Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/01/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Jim, welcome back. Well, the M8 handles in a very similar way to the M cameras in general. Some people don't like the noise of the advance, but its not bad. Dust cleaning seems easier than an SLR: the sensor is easier to get to, but it is probably not as "simple" as the DMR. Image quality is not as good as the top of the line Canons in a number of ways, but it seems to be accepted that it at least falls in to the high quality levels. I suspect leica have a way to go with the fine tuning of WB etc but firmware changes will probably help that. IFFF using IR filters to help the colour correction upsets you don't buy the M8. It is my belief that the IR filter will help the WB and other colour issues, but if you won't use one I'd wait before committing. My camera was on the first boat, and performed very well prior to Christmas, when Leica called it home for a tune up: It is still not back, and I have to admit to becoming a bit pevved at the delay. It does not look like I will see it in January :-( BUT I did like the way it handled, and the TriElmar was a wonderful match with the body. If you want to use your M lenses, want to give away film and go digital and like the handling of the M, you will not have another choice for quite some time: that is, in the end, why I bought it now, so that I could get the most use of it while it was useful. I do not believe Leica will bring out an M9 or significant new M digital camera for at least 5 years. If you can wait that long then keep using film Cheers On 24/01/2007, at 11:11, Jim Laurel wrote: > Hello everyone, > Good to see the good old LUG is still kicking. I've been away from > photography for a while working on my startup company: Twango. The > little photography I've been doing over the last year or so has > been with my 1Ds, which is a beast of a camera. On my last trip, > it spent most of the time in the hotel safe, while I carried the > little C-Lux1 in my pocket. Plus, the 1Ds has gathered enough > sensor dust to start a sizable hobby farm and I have never been > able to clean it all out. I've ordered one of those Arctic > Butterfly things in a last ditch attempt to make the thing usable > again. > > I put my order in for an M8 some time ago and just got the call > that my number is up. It's one of the new batch with all of Solms' > finest German-engineered IR/WB/color cast band aids in place. Now > I have to decide whether to actually take delivery of the thing. > I've been reading some of the threads here, on dpreview and on the > Leica site and the situation doesn't seem encouraging. I have gone > from enthusiastic anticipation of this new camera to utter > disappointment. > > Many of you know me from years past here on the LUG and how much I > enjoy photography with the M cameras in general. I'm tempted to > take my M8, but it's difficult to get a rational viewpoint out on > the net. You ask some hard questions and the fanboys jump in on > you, accuse you of trolling, etc. I am hoping that my old friends > here on the venerable LUG will be able to help me decide. You > folks are the only ones I can trust for sage advice as I haven't > had a chance to use an M8 myself, except for a few minutes at the > dealer one night. The test DNGs I shot looked ok, but the JPGs, > even at the highest quality setting were horrible. > > Thanks for any comments or advice. I think at this point, I'd even > like to hear B.D.'s opinion. ;-) > > My very best regards to the LUG family, > > --Jim Laurel > Co-Founder, Twango > http://www.twango.com/jim > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information