Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/09/15
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Peter those are very good reasons. I want one too; and keep using my M7 Cheers Hoppy M10 would be M18 guy -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Peter Klein Sent: Saturday, 16 September 2006 16:16 To: lug@leica-users.org Subject: [Leica] M8: To buy or not to buy. . . So much for The Dismal Science. Now, here's why I want an M8 anyway: 1. I hate scanning. It eats time. Time is precious, and I don't have a lot of it. Even if I get a 6 megapixel scan from the film lab, I need to rescan my best shots myself at 4000 dpi if I want the very best quality. Sometimes I'm lazy and I don't. 2. If I shoot only five or ten pictures in a week, I won't have to wait until I finish the roll to see them. 3. I'll get more immediate feedback about my technique, and how my lenses work at various distances and apertures. 4. I have vaguely to intensely disliked every digital camera I've tried or owned. I want to photograph, not program a computer. I don't care much for SLRs unless I'm shooting photos that really need the SLR view. In other words, macro and telephoto. For everything else, I prefer RF, and I prefer Leica. The M8 is the camera I already love, with digital guts. 5. Digital available light has some real possibilities. Many photogs have noted more low-light shadow detail in ISO 400 and above digital shots than in their film equivalents. Yes there is noise, too. I'm waiting to see how the M8 does, and I suspect it will do well. C*non will surpass it on empirical noise tests, and I suspect the M8 will take just as good or better pictures overall. Jury's still out on this one. 6. Ten megapixels may be the sweet spot where the details available on a digital picture, printed 8x10 and bigger, approach good color print film. I'm not talking about whether you prefer the "look" or not. I'm talking about whether the leaves on that tree in the background look like real leaves or sponge blobs when you look closely. I'm talking about whether the picture looks artificially sharpened or truly sharp, because there are enough pixels for the edges to look real. 7. For me, the crop factor is a non-issue. And I rarely shoot wider than 35mm. I have a mix of Leica and CV lenses from 21mm to 90mm. I'll live. And like it. 8. Just because. Oh, my aching wallet. . . I'm going to be watching tests and reviews, and gauging my emotions and finances very carefully for a while. --Peter _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information