[Leica] A non-scientific comparison of the E3 and M8u

[pklein at threshinc.com (Peter Klein)]

I own an E-510, which is very close to the E-3 in image quality.  I also 
have an M8.  I shoot both RAW, and process both in Capture One 4.

In good light at ISO 160/200, when you don't crop much, it is hard to 
tell the difference between the cameras at a glance on a 900 pixel-wide 
Web JPG.  On an 8x10-ish print, I can begin to see the difference in the 
very fine details, but only if I "smell the print" and know what to look 
for--the M8 is just a smidgen crisper.  The M8 has more dynamic range. I 
have to protect the highlights more on the E-510, and shadows go black 
with the E-510 where there might be a bit more detail with the M8. 

Start blowing the pictures up bigger, or bump up the ISO, and the 
differences become more apparent. I would use the M8 with no hesitation 
at ISO 640, which is really 800.  The E-510 gets noticeably noisier in 
the shadows at 800, so I would be less likely to use it at that ISO 
unless the light is flat enough that I can expose midtones to the right 
without blowing highlights. 

Blow things up really big, 1:2 or 1:1 on the screen, and it's easy to 
see the difference in acutance.  The E-510 has an anti-alias filter, the 
M8 doesn't.  The best Leica lenses are noticeably better than the 
Olympus lenses, particularly when you open up the diaphragm. So if you 
pixel peep or print bigger than 8x10, you may very well see a difference. 

Color rendition is a matter of personal preference, and to some degree 
depends on post-processing.

Again, most of this doesn't matter under the conditions which Richard 
shot and displayed his photos: outdoors on a cloudy day with reasonable 
contrast, Web-sized JPGs.    The 4/3 cameras are quite capable if you 
know their strengths and limitations.  I prefer my M8, but I'm happy to 
have the E-510 when I need an SLR, prefer a zoom, need a long lens, or 
just want to take one thing with me, not a kit.

--Peter

Richard Man posted:
 > http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/richardman/E3M8BakeOff/