[Leica] Some questions and thoughts about the M8

[abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)]

The menu issues are about terrible human interface design. The DMR has
about the best I have experienced and the M8 looks as good. The Canon
1Ds MK II has the typical Japanese GUI - let's adjust EVERYTHING and
have about a zilliion different settings. Brain death. Sadly the
European design ethic has been forsaken in cars these days - BMW,
Porsche... they all have awful electronics design - no sophistication
at all - geeky engineers and their toys inflicted on the driver
relentlessly. We haven't bought a new BMW for exactly that reason -
iDrive makes getting into a 5 these days too frustrating.

Sigh.

On the color issue - if you shoot in color and then have to convert to
black and white...it's not the same as only working with the black and
white image - the color seduces you away.

And it's important to point out that digital and film are different
media and will have different characteristics...just as color and B&W
film are different media. We're just beginning to really explore
digital. If folks feel threatened by digital and it's reliance on
manipulation in a computer then just stay with film. But know that
it'll be increasingly difficult over time.

Adam

On 10/29/06, Jeffery Smith <jsmith342@cox.net> wrote:
> Luis,
>
> Right now, the only three things I really look at when a new digital comes
> our are (1) noise at high ISO, (2) anti-shake (to compensate for high noise
> at high ISO), and (3) shutter lag. I agree with you on the look of film
> versus digital. I also like shooting with a camera with only three controls
> (aperture, shutterspeed, and focus). The menus, buttons, wheels, and 
> complex
> LCD readouts of digitals have me spending more time looking at my digital
> camera than the world I'm supposed to be shooting. As a result, I end up
> shooting on full program mode while giving up the control I had with just
> three parameters to think about. I like the conventional lenses I alread
> have for film, and don't like the problems with purple fringing and
> vignetting I get with digicams. But as the B&W films and developers slowly
> disappear from view and digital technology improves, I suppose I will slow
> shift over to digital.
>
> I noticed a strange (almost overnight) shift in attitude on the SP forum.
> Six years ago, black and white film was the standard (and only that
> Eggelston guy shot color). But when good digital cameras began to gain
> acceptance, color digital image became acceptable in no time at all. I
> suppose the only reason that surprises me is that color did not become
> acceptable when color film was made available to SP photographers. Perhaps
> when fast, convenient digital bacame acceptable for photojournalism, SP was
> not far behind.
>
> Jeffery Smith
> New Orleans, LA
> http://www.400tx.com
> http://400tx.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org
> [mailto:lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Luis
> Ripoll
> Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 6:11 AM
> To: 'Leica Users Group'
> Subject: [Leica] Some questions and thoughts about the M8
>
>
> Hi all,
>
> I've followed with interest all your comments about, first at all I should
> say that I've never used digital, and that I'm not very attracted for it,
> nevertheless the M concept transported to digital could be at least an
> interesting experience.
>
> The first thought I want to explain is that I think that format 4x3 could 
> be
> perfect for the new users, on my case I've choose my assortment of lenses
> thinking on the use of every one, I would prefer work with the full format.
> Frequently I've choose my lenses attending the compactness over the 
> quality,
> i.e. Summilux 35 vs. the ASPH, it is some difficult for me think that my
> 50's will be 65's etc..., and to have a 35 I should buy the pretty new 28mm
> ASPH, but it is 2,8!, maybe with digital we should think more on the ASA
> capabilities of the digital?...., maybe; as Jeffery says I've started on
> photography with Panatomic and other slow films, on these years when you
> shot with a 27 DIN ---> 400 ASA it was something extreme, actually for me I
> still have this mentality, I very, very rarely  rate a film more than 400
> ASA.
>
> Yesterday I was commenting an e-mail from Alastair telling him that I love
> too very much the quality on B&W of Plus X or APX100 with Summilux 35, IMHO
> you can't obtain the same quality on digital. You probably will obtain a
> very good, even excellent quality, but without the same "touch".
>
> I have two questions about the M8's viewfinder, it is improved as it was on
> the MP and M7 avoiding the flare?, which leeds information is on the
> viewfinder? I've never liked the viewfinders with a lot of leds.
>
> Thanks for your comments
>
> Saludos desde Barcelona
> Luis
>
>
>
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