Kent10D Posted December 18, 2007 Share #1 Posted December 18, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) New article at LL by James Russell. Leica M8 Revisited Worth a look. (Quote: "Shooting the Leica is like going out with Pamela Anderson." ) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 18, 2007 Posted December 18, 2007 Hi Kent10D, Take a look here M8 by James Russell. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
keithdunlop Posted December 18, 2007 Share #2 Posted December 18, 2007 New article at LL by James Russell. Leica M8 Revisited Worth a look. (Quote: "Shooting the Leica is like going out with Pamela Anderson." ) If I shoot with an M8 I risk getting a disease and I'll be divorced from it in two months?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon_hughes Posted December 18, 2007 Share #3 Posted December 18, 2007 Come on guys... read the rest of his sentence. It's colourful but it does make some sense if you read all of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kent10D Posted December 18, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted December 18, 2007 If I shoot with an M8 I risk getting a disease and I'll be divorced from it in two months?? Ha! Not quite. The full quote is actually kinda clever ... "Shooting the Leica is like going out with Pamela Anderson. The camera keeps saying you can make me clean, cook, raise the kids, but I won't be very good at it, though if you let me do what I'm good at you'll be very happy." Apparently the author is very happy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_tanaka Posted December 18, 2007 Share #5 Posted December 18, 2007 This is a wonderful little M8 essay, perhaps the best I've seen. James Russell captured the essence of the feeling of being inexplicably captivated my this relatively primitive, nostalgic, limited little camera. His words reflect my own feelings precisely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted December 18, 2007 Share #6 Posted December 18, 2007 Ditto. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted December 18, 2007 Share #7 Posted December 18, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Kent-- Thanks for posting. I agree with Ken. It's awfully hard to explain what is special about the Leica, and I think Russell comes about as close as you can in words. It's a quirky review of a quirky camera, and (except for the comments on focus) I think the two fit very well. --HC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdrmd Posted December 18, 2007 Share #8 Posted December 18, 2007 A good article, and he is right about the difficulty of focusing. Imagine an M8 where every Noctilux shot was in focus, exactly as focused. Wow. DR Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsh Posted December 19, 2007 Share #9 Posted December 19, 2007 Mr. Russell could not have expressed my feeling and better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
usayit Posted December 19, 2007 Share #10 Posted December 19, 2007 Thanks for the llink. Everyone is right.. No glorified statements of how the Leica is the best camera in the world... just an honest review of a unique (quirky) camera that can be a joy to use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ravnishgandhi.com Posted December 19, 2007 Share #11 Posted December 19, 2007 i agree the first time i bought it i was disgusted at the flaws ...took it back to my dealer and returned it ...came home ..following week went and begged for another one.... this camera does something ...forces me to think more and be more creative... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted December 19, 2007 Share #12 Posted December 19, 2007 I agree, an interesting perspective. The danger for Leica is that they bow to the clamouring for new functionality and destroy the essence of the camera by making it more complex. If anything, I'd like to see a way of stripping out the JPEG stuff to make it DNG only to simplify it. After sampling the boggling complexity of the Nikon D3 for a few days, coming back to the M8 makes a real change. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeungkeefu Posted December 19, 2007 Share #13 Posted December 19, 2007 Thanks for sharing and worth to read! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hookeye Posted December 19, 2007 Share #14 Posted December 19, 2007 I don't understand why Mr Russell complains about the focusing. I feel focusing the M's is straightforward, provided (of course) that the subject is absolutely still, has some clearly defined vertical edge or object to focus on, there is ample light, the viefinder window has no condensation, you've remembered your contact lenses.. and, well errhmm.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
@bumac Posted December 19, 2007 Share #15 Posted December 19, 2007 A really great text from someone who is falled in love with this expensive little camera. Like I did. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brill64 Posted December 19, 2007 Share #16 Posted December 19, 2007 Thanks for the llink. Everyone is right.. No glorified statements of how the Leica is the best camera in the world... just an honest review of a unique (quirky) camera that can be a joy to use. ...yes, indeed low-key and the M8 is somehow "quirky", as you say but it makes it such an addictive, creative and interesting camera to use both candidly and professionally. However I'm also inclined to think that the "quirky" label passes a little of itself onto those of us that use them in some ways. I'd say I'm pretty "quirky" but will stop at that... I feel so comfortable with an M8 to grab out of my kit bag. I used to have a small, empty corner in there as back-up but now the Dslr stays in the dry-box at home a lot of the time. He's right and genuinely amused about the lenses being "jewel-like" and how obsessive we become around them, LOL. Who can disagree on that one? Nice essay! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photoskeptic Posted December 19, 2007 Share #17 Posted December 19, 2007 I queried Mr. Russell in an email if his focusing problems could not be improved by the addition of the 1.25 viewfinder magnifier. Since he didn't mention this in his article I must assume he isn't using one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted December 19, 2007 Share #18 Posted December 19, 2007 He makes reference to buying a Voigtlander 50mm f1.2 and a 35mm f1.4. Where can I buy these lenses? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted December 19, 2007 Share #19 Posted December 19, 2007 He makes reference to buying a Voigtlander 50mm f1.2 and a 35mm f1.4. Where can I buy these lenses? Does it matter that Russell may have got a few nerdy details wrong? I think the writer summarised much of the appeal of the M (digital or film) rather well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
benkelley Posted December 19, 2007 Share #20 Posted December 19, 2007 Re: the focusing... He says he's never used a rangefinder before... The focusing usually takes a bit of getting used to, no? It did for me when I first got an M, and now again on the M8 it's taken some more getting used to. Someone mentioned somewhere that film has thickness and is thus more forgiving of focus... This could be hooey but it jibes with my experience. Even with the 1.25 mag, consistently good focusing has come slowly. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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