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New firmware for M8 is online


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It was disappointed me because i expect more than only adding a new lens and ... improving something which no one knows what it is. :(

 

I agree, it's mean. I hardly think someone who can afford an M9 is going to deprive Leica of a sale and opt for the M8 just because Leica might bring the M8 software up to M9 standards.

 

It's worse than mean, because the Leica for life message the company uses to market its products, raises expectations somewhat.

 

Could be worse, though. Leica hasn't abandoned the product and it still has some advantages over the M9 in speed of operation, thinner filter over the sensor offering just-as-good-if-not-sharper images, better B+W due the higher IR sensitivity - and no loss of resolution.

 

Not bad for the "old model".

 

Mark

 

M7, M8, M9, X1

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I agree, it's mean. I hardly think someone who can afford an M9 is going to deprive Leica of a sale and opt for the M8 just because Leica might bring the M8 software up to M9 standards.

 

It's worse than mean, because the Leica for life message the company uses to market its products, raises expectations somewhat.

 

Could be worse, though. Leica hasn't abandoned the product and it still has some advantages over the M9 in speed of operation, thinner filter over the sensor offering just-as-good-if-not-sharper images, better B+W due the higher IR sensitivity - and no loss of resolution.

 

Not bad for the "old model".

 

Mark

 

M7, M8, M9, X1

 

Yes I agree, spcially after I have seen new model of M9. THE M9-P.... I do`nt mind them at all! I f I have money I will buy M9-P even M8 has same firmware as M9. Red dot is gone and Leica writing on top.... they are just beautiful!

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It was disappointed me because i expect more than only adding a new lens and ... improving something which no one knows what it is. :(

 

+1

May be "Optimization of internal processes" is very difficult job for 1 engineer who left for M8 project.

I am willing to pay if new firmware include lens selection manually.

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Mark, I disagree that Leica Camera has been 'mean' to M8 owners. Nothing to do with messages or marketing or not depriving themselves of a sale or raised expectations. There hasn't been any new production since prior the M9 release anyway (19 months or so).

 

In fact they suggest that a used M8 is the lower cost entry path to digital M's for people that are unwilling/unable to pay the higher M9 cost. In other words they are saying buy a used one if you want (which does not directly profit them and does deprive them of an M9 sale if so)

 

Exactly as Stefan Daniel promised back in 2009 they have continued M8 updates but there will be no new large changes or redevelopment. Every new lens is supported and now operation should be faster too (as a spin off from what they have learnt with the M9) Give it a good try out and post your impressions?

 

Stefan Daniel was quite candid at the M9 launch that it would be too expensive to add some new M9 features (like manual lens selection) to the M8 firmware after it was finished development. With the M9 they have been able to include new features when developing from scratch. At a guess the M8 may not have enough processing power anyway. I am no sofware engineer. The M9 does have two of the single processor that the M8 has.

The M8 is still a Leica for life if you like. I still does everything it did on release only it has been incrementally improved since the start, reducing problems, refining some features and adding some of the M8.2 new features and now the processing is faster on the same hardware too.

 

I agree, it's mean. I hardly think someone who can afford an M9 is going to deprive Leica of a sale and opt for the M8 just because Leica might bring the M8 software up to M9 standards.

 

It's worse than mean, because the Leica for life message the company uses to market its products, raises expectations somewhat.

 

Could be worse, though. Leica hasn't abandoned the product and it still has some advantages over the M9 in speed of operation, thinner filter over the sensor offering just-as-good-if-not-sharper images, better B+W due the higher IR sensitivity - and no loss of resolution.

 

Not bad for the "old model".

 

Mark

 

M7, M8, M9, X1

Edited by jaapv
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In your experiences, can the upgrade (on M8.2) be done from 2.002 directly to 2.014 (skipping 2.004 and 2.005 firmware versions) or is it better to upgrade through all past versions?

 

Thanks in advance. Bye

 

Andrea

Yes, but you can't go back, reinstall to previous FW versions if you have the 1/4000 shutter as you have...

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The M8 was announced in September 2006. Four years and nine months later we still get updates. That is bloody good, no matter how minute the changes are.

 

Perspective: The newest firmware I could find for the 5D (mk I) is v1.1.1 from January 2008, two years and five months after the camera's introduction.

 

The M8 is full of enginering compromises, some are smart some are not so smart and the lack of memory is a bit sad (almost as bad as Panasonic's choice of a raw buffer size in the Digilux 2/ LC1). It, non the less, probably seemed suficcient at the time and it is likely that they squeezed in as many memory chips as they could of a decent size that could be procured at the lowest possible cost.

 

It is time to come to terms with the fact that we will not get a manual lens selection feature for our M8s and move on. If you so desperatly want, need, desire one, get an M9.

 

Carl

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