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Still Loving the M8


wilfredo

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  • 1 year later...

... amongst giants ...

 

 

 

 

 

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Thorsten

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  • 1 month later...

I bought my M8.2 several weeks before the M9 came out.  One of my favorite camera shops, "Roberts Imaging", found me a demonstrator camera that I could afford.  Since then it's been a love and hate affair, as I struggled with the camera.  I expected to continue on where I left off a lifetime ago with my M2 and M3 cameras, but there was SO much to learn.  This forum was a big help.  I used it for a while, then went back to my Nikon world.  Then I tried again, and while I got a lot further, I never got proficient at using it.  Three weeks ago I decided to give it another try, using it exclusively, while studying the manual, and dozens of web sites.  At some point I found the mode where I could set it for f/11, turn on auto-iso, and set the shutter speed dial to A, and the camera started taking care of many of the details, leaving me to concentrate on the image.

 

Images varied from sharp to blurry, probably because the 35mm 'lux' was coming apart.  I sat with the lens in my hand for an hour or so, finally noticing three microscopic screws that were obviously loose.  With the tiniest screwdriver I own, I tightened them, and was back in business.  From my previous attempt at getting to use the camera, I had two new Voigtlander lenses, one 25mm and one 15mm.  This added to my 35, and an old 50mm Summicron.  I decided yesterday to take only the 35mm, and see if I was still good at street photography.  I had a great time, and the camera was so easy to use!

 

This morning, on a spur of the moment, I decided to take an infrared photo.  The meter popped up with the right exposure, and lining up "infinity" at the f/4 mark on the lens, focus was good.  Here's the result:

 

L1030206-2.jpg

 

 

I have very old Nikons, and newer Nikons.  Three years ago I quit playing the game of having the newest.  I'm sure they're all capable of wonderful photography, but they're just not.....   fun!  The M8.2 is a challenge, while being thoroughly enjoyable to use.  It's quiet (at least to me), handles well, and gets spectacular images.  The smaller sensor doesn't bother me in the slightest - my other cameras, Fuji X100s, and Canon G7x Mk II have small sensors,, and I think the M8 sensor is larger than either.  There's nothing magic about 24x36 - other sensors are smaller - and larger!

 

It's hard to explain, but I just plain enjoy using the M8, and when the images show up in Lightroom they are wonderful!  

 

I see I'm not the only one who has noticed this.

 

I need to do a lot of reading here - I remember someone 'Jaap'? who was an expert at it.  I learned a lot from him, and need to find all that information again so I can re-learn!

 

I also need to buy a Thumbs-Up!  Holding the camera with one hand doesn't feel anything as nice as holding my Fuji using its equivalent of a Thumbs-Up.

Edited by MikeMyers
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I also still enjoy the M8! 

 

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  • 1 month later...

This is a ............ Leica M8. My M8 and It is unique, this model is made just once!

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Edited by analog-digital
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  • 2 weeks later...

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I had the sensor of my M8 remapped by Leica. It was worth it.

 

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Edited by Raid Amin
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  • 1 year later...

Lovely photos.

I'm not convinced that a new M10 would do anything more for me - unless I was creating huge posters for advertising.  For my usual photos, I might end up with less than I have now, as I'm note convinced images from an M10 would "look" as pleasing as those from the M8 and M8.2.  

The M8.2 was never sold as a "sports" camera, but I was still able to capture this photo early this morning.  I was watching the Egret for going on an hour or so, had the camera aimed, and was just waiting for it to "do something".  My finger accidentally took a few photos before I got the real one, as I was so tense.  Again, this is maybe half the frame.  I need to crop to get what I was after.

 

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5 hours ago, lct said:

Great shot :). May i ask if you used an IR-cut filter? Just curious.

Nope, I don't have any IR-cut filters.  By the time I tried to get some of them, it was too late.  They may have sent me one that didn't fit any of my lenses, but this is so long ago, I'm not sure.

I stood there, as motionless as the bird, for ages, ever so often having my finger "twitch" and take a photo.  Then this happened.  I had put the camera in "continuous" mode, but by the time it took the second photo, the bird was out of focus.  Focus was directly on the bird's eye - I figured if I got that right, everything would be fine.  For my walking around photos, I had the camera on zone focus.

 

I may try to edit the photo with Nik Collection later today or tomorrow, to make the grass look greener.  This is probably more realistic, but the greenery almost seems too yellowish to me - maybe because of the IR ?   With Nik, I can make it look the way I want it to look, but I will take another look today to see what is "real".  

 

........oh, and if I can do this with my M8.2, not sure why I would want an M10.

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15 minutes ago, MikeMyers said:

but the greenery almost seems too yellowish to me - maybe because of the IR ?

Sure. You may wish to try an inexpensive UV/IR filter like Rocolax but in my experience, those filters are simply mandatory for color photography. I mean on M8 and M8.2 bodies of course (M8.2 user since 2011 speaking).

Edited by lct
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I'll check that out.  Right now, one of the first things I want to do, is catch up with where I left off long ago taking IR photos.  I'll check that out this week.  I was getting pretty good at it.

Not sure if the IR-cut filter is "mandatory" for me, for color photography - by the time I finish with Nik Collection, I don't think it will have made much of a difference.

I just installed "Adobe DNG Converter 12.1" last night.  I will use that to convert the Leica DNG into the new standard, including a preview image, then ingest into Photo Mechanic where I'll sort, and from there I will import my better images into Lightroom.  Also working with Darktable, but I'm still learning that.  In some ways, it is more powerful than Lightroom.  Oh, and I also am learning DxO PhotoLab 3, a very powerful image editor.

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To be truthful, I'm both taking "candid" photos with the M8.2, and also using it as if it was a view camera, setting everything up, waiting for just the right moment, and capturing what I had envisioned in my mind ahead of time.  One more photo from yesterday afternoon, one of many until I got the people doing something I liked....

 

I'm thoroughly enjoying re-learning the M8.2.  I should never have stopped.

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7 minutes ago, MikeMyers said:

[...] Not sure if the IR-cut filter is "mandatory" for me, for color photography - by the time I finish with Nik Collection, I don't think it will have made much of a difference.

I must have heard that a thousand times since 2006 ;). Just kidding but the problem is your own perception of colors may change if you don't use IR-cut filters on the M8. Do you a favor, try one and you'll see the difference.:cool:

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Where did you get yours?  Amazon?  

Do you happen to know what size to work with 35mm Summilux with lens hood?  

For testing, I will take a similar photo today, but no bird, and then do the same with my iPhone 11 Pro for comparison.

Edited by MikeMyers
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16 minutes ago, MikeMyers said:

Where did you get yours?  Amazon?  

Do you happen to know what size to work with 35mm Summilux with lens hood?  

eBay. Do you mean Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph? If so normal filters are Series VII but 49mm regular filters may work if you drop them upside down between the halves of the hood. Works fine with Leica filters but i did not try a Rocolax 49mm yet. 

Edit: If you mean the current Summilux 35/1.4 asph, you just need a regular 46mm UV/IR filter.

Edited by lct
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Yes, I mean the Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph.      ......I have a 49mm filter, but it is too big.

I also have an equally old Sumicron 50mm f/2 lens.  I have three filters that screw into this lens:

   two of them say E.Leitz NY SL   (nothing about size, and I don't know what "SL" means,

   ....the third filter is the same size, and is a very deep red color - I assumed this lens was for shooting infrared photos.

 

Bottom line, I don't know what size filter is supposed to fit either of these two lenses.  If I knew that, I could then search for the IR-block filter. 

I have several old books on Leica cameras; I'll also check there for an information they might provide.

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Why can't I do it as I do with the 50mm Summicron?  I have three filters.  All of them screw into the lens threads.  Then after depressing the two "handles", the lens hood fits over the filter, and grips the lens body where it's supposed to.  

Does anyone know what size the threads are, on the inside of the 35mm Summilux?  

....getting answers - thanks to Ken Rockwell, https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/50mm-summicron-comparison-table.htm for the 50mm f/2 Summicron the filter size is 39mm.

more from Ken Rockwell - https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/35mm-f14.htm   for the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux, Canada, with 12504 lens hood - takes Series 7 filter inside the hood.

 

My other project worked out fine - re-learning how to capture IR photos with the M8.2 again.  I expect it will get simpler, as I get more used to doing it.  I'll try to post one of the photos here.....

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Edited by MikeMyers
Added an IR image
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