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Still Loving the M8


wilfredo

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I know it's silly to take pictures of your photo gear, but who really cares? The soft light coming through the window begged for a picture. People continue to be astounded by the fact that I'm still using an old film camera. he he he...

 

On another note, I'm glad there is a steady trend toward used M8 purchases. This camera has as much to offer today as it did when it was first introduced. If you are a fan of the M8, tell us why? If you feel like being silly, post a picture.

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Edited by wilfredo
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When i first tried it in 2006 or 2007 i did not like the M8 at all. To me it was less a Leica than my Epson R-D1. I found it slippery like a soap bar, the motor noise was louder than some entry dSLRs and the IR-cut filters were mandatory whereas i needed them rarely with the Epson. Since then, i acquired an R-D1s to stick a Summilux 50/1.4 asph on it and a Summicron 28/2 on the R-D1. But i still could not use longer lenses than 50 w/o accessory finder and the microlenses of the Epsons are far from perfect with wides, especially my favorite CV 21/4 P. I then decided to acquire a s/h M8.2 a couple of months ago. Great results with the 21 as soon as i found an easy way to code it, and what a pleasure to use my 75 and 90mm lenses w/o accessory finder. Great IQ in color at base iso, not bad at all up to 640, could be worst at 1250 since the last firmware update or associated placebo effect. Ergonomics are improved thanks to Tim Isaac's Thumbs up and the motor noise of the M8.2 is bearable for lack of a better one. All in all it is now my favorite crop cam for color.

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Hi!

I felt like contributing here...Why I love the M8? Well, I haven't used it for more than four months or so, but it is a very fun camera to use and the photos are mostly great after I learned more about RAW processing (still practicing..) I love the simplicity, the lack of "fancy" buttons and settings and complicated menues, just the bare neccessities. It's back to the old-fashioned photography - sort of - with aperture and shutter speed and manual focusing just like it was when I bought my first serious camera (Pentax ME with 50mm) back in 1977. Today's (Japanese and Korean) cameras are more "computers" (and it only get "worse", I feel...) and though I like my Olympus "Pen" E-PL2 a lot (for various situations) it is easy to forget about photography and get concerned by all the high-tech. The M8 can take super photos, though it is a several years old camera model. A Canon and Sony or Samsung bought last year is almost outdated (actually it isn't, but..) today, and I wonder where all these cameras end their lives...in a drawer or an a shelf collecting dust...or sold for a fraction of the original price on ebay etc.(if anybody wants to buy them). I feel like I will continue to use my M8 for many years. I think I will repair it if/when neccessary, it's such a lovely camera. I've had no "issues" with my (second-hand) M8, it is functioning perfectly.

 

The photo of my gear (the Summarit-35 is my only lens so far) in my window-pane.. I hate bulky and big lens hoods, so I have this domed lens hood (thread 37mm originally intended for the M.Zuiko 17mm pancake and produced by Etsumi Japan). A modified (down-sanded) step-down ring 39-37 between the IR-filter and the hood. Have tested the combo on various apertures and distances for vignetting, and it was a success. I also have the SF 24D flashgun, the Thumbs-up, and a Korean quality leather half-case from ebay. And this white "twist" leather strap from China.

 

The two previous M8 "portraits" here are just beutiful. Sometimes I wish I had a chrome M8, as they are slightly more "sexy" I think......but my black M8 (first version) is not bad at all. :)

Geir

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I rented an M8 in the summer of 2009 :D so that I could see whether it was going to be a viable path for me. I loaded up the first set of files in Lightroom and was blown off my chair. I still feel the same way every time I "develop" M8 files - in part because they need almost nothing, ever. They are like brilliant jewels compared to what my D300s produce with Nikon pro lenses.

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...I have this domed lens hood (thread 37mm originally intended for the M.Zuiko 17mm pancake and produced by Etsumi Japan). A modified (down-sanded) step-down ring 39-37 between the IR-filter and the hood...

Interesting indeed. How does the lens cap work with the hood on?

I'm using a Leica rubber hood # 12518 (designed for the Summicron-C 40/2) and its hood cap # 14191 with the Summarit 35. No problem to screw the hood onto the 13410 IR-cut filter. FWIW.

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Can't say I'm a 'fan' of the M8 as of yet. It is a very new addition to my stable of DSLR equipment. Admittedly I've wanted one since the day it was announced, but it was far too expensive for me, and at that time simply too exotic. However the purchase was timely...in under 48 hours a number of family members and myself will be going on a 2.5 week vacation to USA, and it will be the biggest vacation I've had in over 4 years.

 

We'll be visiting the lovely cities of LA, Las Vegas and San Francisco, seeing also Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and Yosemite. Finally, a chance to put the M8 through its paces, especially in the big cities. With any luck, I'll get some photos worth keeping and have the honor of adding some of them to the vast amounts of superb imagery on this site.

 

Until then, I'm not really a 'Leica fan', even though I have used (and loved) a number of Leica R lenses on my Canon DSLR.

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... He gets along well, makes good pictures, is easy and fun, with excellent and expensive lenses! sometimes noisy and sometimes quiet. It makes me think (sometimes much). It makes me run (sometimes I fail)... has his stuff... I like the M8! :D

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OK, I like this thread -- so much so, that I dressed up my black M8 in its finest red kid leather.

I show it here with my favorite lens, a 21mm. This lens on the M9 would, of course, be wider, but it would also have red-edge. What's wrong with a 28mm f1.4 with perfect IQ? I'm not ready to trade an M8 for an M9 that will ruin all my wide-angle images with red-edge.

The red leather is courtesy of Morgan Sparks at CameraLeather.com. He provides beautiful skins with fast, efficient service. I have no financial investment in this firm and do not know Mr. Sparks as a friend; therefore, I claim objectivity when I say that some recent criticism of his slow service is unjustified. He had recently to deal with local floods as well as a flood of orders from Europe (because of the Euro's advantage over the dollar).

Thank for this opportunity to show off my M8 in its finery. Tom

PS These images were taken with my Leica DG 90mm macro on a Lumix GH2

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...

I show it here with my favorite lens, a 21mm. This lens on the M9 would, of course, be wider, but it would also have red-edge...

Latest M9 firmware has solved this problem which only affected a minority of users.

 

Certainly a different colour scheme!

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Hello, Jaap

(Sorry I haven't understood how to "quote" yet...)

The original Summarit cap doesn't fit on this "combo", so I use a spare Olympus Ø37 plastic cap (--> my photo) after I remove the "dome hood" but leave the tiny (slim) step-down-ring permanetly on the IR-filter. Often when I go out I don't have lens cap with me. The hood protects the lens even in a bag or under a jacket. So the M8 is always ready..

Geir

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My kit, still loving it so much!

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