[Leica] Leica M8 hands on

[pjleeson at mchsi.com (Philip Leeson)]

Thanks to Tom and Henning  for the comprehensive reviews.
Does seem to me that Leica has it pretty well covered now from
P&S to V-Lux, DLux3 to M, R, DMR -- film and digital -- something for  
everyone.
Maybe they will be fiscally viable after all...

Phil

On Sep 14, 2006, at 6:36 PM, TTAbrahams@aol.com wrote:

>
>
> Yes,
> Leica  kindly lent me an M8 to try out. I suspect that they  
> thought  "If he
> likes  it, we are on the right track"!
> Well,  I am happy to say that they are on the right track. The M8  
> does behave
> like an  M-camera should. It puts minimal "digital" between you and  
> your
> picture, but if  you are so inclined you can add all the bells and  
> whistles to
> what you are  doing. When I got it (no manual for it) I managed to  
> turn it in to
> a M2/M6  with little fuss. Put it on mono-chrome, put the ISO to  
> 320 and stick
> a  lens on it. I don?t shoot color and to me the black/white image  
> quality
> was what  counted. The first couple of 100 shots were done with  
> everything in
> "Standard"  setting and the prints that my local lab pulled were a  
> bit flat (to
> be expected  as you can manipulate the image in the computer after  
> wards). The
> next batch was  shot with higher contrast settings and came out  
> fine. The
> higher ISO settings  have a bit of digital "noise" (1250/2500) but  
> so would film
> if you either used a  T-Speed or Delta 3200 so no big deal.
> It  does feel like a slightly obese M6. The additional thickness  
> coupled with
> the  rather slippery covering had my right hand cramping up after a  
> while. I
> did get  used to it, except when I switched between a M2 and M8. My  
> hand
> wanted to  "crush" the M8 to M2 thickness! The lack of a film- 
> advance arm is
> somewhat  disconcerting as it does feel like an M and you are  
> forever trying to pull
> out a  lever to hook your thumb behind - although this is something  
> you get
> used to. I  love the base-plate with its folding "Leica" key lock.  
> Battery  and
> SD card are accessed by removing it and I still have that fleeting  
> thought  ?
> Damn, did I rewind the film" before pulling the base plate off! The  
> design is
> that close to an M!
> The  noise is modest; a soft click and a slight "whirr" sound is not
> disturbing at  all. My biggest problem with the M8 is that I am a  
> left eye focuser and
> my nose  is squished against the screen. During flu-season that  
> could be an
> ugly sight!  Some kind of cover would be useful - particularly as I  
> use it as I
> would a  regular M, shoot away happily and after 40-50 shots I  
> looked for a
> shady spot  (outdoor patio of cafe works well) and chimped through  
> what I shot
> and deleted  the misses or boring stuff. Like any digital screen,  
> however
> pleasantly sized it  is - I cant see it bright light and as I have  
> to take off my
> glasses to see it  in subdued light - i might just as well be  
> comfortable,
> sipping coffee and  admire my handiwork.
> I  went through my lenses and anything that could be made to fit  
> was put on
> it.  from 12/5,6 to 135/4 in M-mount and even some Nikkor RF lenses  
> with the
> Orion-copy adapter as well as my Viso III. I need to make a mask  
> (i.e. draw the
>  reduced frame size with marker on the Viso screen). It also works  
> well with
> Bellows II (and a 61/2" Kodak Anastigmat from an old folding Kodak).
> Lenses  like the 75/2 and the 50/1,4 Asph. works very well, but I  
> found that
> I was suing  my 40/1,4 Nokton and the 28/25 focal length for most  
> of the
> "keepers".
> The  technical  stuff I leave to those of us who like that kind of  
> stuff but
> the  long and  short of it is that A/I have ordered one and B/  
> Leica succeeded
>  where nobody else did. They made me a believer in Digital. The M8  
> will be a
> complement to my M2's and M6's. It will not relegate film obsolete  
> in my
> "book"  but it will be additional tool in the arsenal.
> Now,  all we need is a printer that is dedicated to black and  
> white. Four
> shades -  glossy black, matte black, mid-grey and light grey and  
> while I am
> dreaming - a  spot-varnish feature. Oh, the inks should also be  
> reasonably priced!
> For storing  the digital images I would like to see a digital to  
> film transfer
> that was easy  to use and cheap at that. Film is still the cheapest  
> and
> safest long term  storage available! Well, if Leica can build a  
> Digital M
> successfully why  cant  other manufacturers do what some of the  
> customers want to have!
>  The demand for a dedicated b/w printer would be huge - think of  
> all those
> neg- files sitting around. I have in excess of 350 000 negatives on  
> file-  most
> are not worth the backing they are on, but some I would like to do  
> quick
> prints from. The good prints I would still do in a wet darkroom as  
> I enjoy that
> process - staring at a screen does not come close to the pleasure  
> of watching
> a  white sheet of paper
> turn  into an image.
> Best  for now,
> Tom  A
> -----
> Tom  Abrahamsson
> Vancouver, BC
> Canada
> rapidwinder.com
>
>
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