devils-advocate Posted March 10, 2007 Share #1 Posted March 10, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) The discussion here on equipment performance on a recent workshop in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands spurred me to put a few thoughs to paper on the ups and downs of using the M8 in this environment. Michael has posted it on the Luminous-Landscape, along a piece on his use of the M8 in Buenos Aires. This is the link, for any who might be interested. The Leica M8 in Antarctica Cheers, - N. ps. I shouldn't have to say this, but I have no commercial interest in LL or the article, the only payment for which was the pleasure of writing it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 10, 2007 Posted March 10, 2007 Hi devils-advocate, Take a look here M8 in Antarctica. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
footnoteblog Posted March 10, 2007 Share #2 Posted March 10, 2007 Great read. Nice to know your thoughts in that environment. I truly wonder though, if this single failure, albeit yours, was simply an anomaly. As posted in every other board, complaints are usually far more heard than praises. Doubtful, but I'm hopeful for this really great camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted March 10, 2007 Share #3 Posted March 10, 2007 Having read MR's review at Leica M8 at The Cemetario de la Recoleta, A) I couldn't agree more - the M8 (as with any rangefinder) doesn't do everything, but it does some things superlatively well and camera bodies and lenses are tools. Choose the right one for the job and things go well. Use a hammer when you should be using a screw-driver and you've only got yourself to blame if things go wrong. Me, I'm keeping my Canon system for when I need it, and am so grateful and pleased that the M8's there for all the other kinds of job. Just my two penn'orth (being a brit...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavio Posted March 10, 2007 Share #4 Posted March 10, 2007 Hi Nick, thanks for your article, very interesting. Though I agree that no instruments may be the right one for everything, I do not agree that "its (M8) true habitat is on the streets of human habitation". With my M4 (with 50 Summicron and 21 Super Angulon) I use to shot in a number of fields (but Antarctica) finding many kind of conditions and I think that M camera can help a lot. When you need a real macro or a telephoto you have to use a (D)SLR camera, in other kind of photo you may use an M with real pleasure. At least in my experience. I understand you also stop at Falkland, being one of my dream, I hope you will publish more about that land and animals. Thanks! Ciao. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
billh Posted March 10, 2007 Share #5 Posted March 10, 2007 .... With my M4 (with 50 Summicron and 21 Super Angulon) I use to shot in a number of fields (but Antarctica)....... That is probably the sweetest, most reliable little camera ever made. If you pick one now, the size is amazing, and the sound of the shutter at 1 second is mechanical beauty shared via sound. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scott kirkpatrick Posted March 10, 2007 Share #6 Posted March 10, 2007 The discussion here on equipment performance on a recent workshop in Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic Islands spurred me to put a few thoughs to paper on the ups and downs of using the M8 in this environment. Nick, your missed shots sound like a problem that 1.092 firmware is believed to have fixed. There were numerous reports of M8's refusing to continue with a battery only partially discharged, and failing ungracefully to boot. This was managed in 1.09 by fully discharging and then recharging that battery. Since Leica has never admitted this was a firmware hole they haven't claimed credit for plugging it, but I think the freeze-up complaints have dramatically diminished with 1.092 and I am certain that they were working on these issues. So maybe you will trust your M8 on shore duty in the future. scott edit: I think your comment that the rangefinder frame puts a foreground object of interest into its environment, while the SLR ground glass extracts graphic form, is really on target. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
devils-advocate Posted March 10, 2007 Author Share #7 Posted March 10, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) The pics in the piece have been replaced with proper jpegs, and now better show the colour and clarity the M8 produced. Due to a neophyte web-publishing error on my part, I ended up sending them as gifs, which really reduced the quality, and I think was quite unfair to the camera. Hopefully the new firmware will prevent future skitishness on the electronic-front. I'll be watching eagerly to see what others experience. Flavio: I really enjoyed the brief stop we made in the Falklands. Everyone's mind was on icebergs and antarctica, so we didn't get a real chance to experience the place. It's less geographically distinct than S. Georgia or the Antarctic peninsula, but I got a sense that's its a very special place in its own right, and one that's I'd like to give some time to explore in the future. I have a few other pics from there that I like that I'll post when I get my act together on a web-gallery. I also didn't mean to sound 'down' on the camera - I, too, think it's a pretty remarkable tool. But the two sets of failure on the trip (the DOA body and my 'hicups') were seriously annoying. It will be great when the digital Ms achieve the legendary 'solidness' and reliability that their analogue brethren came to symbolize. - N. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavio Posted March 10, 2007 Share #8 Posted March 10, 2007 Nick, I dream to fly to Falklands since 1988, when my wife and myself did start a plan to have there our honeymoon (!). Very unfortunately at that time we had to fly from Firenze to London - military Brize Norton airport, took a C130 and (after 2 refuel - 1 on flight) finally arrive to Port Stanley. The cost around 500 € per day/person, was so high that we had to give up. Since then Falklands islands did pretty stay in our heart and we still cannot forget Thanks so much to share your view there with us :-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
robk47 Posted March 13, 2007 Share #9 Posted March 13, 2007 I have just returned from Antarctica and used both an M8 and a Canon Mark II...the M8 was used primarily for landscapes and wide angle shots of animals, etc...it performed perfectly and while the cold reduced battery life a bit, otherwise it was fine...it stood up in the snow and sleet storms we encountered and while I did baby it under those conditions, I cannot say that it caused any failures. Only once did I have to turn it off and turn it on again. I shot all jpegs with the M8 and raw with the Canons...the jpegs were fine and using the daylight settings and firmware 1.09, everything worked well...I also dragged it around Buenos Aires for three days before departing for Antarctica and am using it now before returning to the US on March 14...I shot with a 28 2.8 and a 50 1.4, using mostly the 28. Would I make it my prime on a trip like that? Probably not, but it was not a back-up, but rather a supplement to my DSLR....I have posted images at The Wonders of the Antarctic and more Photo Gallery by Rob Klein at pbase.com All of the landscapes were shot with the M8...no regrets at all.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lode Posted March 13, 2007 Share #10 Posted March 13, 2007 Waw! I A joy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
telewatt Posted March 13, 2007 Share #11 Posted March 13, 2007 Hello Robert, very nice pictures!...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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