Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/10/18
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]> > > As I said before Mark, I don't buy my cameras by how many pro's are using > them. I will still be using my M8 for quite some time and it will still be > making terrific images. Do I want a M9, Yes, but I will keep my M8 even > then, > and still use it. > > > Gene -------------- Original message from Mark Rabiner > <mark at rabinergroup.com>: -------------- > > >>> At 3:57 PM -0400 10/17/09, Mark Rabiner wrote: >>>>> Do I sense a ground swell of feeling that the M*s should be cherished >>>>> because they make old lenses perform better by eliminating the poorer >>>>> rendition in the corners? Seems like the inverse of the opinion that >>>>> film M Leicas were to be desired over the M8 because Leica lenses were >>>>> designed for the corners rather than the central area. I'm confused. I >>>>> have a lot of old Leica lenses. Do I buy a used M8 or save my pennies >>>>> for an M9? >>>>> Larry Z >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> Nobody cares about the corners. Get an M9. You're going to see M8's >>>> selling >>>> for very little money after a year or less. There is a reason. They are >>>> not >>>> made any more. There is a reason. >>>> >>>> Mark William Rabiner >>>> >>> >>> But they work well and take great pictures, and they cost a whole lot >>> less, and will depreciate a lot less. >>> >>> ...and they take great pictures. >>> >>> ...as does the M9, for more money. >>> >>> >> >> >> Despite costing 7 grand instead of half that in a year we're going to see >> all kinds of top people working with the M9 ten times more then we ever >> saw >> with an M8. >> Mark My Words! >> >> The M8 is devaluing Markedly every day as we speak. >> It was a first out. A noble experiment. >> It kept the price of Leica glass up. Stopped a lot of Leica glass from >> developing mold. And many just fine shots were made with them. >> Dump it as soon as you can is the obvious smart advice. Turn it over. >> The M9 will be around for a decade. And remain viable for two. >> Perhaps remaining viable for the period of time previous M's have. >> Many decades. >> >> Possibly wait a year for the lower rez higher ISO version. It may even >> cost >> less. >> >> >> Mark William Rabiner >> >> >> >> I'm responding to an issue about how "good a picture taker" is of a certain camrea body called the M8. Excuse me for defining camera functionality quality by the people who use them. And by what they cost. Of course after buying your M9 you'll be using your M8 every day. Or close to never. So far all the tens of thousands of people who went from cropped to full frame formats continue to use their previous cropped bodies on that basis. It would be different if you picked up a smaller format body and it was 1.33x lighter and smaller in size. Its the exact same size camrea body but with a smaller image circle in it. A real inspiration to reach for it. Toes can be stepped on here with his brand of criticism of our precious M8 former camera of the Leica system I should be more careful of what I say and how is say it. But the price dropping markedly on the M8 for the past 12 months you all would have gotten quite a deal on these cut rate prices if it was not because the writing was clearly on the wall about the viability of cropped format for serious photography and the necessity for a full frame impending M9 for Leica to be competitive in the serious photography world. Which it is in. As you don't drop thousands of bucks on a lens if that's not the ballgame you are in. and in that ballgame you do notice if the top people are using that gear. Or if they're not. That camera you got in the past 12 months at cut rate prices may have not been such a good deal in the scheme of things. But the glass you got for it is. Especially if you got Leica glass. Especially if you got farily current Leica glass. And you got to use it for this current period of time. But all that glass was all designed to work with a 43mm image circle. Fitting around a 24x36mm frame. As it has been since the entire past century. The top people insist on working in this format Barnack made famous and not in cropped formats in the past years. But why pay attention to them? This camera in my hands "takes good pictures". Mark William Rabiner