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Leica M8 Black or Silver


pkloo

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Hi all,

 

I'm Marvin here, I had decided to purchase M8.

 

But still don't know which color to get...

 

Is Black or Silver?

 

I got an offer for a new Leica M8 around USD2900.

 

I got through the history of the M8, it main issue was when in the condition of extremely high sensitivity to infrared light, which made black colors appear purple.

 

Have this issue solve....Just need to used IR/Cut filter.

Meaning each time i use a lens. I need to apply the filter on the lens to overcome this issue? or the filter will fix on the body?

 

Beside that, I'm a poor men leica user....later.

Own Voigtlander M-mount lens, still not afford to buy the Leica lens....

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Which one do you like better?

 

I have one in black but if I were to buy another one, I would get one in silver because I have a lot more choices of colors for recovering the camera later.

 

Good luck.

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seriously no offense intended here, "I love the silver. To me that's a tad more classy than the black" is a common and very valid statement. for those loving black it's usually "a lot less conspicuous and/or more street cred" and owners even end up down-grading, pimping and covering up the markings with gaffer tape to be more invisible. but here's the thing, at the end of the day, whichever colour model leica you finally choose, you will end up loving it dearly and obsessively for it's technical and mechanical sheer brilliance and prowess as a digital rangefinder and that's even before you've added a few leica lenses. to be honest, i shouldn't fret. black and/or silver lenses go perfectly well with both, as do black A&A's, black or brown luigi half-cases or black, tan or green billinghams or charcoal, mocha or sand fogg's or stainless steel or ladybird softies, not to mention the v.1 or v.2 thumbs-up with or without flash shoe. it's all an aesthetic choice you'll read about again and again on this fabulous forum but really at the end of the day it's what you can finally do with and get from your m8 itself which really sets you aside as a photographer or individual and makes your mark. enjoy:D

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...and yes you will need the expensive uv/ir filter for each lens but you can (OMG!!) take it off now and then, especially if your light source is within the frame, to avoid internal reflections. buy a b+w 0.92 or 0.93 filter and you can enhance it's infra red sensitive sensor (i love my m8 for this) in bright sunlight for great infra red images..

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To me, the chrome has a classic "old time" look about it--more tourist, less professional. It wears well--just wipes down nicely and looks like new. (My camera hasn't started to "brass" yet through the top plate.) Others may disagree but if my camera were black I don't think it would give the impression that it's an older machine to people who don't know--this is an asset. When it catches attention it's dismissed as being "old."

 

Thanks,

Will

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I bought my M8 second hand, and it is black. If money was not an issue and I were buying new, I think I'd probably choose the chrome. I also agree with the viewpoint that it is a bit more "classy" looking. But don't get me wrong, I am not one bit "let down" by the looks of the black finish, as I think all Leica M's beats anything out there in terms of looks. :D

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I love the silver. To me that's a tad more classy than the black.

 

Yes, you need an UV filter on each lense. They mount outside the lense.

 

Good luck!

 

C

I think Clandrel meant to write "IR filter" instead of "UV filter".

 

Pete.

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Something to think about if you use the camera a lot:

 

Silver chrome stays silver chrome.

 

Black chrome ends up transitioning to a more greyish finish over time and the edges will gradually adopt a slightly lighter grey with use in my experience (mine did). I never reached the stage of breaking through to brass but I assume that happens eventually.

 

My M8.2 was chrome. The M8 was black chrome. I didn't have a black paint M8.2 so can't comment on that finish by comparison. My M9 is black paint and it seems to be pretty robust although it's only a few months old and yet to be truly field tested yet. It wasn't my first choice of finish but I have to admit that it has grown on me.

 

The other comments about stealth vs traditional certainly apply in relation to people's biases about the colours. Personally I just thought that it looks great in classic silver chrome :D

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Something to think about if you use the camera a lot:

 

Silver chrome stays silver chrome.

 

 

All the rest is subjective...this snip above ^^^ is an objective fact. However, you're shelling out a lot of cash - buy what makes you happy. If durable is better for you, buy silver chrome.

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I like silver when it comes to classic looking cameras.

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Both take great images which is all that matters.

______________________________

Cheers, Tom

 

Nonsense!! Silver ones produce images with more of a 'classic' Leica glow wide open and the black ones produce a more clinical, stealthy image under all conditions. It's a well known phenomenon :D

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