, is to save for the M9, ME, or new M. If you are more flexible with regard to the RF mechanism, you do yourself a disservice ignoring the Fujis.
Michael Da Re
Well-known
+1 I'm sure this article doesn't mean much, but it's still interesting.
http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2012/...-vs-the-7995-leica-monochrom/?fb_source=pubv1
raid
Dad Photographer
I just used the 28mm Rokkor on the M8 for a perspective that is similar to a 28mm perspective with a 37mm crop. It is a great camera. I have started to shoot in DNG for better results. The crop can b limiting at times if you are using only the M8 and you do not have a very wide angle lens with you when you want to use a wide angle lens. On the other hand, using the M8 with a 50mm sharp lens for portraits is awesome. The lens shows then a crop for a 67mm lens. Most old lenses are very sharp in the center but less sharp at the edges. A crop will give you the sharp part. For example, using a vintage Rigid Summicron gives me a high resolution and overall sharp lens on the M8.
Switched to my M9, the Rokkor is a 28mm wide angle lens, and the Rigid Summicron is back a 50mm lens.
Switched to my M9, the Rokkor is a 28mm wide angle lens, and the Rigid Summicron is back a 50mm lens.
MCTuomey
Veteran
M8 files: I've made detailed urban architecture prints up to 11x14 that hold up viewed close. Low iso, on tripod, zeiss lenses, stopped down. I've made people prints up to 20x30 that hold up pretty well, these would be handheld, med iso, good glass. I've made some club prints at 12x18 at hi iso with LR3/4 noise reduction that hold up, allowing for a little grit.
M8 files seem to interpolate pretty well, up to a point.
All paper-based, none printed on canvas which can offset a lot of faults, of course. Larger prints are why I saved and moved to an M9 - more resolution helps.
Really curious to print from a MM.
IEDEI
Well-known
i'm not saying the M8 is the ultimate camera or anything...but for its price point, it is the best bargain in the Leica used market. There are no serviceability issues aside from the LCD....and if there is an LCD issue, Leica is really taking care of those customers with great options.
The original poster asked about the M8. The bottom line is that it is STILL a hell of a camera....i am enjoying my M8.1 (updated) greatly.....and really enjoying photography again----and that is THE most important thing.
FWIW....the original poster bought an M8, as posted in the L-Forums post he made (same post as here). So he made the right decision!
gdi
Veteran
Well, I can't really argue any of those points.
It is a very nice camera - and the best value in a digital Leica. And And I could find myself wishing I had one with a bad LCD if they extend the good deals to the new M (and it ends up being a lot better than the M9/ME).
E__WOK
Well-known
You won't get the same high ISO abilities as you would on some more recent cameras. That said I still use a M8 and am happy overall with it. You may be able to get some extend range using Lightroom plugins to deal with noise. And of course if you have a nice fast lens it becomes less of an issue...
Can you post some unprocessed straight out of the camera pictures?
ramosa
B&W
denizg7
Well-known
They just don't hold up at larger sized compared to more modern cameras... up close that is. But I'll admit they don't bad compared to my 400 speed film 12x18" prints from the 90s... about the same.
meandihagee
Well-known
Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.
If the prices were right for the M8, I would probably get one. But to be honest, I would love to try the XE-1, it's closer to my budget, really (maybe save some cash for a medium format).
I was thinking to get a VF on top for the 18mm and go hyperfocal for most of the time...
If the prices were right for the M8, I would probably get one. But to be honest, I would love to try the XE-1, it's closer to my budget, really (maybe save some cash for a medium format).
I was thinking to get a VF on top for the 18mm and go hyperfocal for most of the time...
Tom Niblick
Well-known
So true.
Having owned a M8 for 4 years and a M9 for 2 years, I think the M8 is a far better B&W camera. The M9's sensor was based on Kodachrome 64 slide film and the files often seem to have the same DR as Kodachrome. I'm always having to fuss with the shadows whenever I make a B&W conversion from a M9 file. On the other hand, the extended IR sensitivity of the M8 gave more shadow detail and the tones were smoother. There is really no other Leica - film or digital - that can compare to the look of a M8 B&W conversion. I'm sorry I sold mine.
Someone mentioned Zeiss lenses... if you are going to do a lot of work with IR, the Zeiss lenses are marked for IR. Of course you can work out a distance setting for any Leica lens, but it is nice to have it already in place.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
All lenses with a DOF scale have an IR marker - it is the DOF mark two stops down. like 5.6 on a 2.8 lens, or 4.0 on a 2.0 lens, etc. Unless the lens has apo correction, then it is just one stop down or even spot-on.
Tom Niblick
Well-known
Oh yeah, I made a lot of 24x36 prints from my M8 files and a few 40x60 inch prints. The sweet spot for print size from the M8 is 16x24 inches.
Tom Niblick
Well-known
You're right and that is often how I shot my M8 with either my 35 or 50 Summicrons. But it is nice to be able to see a blue line when, say, you are shooting a model and you have enough other things to worry about. I never could bring myself to marking any of my Summicrons.
gdi
Veteran
The M9 sensor was based on Kodachrome 64? I have never heard that ( or of any sensor based in a particular film), where did your info come from?
Thx