[Leica] Re: M8 problems

[luisripoll at telefonica.net (Luis Ripoll)]

Hi Peter,

I've found really interesting your arguments, but beside all the mentionned
points, for me it remain one point, the format 4:3. I want to use my lenses
on the original focal lenght. I hope, and I think that Leica will made a 1:1
format in the future.

Saludos cordiales
Luis
 

-----Mensaje original-----
De: lug-bounces+luisripoll=telefonica.net@leica-users.org
[mailto:lug-bounces+luisripoll=telefonica.net@leica-users.org] En nombre de
Peter Klein
Enviado el: jueves, 30 de agosto de 2007 20:04
Para: lug@leica-users.org
Asunto: Re: [Leica] Re: M8 problems


Larry:

Sounds like you really have two issues:

- Do I need digital at all?
- Do I need (or want) an M8?

Digital is convenient. Digital has less dynamic range than negative film,
but ISO for ISO, it's cleaner than most film. You don't buy film and
processing, you buy a camera.

I'm with Tina and George and Sonny--my M8 gives me the best image quality
I've seen from a 35mm-size camera.

No doubt about it, the M8 also has quirks and hidden costs that derive from
those quirks. We have the IR filter/cyan drift issues and the need for
coding of 35mm and wider lenses.  There have been reliability issues with
some cameras, particularly early models. Most of the really bad problems
seem to have been fixed.

But every so often, somebody's M8 fails, and we hear about it quickly. The
Internet amplifies the problems, and it seems like every M8 is a piece of
crap.  I liken it to watching your local television news.  It seems like
there is a child molester on every block, and a terrorist behind every tree.
But is that really the case?

We can scream from today till next Tuesday about how Leica shoulda done this
and oughta done that, how could they not know about the IR issue, and how
dare a $5000 camera not be perfect?  But the fact is that Leica is a small
company, and it's trying to compete with very deep pockets from Japan, Inc.
And the problems of very fast lenses and close-to-the-sensor RF lenses mean
Leica has more to deal with than the DSLR makers.

The real question is "what do I get for my five grand, and is it worth it to
*me*?  And if the thing dies, can I live with the delays while it's fixed.

My pet peeve is that they should give us a lens selection menu. And I am
annoyed about the focus shift issues--they are not as bad as some people
make them, but they are real.

I knew about all the issues except focus shift, and I still bought the
camera. I waited 6 months until it looked like the major teething pains had
been fixed. I'm not rich, I still can't believe how much the damn thing
cost, and I am still very happy I bought it.

No one can guarantee that you will get a perfect,trouble-free M8. But it is
telling that most of the people here who have M8s love them, and even those
who have had failures want them back so they can shoot with them. 
I've been lucky so far, no major problems.  I'm still fine-tuning my
shooting to find the sweet spot between blown highlights and too much shadow
noise.  My own feelings are about 5% occasional buyer's remorse and 95% "I
LOVE this camera."

Only you can decide if you want an M8.  The way you're talking, film works
for you, you don't need the immediacy of digital most of the time.  If
that's the case, why switch?  OTOH, if you are interested in exploring
digital while maintaining the same control layout and general shooting style
as you did with Ms and manual SLRs, then the M8 is worthy of consideration.
If the M8 is not your cup of tea but you want a good, affordable
high-quality digital, consider the Pentax K10D or the Olympus E-510, both
very worthy shooter's cameras.

But if you love RF shooting and the way Leica lenses draw images, the M8 is
the only digital game in town.  It takes some work and adjustment to get the
highest quality of which the M8 is capable.  But it can be done, and when
you get it, it is incredible. You can argue that Brand C gives cleaner high
ISO images, but not at the level of detail the M8 gives.

I'm shooting more with my M8 than I ever did with film.  I have touched my
E-1 and my film Ms each exactly once since I got the M8 5 months ago--the
E-1 for a macro shot and the film M for a classical concert. That ought to
tell you something.

Reverse peer pressure: Regardless of what you decide, you and your photos
are always welcome around here!

--Peter

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