Sean Reid's M8 Part 3 Review

[marknorton]

Even if Sean is a bit shell-shocked from the bad feeling about his site elsewhere, I'm not averse to telling you he's published Part 3 of his M8 Review which includes some interesting comparisons, looks at the 6 bit coding, talks about flash and more.

We collectively should be so pleased at Leica's achievement, back where they belong in to the top drawer of photography.

Great job, Sean!

[pascal_meheut]

Thanks. As good as the part I and II.

[rfleica]

Many thanks Sean. Great stuff.

[fotografr]

Originally Posted by marknorton

We collectively should be so pleased at Leica's achievement, back where they belong in to the top drawer of photography.

Great job, Sean!

I couldn't agree more. I think this could really bail out the company and get things back on track.

[marknorton]

It's said they are producing 50 a day, €3000 ex factory, €750k a week, €36m in a full year (net of factory closures), that's more than a third of Leica's turnover. Add lens drag-along and it could easily increase their turnover by 50%. Great news.

[fotografr]

Originally Posted by marknorton

It's said they are producing 50 a day, €3000 ex factory, €750k a week, €36m in a full year (net of factory closures), that's more than a third of Leica's turnover. Add lens drag-along and it could easily increase their turnover by 50%. Great news.

Fantastic news! A year ago I was really worried about the company.

[sean_reid]

Originally Posted by marknorton

Even if Sean is a bit shell-shocked from the bad feeling about his site elsewhere, I'm not averse to telling you he's published Part 3 of his M8 Review which includes some interesting comparisons, looks at the 6 bit coding, talks about flash and more.

We collectively should be so pleased at Leica's achievement, back where they belong in to the top drawer of photography.

Great job, Sean!

Hi Mark,

Thanks. The more RR grows in popularity, exposure on LL and other sites, etc. the more flak I draw from trolls and whiners, etc.. That's just the way it goes. These days I catch flack even when other people mention my site. Heck with it, full speed forward, I say.

I thought it was important to compare the M8 to the R-D1 because the Epson is the only true competition for anyone who wants to work with a DRF. I also just exanded the flash section after realizing a few new things about how the system works.

I was pleased to see that internal vignetting correction really does work.

Best,

Sean

[sean_reid]

Originally Posted by rfleica

Many thanks Sean. Great stuff.

Thanks Pascal and Robert.

The DR section is still going to take time to prepare and I'm still awaiting info. on the whole 8 bit/16 bit thing from contacts at Leica who are currently busy preparing for trade shows. I figured it was better to get this up now and add that section later than it would be to delay the whole article for a week or two.

Cheers,

Sean

[stevenrk]

Originally Posted by rfleica

Many thanks Sean. Great stuff.

Much agreed.

When you put Sean's and Michael Reichman's reviews together, you get a real sense of what it means to shoot using an RF and an M8, and whether it's going to be your cup of tea. Thank you Sean and Michael. Tremendously valuable contributions to our collective understanding and knowledge of the equipment and the art of making pictures.

And surprising how well the R-D1 held up.

[harmsr]

Once again Sean, thanks for a well written and informative review.

I only have one problem with your site, it makes me even less patient to get my M8 this weekend.

Best,

Ray

[jrc]

I thought that after I got my M8 (should be this Saturday) that I'd start looking around for somebody to buy the R-D1. After Sean's review, the R-D1 just became my back-up M8; I could see the differences in the files, but to me, they're not particularly significant. There's a thing in the hunting world where people say that most reputable rifles can shoot better than the people shooting them. I think that's probably true with cameras, and though I'd know the difference, I don't think anybody looking at a shot of mine would think, "Hmm, he must've made that with the M8."

Excellent review; the comparison of the M8 with the R-D1 was invaluable, and may have saved me about, let's see...$3,000. That's what, 100+ years of subscriptions to Sean's site?

By the way, somewhere on one of these sites, somebody mentions that he just bought a new R-D1, in a shop, for something like 800 British pounds, which would quite a bit less than the original price...

Anyway, I now have to go down to the church and light a candle to keep my FedEx driver safe! 8-)

JC

[jlm]

Sean:

great work; thanks

did you notice if the actual max aperture shows up in exif when coding is activated?

any idea what the actual coding is that Leica uses for their 16mm lens?

I am going to try rigging a similar code for the 15mm Heliar, though the CV-M adapter has a cutaway on its flange right where the coding notches go!

[sean_reid]

Thanks for the responses. I agree that the R-D1 still does a credible job even compared to the M8. I think there are some important differences in build quality but the R-D1 still makes beautiful files.

Max aperture does not show up in EXIF. I have no idea what the coding is on the new TE.

Cheers,

Sean

[marknorton]

I'm going to be interested to see how they handle the Noctilux which vignettes quite badly on f1. It will be interesting too see if they correct vignetting beyond any sensor vignetting.

[chrism]

Excellent article, Sean.

Chris

[DaveEP]

Great stuff Sean. Keep up the good work.

Looking forward to the next one.....

[gareth_c]

Blimey Sean, you have done it again.

First your reviews were instrumental in my purchasing an R-D1...which I thought I would be so happy with for years to come but now, after reading all 3 parts I want an M8 very badly...must resist (at least until nlater next year).

But, in seriousness, i'm not clear on the flak that Sean has been receibing. All I know is that Sean has provided me with many a pleasurable and insightful read, thanks Sean.

[marknorton]

Interesting to note that Sean has now been banned from fredmiranda.com and all his posts deleted.

[stevenrk]

Originally Posted by marknorton

I'm going to be interested to see how they handle the Noctilux which vignettes quite badly on f1. It will be interesting too see if they correct vignetting beyond any sensor vignetting.

and the shots Sean sets out comparing the gray scale images with coding turned on/off is the first real test that shows that those b/w bits are making a difference -- at least with the 28 ASPH.

[wparsonsgisnet]

I was at my auto mechanic's garage last week and he was relating the story of a Lexus owner who was complaining that, "This car is really boring, nothing ever goes wrong."

I kind of feel that way about Sean's reviews. They are so consistently superior and valuable that it's boring. The reading is not boring, however.

They are still the only place I know of where such detailed comparisons of body-lens combinations are presented (and SO clearly). If I were looking for an inexpensive lens to add to my kit, I'd check to see which VC or other inexpensive lens has the highest quality.

Still cheap at the price. Particularly since he promised m-a-n-y fewer reviews for the subscription amount.

And, I'm really interested in the revelation regarding the 8-bit/16-bit controversy. It's clear from the images that there is more data there than 8 bits would provide. No way the M8 could stand up to a full-frame Canon image unless this were true. 'Tis a puzzle.