I love my M8, have been happily using it since November 2006. But there is obviously room for improvement, especially in the ISO performance. Mr. Kaufmann's rap in this interview suggesting having sensors perform better at higher ISO as somehow software trickery against the spirit of true Leica photography is ridiculous. Either he is a reactionary out of touch with what photographers have always wanted (to capture what they see) or he is an apologist trying to put a good spin on an imperfect situation (they don't have better sensors in the immediate future). By his reasoning, one could also dismiss high iso film with better grain as being "film massaging." Preposterous. The whole reason those faster lens were made were that goal of getting better images at lower light by any technical means - software or hardware. Barnack would have turned up his nose at sensor technology? I think not.
That being said, I like Kaufmann. I get the feeling he is trying his best to make the company and the product as good as possible and keep it in the spirit of the Leica history. I think the management should swallow their pride and partner with Nikon (like they did with Panasonic for compacts) and put a cutting-edge sensor in a Leica. The build quality on the chassis and lenses will always be Leica, the price-point will always mean it's not competition for Nikon or whomever they deal with. As far as I'm concerned, the sensor is like film, put whatever brand you can in there as long as it's the best.
Snapshot Artifact