Thinking about buying a second hand M8

ramosa said:
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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+1 I had an 5D kit and while it was great for planned shoots I just never had the desire to haul it around all day with the hope that I might find something interesting to shoot. Its complete different story with my M6 and M8 kits which are so easy to carry that I hardly even notice them.
 
Sold my D700 today. M8 in the post. Feeling happy. Between the D700 and the two lenses I sold I have money left over for a cheaper Nikon DX camera and hopefully a 28 or 35mm RF lens.
 
Hi Doolittle,

Please let me know how you went in the transition.
I am thinking of doing the same. I have a D200 w 18-200 and a 50 f1.8.
Saw a used M8 in store and fell in love. I was trying to choose between an M8 and an M6.

I already use a Hasselblad Xpan, so am not new to the rangefinder world and don't mind shooting film.
 
Hi Jubb Jubb,

Though decision between M6 and M8. I have them both and would find it hard to choose between them if I could just choose one.
I definitely shoot differently with them. Using either I have to be more deliberate than shooting a dSLR. That is thinking about distance, light, aperture and shutter speed. I try not to use the aperture priority setting on the M8 too much, but it is handy for getting a quick shot I might have otherwise missed. Also with film I tend to make sure get it right the first time and tend to experiment less. With the M8 will try things or take shots I wouldn't otherwise, which is a good thing.

Purely from personal preference the M6 is the nicest Leica camera I have ever used (other two being M8 and M3). I like its weight, shutter sound and frame lines the best, but that's just me. Also if the battery goes you can carry on shooting, as it only powers the meter.
As a digital camera for an analog junky, the M8 is the closest I have experienced. Using it feels not much different to using the M6. I tend not to use the lcd screen much either, maybe just to check the histogram for blown hightlights.

If you were replacing your D200 totally, M8 maybe makes more sense. However I am sure you will love either camera.

One thing to bear in mind with the M8 - 1.33 crop factor, so if you have lenses already consider how that will effect their usage. Also budget for IR filter to avoid colour abnormalities. I ended up getting a second hand Zeiss ZM 28mm 2.8. I find it works really well on the M8 as a general purpose lens, plus on the M6 it is nice to have something wide. I use my 50mm lens on the M8 a lot too, works great for portraits and picking out details from a scene.

Compared to a dslr the M8 is a joy to carry around. I have it always ready to go with me what ever I am doing. It is my first choice grab camera now (taking over from the M6).

For taking pictures of wild life etc. though it is hard to beat a DX dslr with a telephoto prime or for macro photography. So consider what you like taking pictures of and what camera/lenses will suit your needs.

Best of luck what ever you decide on!
 
I love my M8 (see blog posts below about 1 year learning to use it) and have only used my micro4/3rds camera to take pictures of the M8 for the blog. IMO, the M8 is a great camera that got some bad press. It is still very expensive but I really love using it almost every day.
 
Thanks for the detailed response there doolittle.

Im not much of a wildlife/flower/nature photographer (actually can't stand it), but LOVE shooting street/travel/life.

Only thing i would miss is a massive zoom lens (my 18-200) but hey, the optics are soo much nicer.

I think you've sold me on digital. It would be a nice compliment to the xpan.

Thanks! now only to find one, not so easy in Australia.
 
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Is a Leica M8 with under 1000 shutter actuations a good deal for $2400?
I am in Aus. so the exchange rate is allowing it to be a little bit cheaper too.

thanks for any help in advance.
 
Yes, that sounds ok to me. These shutters are good for 100,000 to 150,000 actuations generally. However, the original M8 had some shutter issues. So, if it is not under warranty, factor in the very real chance that the camera will have to go for repair for something.
 
Jubb Jubb said:
Is a Leica M8 with under 1000 shutter actuations a good deal for $2400?
I am in Aus. so the exchange rate is allowing it to be a little bit cheaper too.

thanks for any help in advance.
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you definitely need to check for red line/dead pixel on that. If no warranty is available, then ask very clear questions of the seller (preferably with high ISO examples) before committing to buy.
 
No, the magenta cast is corrected by using UV/IR cut filters (or 486 filters). The red line was a sensor problem with certain serial numbers (AFAIK). Most of these have been replaced or sorted out though...
 
PS. Does anyone know if there is a third party product that is similar to the Leica M9 titanium shoulder holster they made?

This is an awesome strap and would be good if you could buy them...
 
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