Thinking about buying a second hand M8

doolittle said:
True enough! I bought the D700 for the high iso performance, thinking it would save me lugging a tripod around. However the weight of the camera made up for the lack of tripod, or made me want to use it with a tripod. Plus I find it hard to get out of the 'keep the iso low' habit.
It is true though, I have a fair amount of 6400 shots and the noise control is remarkable.
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I made that statement as someone who went from an M8 to a D700 because high ISO performance suddenly became paramount and the Leica was driving me insane.

That said ... the M8 is a brilliant camera in it's own right but I warn you the 35mm f1.2 Nokton is a must have for this camera IMO ... they are a match made in heaven! 😀
 
Keith said:
I made that statement as someone who went from an M8 to a D700 because high ISO performance suddenly became paramount and the Leica was driving me insane.

That said ... the M8 is a brilliant camera in it's own right but I warn you the 35mm f1.2 Nokton is a must have for this camera IMO ... they are a match made in heaven! 😀
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How did you find the transition to the D700?
 
doolittle said:
How did you find the transition to the D700?
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Intially I was a little over awed by the complexity compared to the Leica but soon discovered that was all in my head because DSLR's are only as complex as you want them to be IMO.

I use manual focus Zeiss lenses and have come to trust the matrix metering to make a correct exposure nine times out of ten ... and if it misses the files are so flexible I can generally get away with it in post. In the same environment the Leica was much harder work!

The size is different for sure because the Nikon is a pretty solid lump of a camera ... but are we men or are we mice? 😀
 
Keith said:
I made that statement as someone who went from an M8 to a D700 because high ISO performance suddenly became paramount and the Leica was driving me insane.

That said ... the M8 is a brilliant camera in it's own right but I warn you the 35mm f1.2 Nokton is a must have for this camera IMO ... they are a match made in heaven! 😀
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Havin gone canon DSLR to m8 for the same reasons as the OP, i sold it and got a D3 for same reasons as Keith

You will miss that d700. Its not that big and iq is amazing

I do agree that 35 1.2 is perfect if you do go m8 though!
 
Well I sold the first of my lenses today (Tamron 28-75 f2.8, a surprisingly good and light lens!), hope I sell the D700 now, as else will miss that lens. I find it's focal length isn't so useful on DX, so hence its sale.

It does feel a bit crazy selling off perfectly good gear, but I know it's the right thing for me. Got to follow your instincts sometimes.

Must look into that 35 1.2, reading about the crummy iso performance , it sounds like the sensor will need all the light it can get!
 
doolittle said:
Well I sold the first of my lenses today (Tamron 28-75 f2.8, a surprisingly good and light lens!), hope I sell the D700 now, as else will miss that lens. I find it's focal length isn't so useful on DX, so hence its sale.

It does feel a bit crazy selling off perfectly good gear, but I know it's the right thing for me. Got to follow your instincts sometimes.

Must look into that 35 1.2, reading about the crummy iso performance , it sounds like the sensor will need all the light it can get!
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In spite of the M8's pretty ordinary performance above 640 ISO it does have the advantage of excellent hand holdability. I have images shot down to 1/8 and even 1/4 that are pretty sharp aside form movement blur of my subjects.

I meant to ask ... have you heard an M8 shutter yet? They are LOUD! 😀
 
Keith said:
In spite of the M8's pretty ordinary performance above 640 ISO it does have the advantage of excellent hand holdability. I have images shot down to 1/8 and even 1/4 that are pretty sharp aside form movement blur of my subjects.

I meant to ask ... have you heard an M8 shutter yet? They are LOUD! 😀
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I haven't seen an M8 in the flesh yet, never mind heard it! I don't like looking at things before I have the money in my back pocket! I could be in for a shock. Though I don't do much in the line of stealth ninja street shooting. I do like the noise the M6 makes. Maybe a reason to consider a used M8.2 if one comes up.

Part of the reason I love the M6 is the hand holdability, it really helps my keeper rate.

Not sure how I will take to the difference in thickness compared to the M6 either.
 
I can only say what I did.

Having originally been a film M shooter for long after digital became mainstream, several years ago I bought my first DSLR and began shooting digital pretty much exclusively.

I guess I plain got tired of doing what many people do - shooting half a roll of film then leaving it in the camera for months till I either ended up just developing the exposed images and wasting the rest....or shooting half a roll of junk on the unexposed frames, just to have something to show for the effort.

And of course I ended up with boxes and boxes and boxes of exposed film and prints, much of which was never looked at (and did not really deserve to be.) Shooting digital improved my skills in a major way. Being able to get instant feedback (and to shoot many more images than I ever could with film ) meant I learned much more and as a result got more good images and fewer throwaways.

For few years I was happy with my DSLR but the Leica itch never quite went away.

So eventually when the M9 came out I decided to spring for a second hand M8. By then they were within realistic price for me. I financed this largely by selling some of my older film Leica kit plus some Canon RF stuff and other bits and pieces. (I have been into cameras for 20 years or so and as a result had a lot of "stuff" that could be sold.

Now I have both a D200 (yes I would love a D700) with some good pro Nikon lenses and a Leica M8 plus a few Leica and Voigtlander lenses.

And I enjoy shooting both.

My view is that if you can possibly afford both a DSLR and a digital M then do it. They are different cameras and their uses are not entirely the same. For example I went to a car race recently (not altogether usual for me) but taking my D200 and a fast tele allowed me to shoot many good action shots. Shots I am sure I would not have got with my Leica gear.

I would hate to have to decide if it came to selling one or the other. I know I am lucky to be able to do this as I suppose many people cannot.

I am just saying if you can stretch to keeping both I certainly have not regretted it.
 
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mabelsound said:
I agree. A great combination.

I am sliding towards an M9 at the moment, but will keep the M8...it really is a terrific camera.
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That was the plan- pick up an M8, use it for a year, really liked it and got the M9. Yesterday, brought both out each with an uncoated 5cm F1.5 Sonnar on them. The M9 has improvements, but the M8 is still a joy to use. I use a half-case with each of them, and the M8 sound level is barely more than the M9.
 
Thanks Peter for the feedback. I can't manage to hang on to the D700 and get an M8. I am confident that I can sell the D700 and FX lenses and free up enough cash for an M8 and a consumer line Nikon DX camera. I think the combination will work for me.
There are definitely photographic tasks a dSLR is more suitable for and I don't think I could get by with 'just' an M8. I can however get by without some of the advantages of the FX system and will be glad to leave some of the disadvantages behind.
 
Glad to hear Brian the M8 is still a joy to use. I think that is what I am missing from my digital photography. I had considered selling up everything to finance an M9 (have seen some second hand ones advertised, albeit close to list price), but I think the M8 will give me satisfaction enough. I think an M8 will be sufficient over an 8.2 also. Will have a look at them all first anyway.
 
Jeff S said:
Don't sell the DSLR; it's complementary to the M. Just get an M8 and use the 50 you already have to see how you get along with the camera and the digital process. I wouldn't jump to conclusions about color versus b/w until you experiment with both.

Remember that you can use the frame preview lever to see alternate fields of view. This will help you to determine which, if any, additional lens works for you with the gear you have.

And, if it doesn't work, you can always sell the M8 for about what you paid.

Jeff
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I agree, I am constantly tempted to sell my D90 and lenses, simply because I use it only rarely since I got a used M8 in early December, but there are some things that it does so well. Plus the hit you take when you sell it, it hardly seems worth it. Selling it might get me half way to another nice Leica lens and that's about it.
 
I sold a Leica M8 because I wanted full frame so badly (and did not want to spend M9 money). Then bought the D700, used it for a month and hated it... (sorry, great camera, but I just generally hate SLRs)... sold it and bought a Leica M8.2 (and entertained the idea of a M9) and have been happy ever since.
 
jsrockit said:
I sold a Leica M8 because I wanted full frame so badly (and did not want to spend M9 money). Then bought the D700, used it for a month and hated it... (sorry, great camera, but I just generally hate SLRs)... sold it and bought a Leica M8.2 (and entertained the idea of a M9) and have been happy ever since.
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Glad to hear I'm not the only one 🙂

Just reading interesting blog post on the M8 (M8 - still a valid camera today)
 
Sold off my Canon DSLR kit including a 5D about a year ago and went 100% film for about 9 months, using a Leica M for small format when portability was most important and a Bronica SQ plus/or some old 120 folders for when I wanted the quality and detail that comes with a larger negative. This past Christmas I picked up a used M8 and find its the perfect digital camera for me. The way I figure the one or two times a year that I need may need to use a SLR to shoot color I'll just shoot 220 Portra 160 or 400 with my Bronica SQ.
 
doolittle - same boat here

I am no pro...just like to have fun with a camera. I had been using a Nikon D700 with several of Nikon's best glass over the past few years....24 f/1.4, 85 f/1.4, 70-200VRII, Zeiss 21/100, etc. I am the type that likes to walk around downtown area with a camera at all times but found myself quitting after a short period of time b/c of the ridiculous weight of my SLR with a few lenses in a TT bag. It was heavy! I tried m4/3 but hated the image quality as it wasn't even close to my Nikon D700. I went back to the D700....stopped shooting really.

Then looked into Leica. After a few weeks of talking to others I decided to go in slowly and bought an M8 with a couple great lenses.....35 Cron ASPH and 50 Lux II. I didn't want to spend much out of pocket since I had a lot invested in the Nikon so I sold a D90 with a couple of lenses, the Nikon 85 f/1.4, Zeiss 21 and 100. WOW! This is the system for me. The sharpness even wide open with the 35 Cron is unbelievable. The rendering of the 50 Lux II is nothing like you can get with the Nikon. Very unique. Manual focus is a thing of beauty as well. I had experienced problems with AF in some of my Nikon lenses so I primarily relied on manual focus. That really got me ready for the Leica system. Manual focus is great on the D700, but it is even easier on the M8. I shoot a ton of kid shots and I am hitting on almost all shots.

Long story short...this camera goes everywhere with me. Lunch/dinner/any walks it is with me. The camera plus a couple of lenses feels like the same weight as my D700 alone. Honestly, I have never had so much fun shooting. I have sold all of my Nikon lenses and cameras except for a Tamron 28-75, Nikon 70-200 VRII and 35 prime. I have bought 4 lenses for the Leica and am living happily ever after.

The End

Ryan
www.soltiphotography.com
 
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Thanks rsolti and other posters for the useful inputs.

My plans are progressing well so far. I have sold my Nikon 14-24, Tamron 28-75 (my favourite lens on FX). Sale agreed on the D700. Keeping 50mm 1.8, 80-200mm and 105mm macro and flash stuff .Will pick up a low end body when I next need it.

Sale agreed on an M8 too.

Very happy with my decision and glad I put plans into action.

I had a look at an M8 in a camera shop in Dublin. Keith's comment about the M8 shutter noise made me think it would be prudent to do so.
Sure enough the noise it made was shocking to me. It sounded like the innards of the camera were being churned. Had a quick look in the menu and changed to Discrete shutter. Separating the shutter sound from the motor wind, even if just by milliseconds, transforms the camera. Otherwise everything was familiar from my M6. I guessed the light, set shutter and aperture, braced the camera and took a picture.
Slight increase in size over the M6 was not noticeable in the hand. The baseplate over the battery and SD-Card made sense to me now too, it helps the structure of the camera.
 
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_mark__ said:
Play with your d700 (great camera!) for a bit, if urge doesn't pass, sell it and get M8.
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Ditto. The D700 is a great camera, but that only matters if you plan to use it. (Several years back, I sold my DSLR, bought an M8, and have absolutely no regrets.) Of course, camera preference varies dramatically ... but, for me, the M8 has been great.
 
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