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Time For A Deep Breath...

fotografr

By fotografr
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fotografr

fotografr

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...and a bit of trust.

 

I've done my share of M8 bashing over the past few days and have felt the disappointment with the sad state of affairs. But I think we all need to slow down a bit and give Leica some space to solve these problems. What we are doing now is fanning a raging wildfire that has the potential to seriously erode confidence in Leica and that can spell the end for the company. That's a scenario none of us wants to see.

 

Yesterday I informed my dealer in Germany that I was putting my M8 order on hold and explained the reasons. Today, I received a communication from him to the effect that he has discussed the problems with Leica and has been assurred they fully intend to solve them for their customers "at no additional cost."

 

I trust both him and Leica and I have always loved their products. I have nothing to gain by giving momentum to their demise and much to lose. Therefore, I decided this morning to take delivery of the M8. Only time will tell if this will be a mistake, but in the meantime I hope to be able to enjoy the great Leica lenses I already own on a digital M.

 

I know there are some people here for whom $5,000 is a considerable sum and not easy to come up with. For them, it is probably advisable to hold off right now until this has all been worked out. I also know there are a great many for whom $5,000 one way or the other will have no affect whatsoever on their lifestyle. To those people, I suggest taking a chance and putting some faith in the company that brought us all together in the first place.

 

Just a thought.

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Guest guy_mancuso

Guest guy_mancuso

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Brent I cannot agree more. I took a HUGE leap of faith on the DMR and was really one of the first ones out of the gate and also a major investment that has proved to be one of the single most best buying decisions i have done in 32 years. Reason I took another leap of faith on the M8 and have sitting here 9 lenses and every damn acessory you can get, I have a store in my office. So damnit i will do it again and get pleasantly surprised again. I know we have issues and totally understand folks not wanting to go here. I would never say you made a mistake either way. But there will be a solution and hopefully soon , so as in my other thread . Let's figure it out how we can make this workable until the real fix is in. Let's face it there is a 99 percent population here that love Leica for what it is and let's just stand by them now and get this resolved quickly and most importantly correctly. Were all stabbing in the dark without a official fix for this.

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fotografr

fotografr

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Brent I cannot agree more. I took a HUGE leap of faith on the DMR and was really one of the first ones out of the gate and also a major investment that has proved to be one of the single most best buying decisions i have done in 32 years. Reason I took another leap of faith on the M8 and have sitting here 9 lenses and every damn acessory you can get, I have a store in my office. So damnit i will do it again and get pleasantly surprised again. I know we have issues and totally understand folks not wanting to go here. I would never say you made a mistake either way. But there will be a solution and hopefully soon , so as in my other thread . Let's figure it out how we can make this workable until the real fix is in. Let's face it there is a 99 percent population here that love Leica for what it is and let's just stand by them now and get this resolved quickly and most importantly correctly. Were all stabbing in the dark without a official fix for this.

 

Thanks, Guy. I'm hoping there are a lot of others who also feel this way.

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kidigital

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I received my M8 on Tuesday and have not had too much of an opportunity to fully explore it, but I've held off on getting involved in the fray because I really like what I see so far. I'm very enthused about the camera (and I'm not an apologist, an idiot, or a fool). I simply like what I see and since I'm a digital person, I love the utility. The subtle colors and the image making potential are exactly what I was looking for in a digital rangefinder. There are a few issues, but I'm very confident that Leica is working very carefully and expediently to deliver solutions....they've worked too hard to right the ship to let it sink just as it is about to leave dry dock.

 

I will not put it back in the box. I will use it (with a few work-arounds, of course) as I await Leica's forthcoming solutions to outstanding issues.

 

Kurt

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fotografr

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John & Peter--Maybe we can get a snowball effect going. I firmly believe Leica will fix this. It may be February or March of 2007 when they get it and the cameras may have to go back to the factory for a brief fix, but they WILL solve these problems. In the meantime, I plan to get as much enjoyment from my M8 as possible.

 

Kurt--That's good news. Thanks for the post.

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davidmires

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Thanks, Brent thanks for posting this thread.

 

 

It may be February or March of 2007 when they get it and the cameras may have to go back to the factory for a brief fix, but they WILL solve these problems. In the meantime, I plan to get as much enjoyment from my M8 as possible.

 

This is the way I'm looking at it, and hope to take delivery of my M8 today.

 

Cheers, David.

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John Maio

John Maio

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I already have my M8 - picked it up late Monday afternoon.

 

Went out Tuesday morning for a photoexcursion and fell in love with the little jewel. But after reading all the IR stuff, I did my own test yesterday; I felt like I got kicked in the stomach. My little jewel was hiding some sordid secrets :( :(

 

So this morning I'm off to a therapy session with my dealer to see what can be done. Perhaps he can supply me with hot mirror filters at cost - or on loan - until a more substantial fix is released.

 

Believe me, I've lost sleep over this :rolleyes:

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MP3

MP3

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Dear folks

 

This is the most pleasant thread I read within these 3 days. I share exactly the same thought with Brent 3 days ago when I jump to receive my pre-ordered M8 when all those issues are surfacing.

 

It's now on my desk with some real gorgeous pictures taken. We trust Leica. Brent, I hope the info you received from your dealer is Leica's attitude on these issues. In that way, Leica is a truly respectable Co. as we all expected it to be.

 

Let enjoy the new M and share more on the great images it produce.

 

Cheers

Matthew

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carstenw

carstenw

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I already received my M8 (although I had to send it in for focusing adjustment), and I am keeping it. I have ordered a B+W 486 IR+UV filter for my lens. I trust that Leica will fix the problems. I don't like the statement from Leica Sean posted much, but let's see what the newsletter says.

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fotografr

fotografr

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I already have my M8 - picked it up late Monday afternoon.

 

Went out Tuesday morning for a photoexcursion and fell in love with the little jewel. But after reading all the IR stuff, I did my own test yesterday; I felt like I got kicked in the stomach. My little jewel was hiding some sordid secrets :( :(

 

So this morning I'm off to a therapy session with my dealer to see what can be done. Perhaps he can supply me with hot mirror filters at cost - or on loan - until a more substantial fix is released.

 

Believe me, I've lost sleep over this :rolleyes:

 

John--First, I recall seeing your early photos from the M8, and they were beautiful. As long as you are aware of the temporary limitations and work around them, I'm sure you can continue to enjoy your M8.

 

Don't lose sleep over this. I am 100% confident Leica will properly address the problems and you will end up with a camera you can confidently use in all situations. This WILL happen.

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petermcwerner

petermcwerner

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Peter--Were they by any chance PURPLISH???

Not again, Brent.I have had enough of that for the day. Already my navy color parka has turned purple under a simple 60W household bulb. Now I want to have a rest and enjoy the new toy....

 

Great detail in those images!!

Thank you. I received the M8 and this Cooke lens yesterday (off ebay) and I am amazed at the color fidelity, dinamic range and sharpness of the combo. Contrast and color rendition of this lens beat my 50mm Elmar and Summicron (not the latest models) by far. Wide open, it produces some vignetting, though, that must be adjusted in post-processing. For this picture, I made no corrections except slight sharpening for the 100% crop (but had the camera set to no sharpening)

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SteveYork

SteveYork

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Father Leica is going to look after us. Ohhhhhhh. Come on guys, if this was the Epson R-D1 with these problems you'll would be bashing from now to next year. And quite frankly, given the cost of the camera, given the expectations, given the past history (e.g., R8 and DMR), given the importance of the camera to the company's financial stability, it is unexcusable to release a camera with these problems. If it wasn't so pathetic, it would be humorous.

 

Now, I'm sure Leica will make good in fixing the problem. What choice do they have? But I wouldn't be putting my head in the sand merely out of brand loyalty. It sounds like you're really buying into a hassle right now until they get things sorted out.

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PeterJWhite

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Somehow I don't think that my waiting for Leica to get its act together before I spend $4800. is going to hurt them. And if I spend my $4800 and by some chance the camera never delivers what it's purported to be, well, that 4800 is going to hurt me a lot more than its loss will hurt Leica.

 

Let's remember, Ernst is dead. He died a long time ago. And the people who made my M4 are no longer with the company. The company has changed hands since I bought that camera and lenses and these new guys will have to earn my trust. They haven't earned it yet. And I'll get along fine with the 5D until they figure out how to make an M8 that works.

 

These guys have a checkered history during the past 20 years or so, showing more interest in making silly collector's items than serious cameras for photographers. This business of having your customers be your beta testers rubs me the wrong way. That would never have been done back when Leica cameras were standard issue for professional photographers.

 

Leica is no longer E. Leitz. I'm not sure what it is. But I suspect that we'll find out in the next few months. And then I'll decide whether or not to buy their nice looking new camera.

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fotografr

fotografr

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Not again, Brent.I have had enough of that for the day. Already my navy color parka has turned purple under a simple 60W household bulb. Now I want to have a rest and enjoy the new toy....

 

Sorry Peter. I forgot to add the smile with a wink. ;-}

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petermcwerner

petermcwerner

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Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

M8, Elmar 90mm/4 @ 4.0 - RAW + C1

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