Would you buy the M8 again?

[Durr3]

Hello,
I shoot with a M6, 35 cron and a 50 lux at the moment. I have owned many film cameras, several DSLRs and a few high end compacts. RD-1, Ricoh GRD, etc. Now my sickness wants me to buy a new toy. Knowing all you know about the M8, would you buy it again or would you try the GRD II, DP1, or something else. I shoot mostly candids and portraits now.
Any input would help a lot!

thanks,
Durr

[abumac]

M8!!!!!!!!!

[Tom Niblick]

In a heartbeat!

[Roger Hicks]

Dear Durr,

As far as I am concerned, there is no choice. M8. I've had mine since November 06 and am firmly hooked.

Cheers,

R.

[BillBlackwell]

"Would you buy the M8 again?"

Absolutely, YES!

[faris]

Durr, without hesitation.

[KM-25]

At the prices they are used, $3,800 on the average...maybe.

For the price I paid at $4,750, probably not.

It has proven to be much more of a hassle to keep taking the IR filters on and off to shoot color slide than I would have thought. The front barrel of my 28/2 is coming loose since that is a very popular lens for me on either the M8 or the film M's.

And there is no way I will ever not shoot film M's in even if only black and white, they are simply in another league from the M8 in terms of nearly everything.

The images I get from my D3 with my CZ 35/2 at ISO 3200 put the M8 to shame, even the sound is better. The D3 makes a precise snap that is very short in duration, more discreet than the M8 in my direct experience. The M8 on the other hand sounds like slowed down cartoon sound bite of a rubber band being shot across the room, pathetic for a camera company that has made it's reputation due in part to near silent cameras.

I do make some nice images with the M8 and it certainly has it's place, but it is in no way my go-to camera.

It's either color film or color digital with the M system though, the M8 and other M's simply don't play nice together and that is truly a shame..

[retow]

Absolutely. As well as the DP1.

[grduprey]

I'd buy another if I had the cash. Absolutely. Not a single problem.

[tmfabian]

Absolutely, in fact, i just ordered 2 more before my educational discount stops working (graduating in june)

[JWW]

Of course!

[urban_alchemist]

If it worked as I think it should (full frame so my lenses can be used as originally intended, usability at high ISO, quieter shutter) then yes.

As it now stands, sorry to say, no.

[Speenth]

Yes! There is nothing like it ... and I like it.

[Gid]

Having recently sold mine and kept my RD1, my answer would have to be no.

[Keith]

I would have been unsure a couple of months ago ... but having now been given the occasional paid gig where the M8 is the only camera that will do the job the way the client wants it done, I can say yes. In fact if I had the money I would buy another one as backup!

[Keith]

Originally Posted by leicasniper

How many paid gigs does it take to pay for two M8's?

The commitment that they (QUT) have just made to me, to keep giving me work, is incentive to do it correctly ... which to me may ultimately involve having a backup camera. The results from the latest gallery opening I shot for them absolutely stunned them ... the images were exactly what they wanted and their arts curator is going to help me put a portfolio together to allow me to present my services to other similarly placed institutions!

As for your question ... I'll let you know!

[usm]

I would definitely if I could afford it.
For me it was a special deal for 50% off - so I did it. Best camera I ever had.

[Ben Z]

Honest answer: I'm not sure. Definitely if I hadn't bought one when the price was still $4795, I would only be looking at a demo now. But that's an economic issue, not related to the camera itself. Why I'm not sure, is that when I look at the situation regarding film and processing (in my area) it's no worse now than it was almost a year ago when I bought my M8. I probably could have kept my M6's and gone on shooting film and spent less than what my M8 has depreciated. The reason for that is, whenever I've been called on to "take pictures" for someone else's (friend, family etc) event, I have ended up going with the 20D instead of the M8.

One reason is for indoor no-flash situations, the M8's noise @ ISO1250 requires a ton of Noise Ninja and it still doesn't look as good as the 20D @ ISO1600. Don't get me wrong, I like the filmy look of the M8's 1250 noise better than the 20D's HDTV-look, but my friends/family prefer the noiseless digital look.

The other reason is that I don't fully trust my M8, which in all fairness has been so far 100% free of the scary glitches others have reported, not to break down just when I'm depending on it to shoot something important for someone else. I have a second 20D as backup, whereas another $4000+ for a second M8 is more than I care to spend. So my M8 has been seeing duty only for my travel photography, with a Dlux-3 as backup. Granted I'm grateful to have it, and would not like to schlepp a 20D and some lenses on my travels, in the size of bag needed to fit it all. Been there done that.

So I really am not totally certain I would buy an M8 if I had it to do over again, but neither am I certain I wouldn't. I guess it boils down to the fact that it was so expensive compared to anything I've bought before, photographically. I only paid over $1000 for a camera once, which was a demo MP, and I sold it later for what I paid and bought 2 M6's for the same money. Otherwise all my cameras I've ever bought, including Leicas, were always under $1000. After a year I'm still reeling from the sticker shock of the M8.

[Gabriel M.A.]

I guess that answers the question "will you be asked about your M8 purchase decision again?"

[DWeston]

If pushed I would have to admit that I am still ambivalent about it, after a year plus. I want to like it, lord I want to LOVE it, and I do for its size, and sharpness across the image field with most lenses...

But, I think I may just be a slr type of guy. I had used an M6 back 20 yrs ago and liked it until I went up format, but I can compare images I have shot to both a 5D and my friends D3 and I just don't see major shortages in these other cameras either. For the cost, the 5D is a bargain for similar image quality. I won't get into nit picking, there are of course pros and cons on both sides. Lord knows you can take amazing images with any of them. Guess when either Nikon or Canon come out with a 40D size camera with a full frame chip, I may have to really think about making a change. For the most part, I think it comes down more to what one is comfortable shooting with and how one shoots, that is the deciding factor that overrules all else. One could make a perfect camera[ I gest] but hypothetically, it might not be perfect for all.....

ONe day you may find it in the FS section.....

[Olsen]

I bought my M8 to 'go digital' with the excellent of M-glass I had, - and could buy. - Like most, I had waited with great expectations for this monumental event that a digital M would be launched.

I have used my M8 parallel to my 1Ds II (sold) and my new 1Ds III. The M8 stands up good compared to both. The difference in resolution compared to both the huge Canon cameras are marginal and has little significance in daily use. The M8's strong points is the far better optics - from the Noctilux to the WATE. The M8/WATE combo costs about the same as a 1Ds III/16-35 mm 2,8L - but is far better. - Sure, the crop factor cheats the M8 to the victory, but if you are a pro interior photographer, the Leica M8/WATE combo must be a serious contender to consider.

The M8 had been on the market for a good 6 months when I bought it in late spring 2007. Already then: The launch was deeply troubled with purple fringe, odd spots, streaks (freaks) and freezes. I find the 'fixes' from Leica,- and their dedicated service follow up quite sufficient. I knew I might be in for trouble. I had my Leica lenses coded, filtered (off and on) and have learned to live with the M8's slight downsides. Like the crop factor. Having had only FF-DSLR's before the M8 and was skeptical to the crop factor. That's why I bought the WATE which solves the problem.

My M8 has been to Solms once. For a 'line' problem. It was back within two weeks. Fixed. Two weeks I used to introduce myself to my new 1Ds III. - An excellent camera that reveal the limitations of much of Canon's lens line. Particularly the zooms fall through; swet drips down your back when you see the blured corners at 100% in PS. Help! - With a few exceptions; the EF 35 mm 1,4L, the 200 mm 2,8L etc. are just excellent. Stubbornly, Canon will not cooperate with neither Carl Zeiss nor Leica to supplement their line with glass of higher quality. That could well be a mistake.

I have had a few M8-freezes which I regard as a battery problem. Have a fresh battery at hand. Avoid 3.party batteries and buy a new one when the freezes occure too often. They are cheap.

I love my M-gear. It is light weight, compact and offers high resolution and contrast. Exceptionally high.

I was very much aware that I supported one of the two, of any significance, European camera producers, when buying the M8. As I have said before; if there is going to be a M9 we all have to buy the M8.

Sure, I would have bought it again!

[Olsen]

Originally Posted by leicasniper

Blurred corners of a lens from a 1DsIII at 100%? That would be a 16x24 print without any interpolation. What size print does 100% in Photoshop from the M8 represent?

Sure, read my post and you see that I point out that 'Leica wins by cheating'.....

The jpg file sizes in PS measures:

M8: 138,85 x 92,85 cm
1Ds II: 176,11 x 117,4 cm
1Ds III: 192,12 x 132,08 cm

By comparison; the largest colour prints I have done are 120 x 120 cm prints from a 6 x 6 cm (Kodak 160ASA Portra) negatives with a Hasselblad (Carl Zeiss 80 mm 2,8 Planar) - sometimes slightly cropped. No doubt, the 1Ds III could match that. Provided it has a good lens mounted.....

[TJV]

Considering all the problems I had with mine, I think I'm pretty much resolved to pass on the M8 until their game has matured. If that means an M9 or an upgraded M8, anyone can guess. In fact, my experience with Leica service and new products has been so poor I'd hesitate to buy any Leica product again.

I loved using the M8 but I had a horrible time making it perform reliably. Three out of three were faulty. The insane thing is that if I was to have to shoot digital again the M8 is the only camera I'd want to carry around. I enjoy using M's and what else is there on the market that compares? I'm lucky I've got a lot of film kit to fall back on.

[aniMal]

Yes - I have had one for a while, and am planning on how and when to get a second one...

No problems so far, I put that down partly to having bought a second hand one from a reliable source - i.e. it has been tested for a while...

[Didier]

Don't have the M8, but if GRD-II and DP1 are your alternatives for candid shooting, then I'd prefer the M8 without hesitating. Candid shooting also means quick shooting - when the people realize someone is shooting you have already done your shots and can smile at them - but the Ricoh and the Sigma are the kings of slowness: shutter and LCD lag, slow AF, hyper slow writing speed, not talking about other invonvenients like poor perfomance above ISO 100, fixed lens, slower apertures (especially the Sigma).

But if you say you already have a R-D1 - what's wrong with that one that you feel you must "upgrade" it to a M8?

Didier