andit Posted February 12, 2007 Share #1 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi all, Â As a future owner of an M8, ordered begin January with expected delivery end of March, I am actually starting to get real worried about my decision. Sadly for Leica, all I read about here in the forum is problems. Does anyone have an M8 out there who is not experiencing trouble, and by this I don't mean the magenta colour rendition of synthetic black fabrics or ghosting/banding? These I can live with... Â I am really looking forward to the M8 and many of the images that have been posted on this forum are superb, particularly the B&W work. Look forward to hearing your comments. Â Andreas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveEP Posted February 12, 2007 Share #2 Â Posted February 12, 2007 If I lost my M8 now for any reason (e.g. it was stolen) I would buy another one as soon as I could. I have zero regrets about this little baby. Yes, there are a couple of issues here and there, but the very nature of forums is that people will vent about such issues very loudly, usually hoping some one will give them some attention, and maybe the problem will get fixed. Â There would not be so many happy owners if the M8 were not a very good tool - even taking the small problems in to consideration. Â So, do not be worried...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted February 12, 2007 Share #3 Â Posted February 12, 2007 I've had my M8 for about 4 weeks come this Thursday. In that time I have taken 660+ shots with it. I have had NO problems what so ever (Knocking on wood). No hangs, No problem cleaning the sensor (IE NO hangs when selecting clean sensor and hitting the shutter release), No shutter cocking motor running on, No shutter lag, Never had to take the battery out to shut it down, Nothing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnelson Posted February 12, 2007 Share #4 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Andreas, Â I have one with no problems. I actually don't even have filters for all my lenses. Â When I look at the size of the M8 and a few assorted lenses versus the R9/DMR or Nikon D2Xs I am actually thinking of buying another body so as not to have to take all that extra stuff. Especially as the airlines are getting extremly fussy about carry on. Â This is a public, highly visible forum and any problems are immediately put out to the public vor viewing. In the past many of these would have gone almost unnoticed. Here every blip is front and center. Â If you can live with the filter solution, and I can, then there is no better time than now. Â Bill Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_h Posted February 12, 2007 Share #5  Posted February 12, 2007 Hi Andreas,  I've had no problems and I'm very pleased with it.  Thought you might like check out this thread that Sean Reid started re freezing failures. I know it doesn't cover all the issues but 160 replies should give you some idea of where you stand.   http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/14451-poll-m8-freezing-failures.html  regards Jim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eoin Posted February 12, 2007 Share #6 Â Posted February 12, 2007 All right, I'll put my neck on the block, Â I bought a M8 in November, I've had 1 lockup with the camera, I figured it was a SD card issue, other than that any small problems I've had have been of my own making and have nothing to do with the functionality of the camera. Â I have found Leica to be most helpful in every respect of my communication with them. I had initial reservations regarding the IR issues and fixes but have since sourced UV/IR Cut filters and in 99% of the shooting situations they do the task requested. Â I more I use my M8 the more I have grown to understand the quirks and features of a rangefinder system, I am constantly surprised by the dynamic range of the Raw images the M8 produces compared to my previous high end Canon dSLRs and have come to the conclusion that the resulting image quality form the M8 sensor and Leica lenses is quite simply in a world of it's own and is well worth the trouble or lack of trouble I have had to date (touch wood). Â Quite simply the rangefinder / leica system has brought back home to me the joy of photography which seemed to disappear in the confusion of my other systems. My M8 works as advertised ..... well later advertised Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mwilliamsphotography Posted February 12, 2007 Share #7 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Had mine since early December. Shot 2 weddings and personal work, plus two trips to NYC where I did production stills of a TV shoot and edit ... and walk around in freezing cold for hours. Â No problems yet. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xrogers Posted February 12, 2007 Share #8 Â Posted February 12, 2007 I have an early M8, currently in Solms for the update. The camera worked flawlessly for about 3000 shots before I sent it in. I hope it is just as reliable after it comes back. I would buy the camera again without the upgrade. Â Clyde Rogers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skimmel Posted February 12, 2007 Share #9  Posted February 12, 2007 Hi all, As a future owner of an M8, ordered begin January with expected delivery end of March, I am actually starting to get real worried about my decision. Sadly for Leica, all I read about here in the forum is problems. Does anyone have an M8 out there who is not experiencing trouble, and by this I don't mean the magenta colour rendition of synthetic black fabrics or ghosting/banding? These I can live with...  I am really looking forward to the M8 and many of the images that have been posted on this forum are superb, particularly the B&W work. Look forward to hearing your comments.  Andreas  I am in a similar position and feel the same. I have told my dealer that I'm in no rush to get one. My hope is that the bugs I believe you're referring to (the total camera failures, weird shutter cocking behavior, etc) are fixed by the time I get mine.  I also wonder if, what appears to me to be a recent increase in problems, is related to a bad batch of cameras vs. just increased reporting of problems vs. some firmware problem with the recent 1.09. I will be curious to see Sean's poll results which may help to tease this out a bit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wparsonsgisnet Posted February 12, 2007 Share #10 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Andreas, my major worrry with my new M8 is that I'll miss a chance to get a picture! Â I've had mine since Dec. 13 and, admittedly, have had a couple of hicoughs, but no problems. What it really does it take the most marvelous images I have ever captured. Â I am so delighted to be using my M lenses again in digital photog that I'm sorry I didn't think to save twice as much money for the past 2 years. Â I worry more about my computer and disks than I do about the M8, and I've got so much computer backup that I could bottle it and sell it. Â You're going to love this camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colorflow Posted February 12, 2007 Share #11 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Had mine since mid-Nov one of the earlier ones. Have not sent it in for update yet, because I can't bear to part with it. No problems. Â Alan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest magyarman Posted February 12, 2007 Share #12 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Is 2 possible: one possible is M8 go after time bat. This I thing is not most one possible. Other more possible is firmware 1,09 what makes to take away one prablem (grin blob and striking from lights) put after few more prablems. If is ever to come 1,10 will be take away all this mabe dozan prablems, only hope will not put after two dozans of more:eek: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry Posted February 12, 2007 Share #13 Â Posted February 12, 2007 I've had mine for six weeks and it's been perfect. If I had a little more loose change, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one. Â This forum, and others like it, tend to magnify problems. For example -- albeit an extreme one, how many people do you know who've had the bird flu? If you were to judge the extent of this disease based on the amount of ink it's received, you'd think the entire planet was in the midst of a pandemic. Â Problems with the M8 are clearly more prevalent, but there are considerably more users who haven't experience problems than those who have. Sean Reid's informal poll should make that sufficiently clear. Although the percentage of defective cameras is still too high, Leica is working hard to rectify the problems. Â Larry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wstotler Posted February 12, 2007 Share #14 Â Posted February 12, 2007 I've pumped 1,800 shots through the camera in the last 9 days and apart from a scare about the camera "freezing"--which was only a dead battery that I hadn't been expecting because of the "battery level indicator unsynced with battery level" issue--I've had no issues. Â Have cleaned grease from the sensor. Â Have purchased a spare battery and gone through the charge/drain/charge/drain/charge/drain exercise to avoid another lockup scare. Â Have dealt with the SDHC non-compatible 4G memory card issue. Â Dealt directly with a Leica representative in NJ for a week because I couldn't register my M8 online (somebody else had entered my serial number and it was blocking my entry of the number). I got apologetic VMs every day until the problem was fixed. Never had that level of service before--they call you and you don't have to call them? Â Am waiting for my IR filters. Â Am waiting for Aperture to natively support the DNGs out of the camera. Â But. . . . I'm very happy about the performance and am willing to deal with the teething issues, so far, including color issues and IR sensitivty. Â I will only feel a little better when 1.10 is out AND that patch solves some additional issues (hopefully without creating new ones). Â My take is that if the camera dies hard the worst that happens is that I lose it for 6 weeks while it goes to Solms. I really believe that the M8 is *not* a lemon. I do believe it's a complicated piece of equipment--the software issues will get resolved soon. I refuse to believe that Leica will leave thousands of $5K purchasers out in the cold with no good, solid software fix. This would be almost certainly fatal. Â So, get your camera and be prepared to deal with it like it's a British sportscar from the 60s. Needs some love and special care, but can be driven in a way other cars can't. Â I'm not a professional photographer so I can't speak to that. But I can say that the B&W shots I've been able to get (when ostensibly only knowing a fraction of what I probably should) have been, frankly, incredible. Color? I'll need a workflow with Aperture and DNG before I can comment, but others seem really pleased. Â I can say that without this forum I'd have been up a creek without a paddle, so to speak, understanding what issues can arise and what's to be concerned about or not. And many people here have been very supportive. So, there's that factor to consider, also. Â Thanks, Will Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry Posted February 12, 2007 Share #15 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Is 2 possible: one possible is M8 go after time bat. This I thing is not most one possible. Other more possible is firmware 1,09 what makes to take away one prablem (grin blob and striking from lights) put after few more prablems. If is ever to come 1,10 will be take away all this mabe dozan prablems, only hope will not put after two dozans of more:eek: Â Â Blasko, Â Do you own any Leica equipment? Â Larry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andit Posted February 12, 2007 Author Share #16 Â Posted February 12, 2007 Hi guys, just me again, Â Thank you so much for restoring some of my faith again. It's just great to read that a lot of people are really happy with their M8's and are enjoying them to the full. Can't wait for end of March... Â Andreas Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted February 12, 2007 Share #17 Â Posted February 12, 2007 I was going to say i would buy a second one but realized i already have a 2nd one. LOL Â Seriously though yes there have been a few issues here and there and some scary ones ( this comes from a guy that one had total failure) but i won't give these back for anyone. I know Leica is working on many of the fixes so when the firmware hits the streets many of these threads will just not even be posted. Have a little faith this company has been producing outstanding gear for decades and today is not the day they will pack there bags and go away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdewitt Posted February 12, 2007 Share #18 Â Posted February 12, 2007 I'm one of the many who are very happy with the M8. I've had mine for two months and love it. It has renewed my interest in photography. Â But you don't hear from me on this forum. I am not having any problems, so I don't feel the need to post and say "another day with no problems." THAT is why you only hear the negatives. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
heninger Posted February 12, 2007 Share #19  Posted February 12, 2007 Hi all, As a future owner of an M8, ordered begin January with expected delivery end of March, I am actually starting to get real worried about my decision. Sadly for Leica, all I read about here in the forum is problems. Does anyone have an M8 out there who is not experiencing trouble, and by this I don't mean the magenta colour rendition of synthetic black fabrics or ghosting/banding? These I can live with...  I am really looking forward to the M8 and many of the images that have been posted on this forum are superb, particularly the B&W work. Look forward to hearing your comments.  Andreas   Had mine for 3 weeks. 2500 pictures. Love it. Leica is standing behind it and the warts will get fixed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
arminw Posted February 12, 2007 Share #20 Â Posted February 12, 2007 I got my M8 at the end of Jan, and I immediately took it on a trip to Cuba, from which I've just returned . The camera had no problems whatsoever and I shot hundreds of pictures with various light situations ... Once I've sorted them I'll put some up. I can confidently say it's such a joy to use and so much better to carry around then a big SLR. Go for it ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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