What is all the fuss about

[mad_boy]

Reading through these threads there are a number of issues that come up time and time again, which do not seem worth the fuss.

1) Battery dependance
2) Full frame sensor versus cropped sensor
3) Depreciation of the M8
(strangely enough no complaints on direction of m8's shutter dial ).

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Spare batteries take less space than 2 rolls of film, which most of us carry around. Fresh batteries last a very long time, so if you are approaching a critical situation, just put in the fresh battery. (like you fuel up your car before entering the bush).
And then the stories that batteries are not reliable. how many of these complainers have a crank in their car to crank-start the engine just in case the battery fails?

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Sensor size. The main advantage of a larger sensor is the lower depth of field. If that is your desire stop demanding a full frame sensor; ask for a larger than full frame sensor. Why not 40mm sensor... or 41mm.....

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Depreciation worries assume that the value of the camera drops when a new model is launched, and reading the stories aparently people expect M8's to be more of less worthless in 5 years time.
WHY? In the standard Leica M forum all you guys rave about old style optics like the 2nd generation whatever-cron. Objectively that lens has been bypassed in all quality aspects by its successors, but it still has value because of its particular character. If the M8 takes great pictures today it will do so in 15 years time (if still functioning). There will be people who love the handling, looks or whatever. Who knows people will be talking about the beauty of the digital noise as they do currently over the 'glow' (which is a lens aberation as well). I have the Digilux2. It has been bypassed in Pixel count already a long tiem ago (actually when it came out ). But I still have it, use it and are happy with it and probably will when the latest models boost 20 Mpixels.

Is there really no-one complaining on the direction of the shutter wheel ????

And yes, befefore you state the obvious....
This is a long post on points that are not worth the fuss .....

Mad_boy

 

[Edgy01]

The larger issue to me is the choice of CCD for the imager vice the CMOS. (I like the CMOS in my Nikon D2X as it truly extends battery life).

Maybe in the M8a version...

 

[keithwms]

The focus should be on what kind of pictures one can take with this rig, period.

I am just old enough to recall that with every new Leica that has been introduced, there has been a lot of fuss about how this or that changed. Actually, it seems to me that Leica have gone out of their way to preserve the familiar with this model. The biggest pill to swallow is of course the FOV. But being able to effectively push beyond 135mm on a RF has its merits as well... And at the wide end, if this camera creates demand for wider lenses, Leica is well positioned to oblige. Could the marketing strategy be any better, designing the body to force you to buy more pricey lenses?

As for batteries, well, I think anybody with really serious battery (e.g. low temps) concerns had better pack an all-manual camera. But for the rest of us the battery situation will be just fine. A RF is not cranking away at 5 fps or something and there's no rule that you have to use auto image review, on my DSLR I turned that off immediately.