Why are you still using your M8?

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eleskin

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I thought it would be interesting to read why Leica M8 owners still use their cameras despite the M9, M, and MM. I have a few reasons myself. For me, I tested the M9 3 times and I actually prefer the M8 for what appears to be sharper files and great tonal range for Black and White. Economics are another factor. I just can't shell out $7-8k right now. I print mostly black and white on 17"x27" from a roll of Exhibition Fiber in my Epson 3800 and everyone thinks the prints are stunning! To me, I see little advantage to blow more $$$$. The crop factor is fine with me. Not as bad as APS C or Micro 4/3. Almost full frame! I also like the black chrome finish for durability. Noise is ok as long as I keep it at iso 640. Having 1/8000 is nice too with fast lenses outside. Also, even though I have the correction filters for IR, I hardly use them. Color looks great to me and B&W is incredible.
 
(Had I still owned an M8) it'd be because an M9 is super expensive still, hell i'm using an R-D1 now, with all the buzz of X-trans sensors and multiple million pixel EVF's 😀
 
Landscape too great!

Landscape too great!

Since I use a tripod I like to take 2-3 shots vertically and weave them. With the sharp M8 sensor, incredible results are there. Who needs more megapixels!
 
Money.

There is nothing exactly wrong with the M8, I have no need to upgrade. The M9 is more of this goodness and a better fit for my lens selection, but it is the Monochrom I really would like to have.
 
I tested the monochrome and------

I tested the monochrome and------

I took a few shots with the monochrome and I feel my M8 still holds up. Why? Well fewer blown highlights combined with files that convert to Black and White better than the M9 with sharper prints. Look, each camera has its own "look". Knowing this, the MM and M9 vs M8 is irrelevant to me. My prints are what I strive for and apples and oranges I will not get into, only that I love the M8 for the "look" it gives me. A "look"'that cannot be reproduced by the M9 or MM.
 
any comparison samples or least something to show the magnificence of M8 sensor?

I had one and am still regretting selling it. that said, am having no doubt M9 or later models would serve me better.
 
I don't quite understand the point of the question. I can only imagine that you really want something else ...?

I never owned an M8, I waited and bought an M9. I'm happy with it. It creates excellent photos.

However, in the past my main camera for a time was first an Olympus E-1 and then an Olympus E-5. The E-5 is a far better performer in almost every conceivable way, but when I decided to sell off my DSLR kit, I found I didn't want to part with the E-1. Why? Because even if I use it only rarely, I like it and I like the images it makes. And it continues to work perfectly, at almost ten years old.

Buying, selling, using, liking... cameras is not an entirely rational thing. Accept that and don't bother trying to find justifications or rationales. Enjoy what you like and make your photos with it. Buy what you want when you can afford to. Be happy. 🙂
 
The prints from my M9 are the sharpest with the best tonality I have ever seen including 8x10 contact prints. It is the best camera I have ever owned including film Leicas, Hassy, RB67, 4x5 with modern lenses.

Prints were made on a laser printer, only sharpening was default in ACR, 25 amount and .7 radius. Nothing after JPEG conversion except send to lab.

The M8 is still very nice and a close second, but still second.
 
The M8 is a fantastic camera for the price.....and has superb B&W characteristics. I will consider trading up to an M-E when the prices of the M-E fall below $3500.....which shouldn't take long, really!

Aside from the money though....there is something beautiful about shooting with a rangefinder....and in digital rangefinder there are only a few contenders. I find the M8 to hit the sweet spot. Enough resolution, fair price, and in a beautiful package.
 
When i bought the m8 I thought I would be wanting the M9 soon enough. But the more I use my M8 the less I seem to care about the M9. My need to "upgrade" seems to diminish instead of grow.
Hardly care about the crop factor, since I seem to prefer longer focal lengths anyway. The extra resolution would be nice but for my use not really needed. Besides, the talk about crisper M8 files seem to offset some of the gain in using higher resolution files. At least at my print and web sizes.
The only thing I would like is better iso, but it's not like the M9 is such a strong iso shooter either. Might as well wait a year and see how the M10 holds up.

I like the M8 for it's own characteristics. And love the fact that it's just a cheaper camera hanging around my shoulder. I walk around without any insurance, and feel comfortable that way. I would feel more financial weight walking around with the M9.

I'm starting to believe the M8 is just a cooler camera than the M9. Obviously just my opinion. 🙂
 
I like it still since it can use my little 35mm Summicrons as standard lenses, and with those lenses you travel light (on bike or anything else). I hardly use 50mm (in fact only the very light weight Jupiter 3 )...and the 50mm works like a very nice portrait lens (about 85mm in comparison). Further there is hardly a difference in sensor quality to step over to the m9, and again my lenses are tuned at the crop factor of the M8. Also my telelenses give something extra because of this crop factor...

..what I almost forgot, it shoots lovely black and white too...no care for a M-monochrome 🙂
 
step by step. started with pentax then wanted to try rangefinder. bought m8 and cv 35/1.4 to check if i like it and if i can live with it. i like it a lot (extended lens collection already) and could use wider angle advantage of ff. step will be performed when finance allow.
 
Godfrey said:
However, in the past my main camera for a time was first an Olympus E-1 and then an Olympus E-5. The E-5 is a far better performer in almost every conceivable way, but when I decided to sell off my DSLR kit, I found I didn't want to part with the E-1. Why? Because even if I use it only rarely, I like it and I like the images it makes. And it continues to work perfectly, at almost ten years old.

Buying, selling, using, liking... cameras is not an entirely rational thing. Accept that and don't bother trying to find justifications or rationales. Enjoy what you like and make your photos with it. Buy what you want when you can afford to. Be happy. 🙂
Click to expand...

Hi Godfrey,
I share your affection for the E-1 and that is one of the reasons that the M8 still makes me happy. The kodak sensors in those two are closely related and it can be seen in prints. I would suspect it is there in the M9 too, but I never took a look see. While it was easy for me to upgrade through the E-1/E-3/E-5 because of some clear improvements, I didn't have the same impulses when the M9 came out. The M8's crop supports my short tele preferrence. hen I do wide, I reach for the 11-22ZD. I'll ride the M8 wagon untill the wheels fall off.
Bob
 
Because i prefer the IQ of my M8.2 in color and black and white, i prefer its framelines, its shutter noise, its top LCD, and i do like carrying small teles. I just miss faster wides and less digital noise at 1250 iso. Ask me the question again when i can try the M-240 but i'm not in a hurry.
 
I use the M8 side by side with the M9. They form a great team.
I use the M8 for B&W, and I use the M9 for color.
Switching a normal lens from the M9 to the M8 gets me a short tele.
As a digital back-up camera, the M8 is a great camera.
 
I still use my M8 because it is, the best I have for IR, and it good enough to serve as a backup to my M9 and Monochrom.
The M9 beats it at better tonal and contrast transitions and resolution and the MM runs rings around it at B&W, but it is a darn good camera nonetheless.

Btw - blown highlights on the MM is pilot error, not a camera fault... It took me a week to adapt my exposure habits.

I find the durability of the black chrome rather disappointing after the raves I read on the forums. After six weeks the edges of my MM started showing considerable silvering and there is some scuffing as well.
 
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