Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/01/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Very nice, Peter. The grip issue is easily fixed with the Leica grip. However, the issues with the battery indicate that something is wrong. This is not normal and I would return it to the seller (if you have that option) or get Leica to look at it. Nathan Nathan Wajsman Alicante, Spain http://www.frozenlight.eu http://www.greatpix.eu http://www.nathanfoto.com Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0 PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog On Jan 27, 2010, at 4:25 AM, Peter Cheyne wrote: > 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/ > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information >