Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/01/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I've had an M8 for the last four days, and I'm glad I bought it, despite the
glitches, the frustrations, and the let-downs.
Three or four times a full battery went dead for a few minutes or more. The
body is coated with the least grippable material I have ever felt on a
camera. The battery needs to be reinserted if I use continuous mode after
shooting in discreet mode. Many say its ISO 640 is fine, but I don't like to
go above 320. Quite soon I realized shooting in DNG is a must, because of
poor white balance. I set the in camera JPEG processing to desaturate to
black and white, so that when I need to increase the ISO above 320, I can
switch to grainy monochrome by just hitting SET, then changing DNG for JPEG
fine, not needing the advantages of RAW for b&w. That last point is a
neutral, not a minus, compared to my film M experience. When my M3 or M6
needs faster film than Provia 400X, I use monochrome. That would also go
for ISO 400 used indoors.
On the positive side, I've had a few wows with this camera too. Apart from
the slippy covering, which I really must get replaced with something
grippier, it feels so much like a Leica that my thumb moved to touch the
shutter lever and I then stared down at the absence of one in incredulity.
On balance, I'm happy about my M8, and I'm also happy I waited until I could
get a reconditioned one for 3000 dollars (including import tax). Here are
some photos from the last four days. If any comments, criticisms or tips
come to mind, please let me know them.
This is the shot that made me like this camera and decide to really try and
learn how to use it properly. It's of my daughter, out on a walk, and was
taken with a Tele-Elmarit at f/2.8. As a grabbed shot, I had to focus
quickly on her eye, and I was pleased when I could review the image and see
the focus seemed to be spot-on, with very clear definition in the eyelashes.
Having said that, 10 minutes later, the camera went dead, despite an
indicated full battery. Just as mysteriously, it started working twenty
minutes later. Here's the pic:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geordiepete/4307441916/sizes/l/
In this next one the focus is not spot-on. It was taken with the 50mm
tabbed Summicron. I've liked the colours, contrast and bokeh from this
lens since I started using Leicas fifteen months ago. Today, thanks to the
instant feedback of the M8, I learned how to correct the back-focus I get
with that lens. You know how that lens screws into two parts? Well I just
turn the front half of that lens a fifth of a turn or so, so that the white
aperture marking dot is aligned with the red dot on the focussing barrel.
That is enough to correct focussing at all distances with my copy of this
lens. I can live with that for a while, until I find out how to fix it
properly. My current method makes what used to be the simple light-fingered
job of changing apertures into a bit of a bother.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geordiepete/4303701107/sizes/l/
Here's another shot taken with the 'Cron 50. This one is of a pair of
racehorses in Yorkshire.
http://www..flickr.com/photos/geordiepete/4304475744/sizes/l/
I like how the Canon LTM f/2 works on the M8. This one is at f/2.8:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geordiepete/4307433986/sizes/l/
This last one is of my daughter singing in the streeet on the way home from
school. I just felt like sharing this one:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geordiepete/4306680673/sizes/l/