Would you sell your 5Dmk2 for an M8?

J

jaimiepeeters

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Hi

since I stopped doing fashion photography and only use my 5dmk2 for some commercial portrait stuff, I was wondering what the thoughts would be on selling the 5dmk2 + 24-70L set and get the M8 to use with the lens of my M2.. a Summicron 50mm f2 Type 3.

Would appreciate your thoughts and motivation.
 
I'ts smaller and easier to bring along for street and documentary photography. It can use my summicron lens. It would keep me in the Leica vibe, which although puny to me its all about emotion. I think I would use it more than my 5D which I only pick up for small commercial jobs like portraits or such. Im guessing I could do these jobs with the M8 as well.
 
The M8 will definitely be more fun to shoot with. You may miss the image quality of the 5d sometimes though. I would save a bit more and get a used M9.
 
I owned them both side by side for years. Guess what... the 5Dii is still here but the M8 is two years gone.
It's a matter of versatility, reliability and ultimately higher IQ.
The M8 makes beautiful images no doubt but it just does not add up.
Oh and, if you have a failure... most likely you will be SOL with most serious issues and achieving a repair.

Cheers!
 
People with unrepairable cameras normally get some discount on new similar product.

To make colors work properly, you will need a uv/ir filter,, B+W 486. You should still profile the camera unless you like the colors Leica engineers decided upon. They are not correct but they do have a certain look.

You may want the lens coded. 50 mm sees a 65mm angle of view from crop sensor.

I like mine, my son likes his, but I would not buy one again. All the issues they have will need to be worked around and coding/ filters are all that works.
 
saw many m9 recently for 2600-2800 eur. was thinking of selling my m8 and get one, but i think the difference is to small to bother.
get m8 with 5d2 and you will see.
 
jaimiepeeters said:
A used M9 is 3500€ that would mean saving up 2500€ extra :(
Click to expand...

Where have you seen M8s for 1000€?

noimmunity said:
You should be able to find one in Europe for considerably less than that price.
Click to expand...

From private hands then? I haven't seen sub-3000€ M9s at European dealers. EDIT: I just saw Tom's post - yes, 3200€ I've seen too.

I sold my 5D2 and the 24-70L and bought a Coolscan 9000. A bit off topic, sorry. I wouldn't, however, have bought the M8. It's old tech, poor high ISO performance, hassle with filters, risk of the screen failing etc.

If the concern is to be able to use your M lenses, and you're ok with a crop factor, why not consider one of them Ricohs with the M module or some such solution?

Just my 2cts.
 
No. Don't do it.

Why?

Think of it this way, you've heard "Never buy the first year of a given product"? Why, because you end up being a beta tester. The M8 was Leica's first shot at a digital camera. It's a beta. It's filled with lots of problems.
No reason to spend lots of money on beta.
 
I had the M8.2 for 2-3 years. Used it for a project or two, but it wasn't versatile enough plus a couple of other downsides. The 5DMK2 does it all very well and I wouldn't sell it. I make a living with it, plus recently the Fuji XPro1 system. Get the 40mm pancake for the 5DMK2 and go shoot the street or whatever.
 
My full-frame camera is a Nikon D600 and it can do a lot the Canon can do too. But the M8 sure can do a lot less than either of them. Also, the M8 prone to failure and either impossible or expensive repairs as well.

I'd stick with the Canon and get a nice M4-P, M6-TTL or something like that to enjoy rangefinderism.

The digital Leica's only are for those that shoot it as an expensive hobby or use it professionally and can afford having it serviced when needed. Sad to say so since I hate the size of my D600 and other full frame DSLR's, but that's what it is.

Regret to read you gave up on fashion photography, I thought your stuff had potential and I liked it.
 
Well, you've heard it from other people...now you'll hear it from me ;)

Get a used M9 instead, or really, keep the 5DmkII and get a used M6. I have a 5DmkII and an M9, and as much as I love that M9, when I really HAVE to get an image, the 5DmkII wins...

If you're looking for a light street setup, get a used M6 and shoot a bit of film. I really think selling the Canon for an M8 is a big step down. It's a crippled machine IMO.
 
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I no longer have canon, went back to nikon but even on a bad day I wouldn't trade a canon or nikon for an M8 or even an M9 and I own an M9. I actually regret buying the m9.
 
I've owned all three and agree with the above: M9 yes, M8 no.

I really enjoyed shooting street with my 5DII AND 50mm. Not a heavy unit at all, fast AF, and superb files. I miss it.

The A7 is a reasonable suggestion. More suitable than the M8 for your commercial work, and accommodates your Summicron at native length. If I owned a Summicron that's what I'd probably do. Or I'd get a film M.

John
 
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