Smart or crazy, cast your vote...

[egibaud]

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If I buy a second M8.... I must buy the same color and use one at a time.... fooling my wife into thinking I have only one M8 :-)

 

No... you are not crazy!

[Skippy Sanchez]

Having been shooting for newspapers for over 25 years, I've ALWAYS had backup gear. I ordered an M8 from Tony Rose last December and got an MP as a backup when I'm out of the country. Out of the goodness of his heart, he sent me a loaner M8 for a trip last month because my M8 had not yet arrived. Two weeks with the loaner convinced me to spring for a second M8 (both as back-up and to reduce lens changes while working).

 

I'll be headed to Honduras soon, during the rainy season, and am 50/50 about leaving one M8 home. On the one hand, if it goes south while I'm there, I'll still have a working body when I return; on the other hand, what the hell- let's just see how good these things are made. That's what warrenties are for.

[scott kirkpatrick]

It's addictive. I started out thinking I was set with Olympus gear and a Ricoh GR-D, and just following the M8 story for its technical interest. Two CV and two Leica lenses and an M8 later, with another lens to go once the 30% deals come through, and four older lenses, three of which appear to be more than usable, another body seems like no big deal, and a wise investment. Plus I'll invest time and energy in a recovering and a CLA for my rather flaky M2 before I'm done.

 

scott

[chris_tribble]

Smart. If you're being paid for work you have backup. I have the M8 but I've kept my M6ttl and M7. No way I get rid of them. If I have to give a client work immediately I have the M8 + Canon 5D and L series zooms covering from 16mm to 200mm. You NEVER know what's going to be demanded of you and if you're away from base it's essential to know that you've covered your ass.

 

Best

[charlesphoto99]

Funny thing is i'm actually looking to get an M8 as a sort of backup for my M7! I will still shoot film for those images that I feel may go down in history for some reason or other. But for everyday usage, stock, and certain editorial jobs (the kind that no longer pay film expenses) I'm hoping the M8 will be a godsend.

 

Yes, the M8 has got its burps. I also think we're hearing from the minority and that from all accounts it's a great working camera. This may sound new-agey, but I also think there are certain people out there who can almost "will" things to break. We've all known them (and it usually involves cars).

 

That said, every M body I've owned has been back to NJ at one time or another, and I won't be selling my D200 anytime soon, at least not until I can afford a second body.

 

I think the main issue with the M8 is the staff at New Jersey. The weakest link. Through the years I've had non-communication from them - "here's your camera back (after 8 weeks) and we're not even gonna tell you what we did but that'll be $350 please." Or three weeks after receiving it they'll be "this needs to go to Solms." Not a way to run a company. Leica should really rethink their operations there. If a camera needs to go to Solms that process should be speeded up to a matter of days. Maybe a Leica USA West is in order.

[jaapv]

If I buy a second M8.... I must buy the same color and use one at a time.... fooling my wife into thinking I have only one M8 :-)

 

 

So I'm not the only rat on this forum:p

[woodyspedden]

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I have also bought a second M8. I am not a pro but I spend a great deal of money on (primarily) photo based trips to Europe, Canyonlands USA etc and having had one trip where my 1DsMkII fell off the tripod and the main switch on the DMR/R9 (actually the switch is on the R9) and the trip was aborted mid stream I decided that I always needed a backup! I never want a situation where I lose my investment in a major trip due to camera body failure.

 

For the record I bought my M8 on December 6th and have been happily shooting with it ever since without a hiccup. On the other hand I respect and admire all the folks on this forum who have had problems (mostly catastrophic when it occurs) so I am not going into the field without the backup. I could also use my M6's, and probably will carry one of them on the critical occasions, but where possible I want to get the files in digital form right away.

 

I know that leica will get this all right given some time. In the meantime, have a backup because the failure statistics are such that you're in trouble if you don't have it.

 

Just MHO

 

Woody Spedden

[jaapv]

On my (not=cheap) photo trips through Africa I always took three Leica R camera's with me, plus redundancy in lenses. There have been occasions that I emerged from the bush with only one body barely functioning. The same with Canon DSLR's. I don't think the M8 will be better. So two M8's for me and a Digilux2 just to be sure. (waiting for a Digilux4 for wildlife photography....)

[eronald]

A second body would be feasible as a backup.

 

But each M8 needs to take regular month-long holidays in Solms, during which its over-stressed colleague may decide to go on strike.

 

Edmund

[Jamie Roberts]

@ Tim--I think you're very smart to have a spare. Do let us know if it focusses a 35mm lens!! Please!

 

@ Edmund--with all due respect, I think "regular trips to Solms" is overdoing it a bit. My Canons have taken more trips to CPS than my M8 has to Solms.

[tashley]

@ Tim--I think you're very smart to have a spare. Do let us know if it focusses a 35mm lens!! Please!

 

@ Edmund--with all due respect, I think "regular trips to Solms" is overdoing it a bit. My Canons have taken more trips to CPS than my M8 has to Solms.

 

 

Hi Jamie,

The good news is that on very brief acquaintance it appears to focus a 35 'cron well. And the bad... a 50 lux not quite...

 

as the great Bard said... 'who will free me of this turbulent priest?'

 

:-) :-( :-?

 

t

[tashley]

There's a lot of good and considered thought here. I thank you all for it!

 

It seems that the consensus is that a second body is smart rather than crazy. Phew!

 

For me there's a deeper issue here: I could choose a (usually) more reliable brand of DSLR at somewhat lower cost or add to the Leica bag, mindfull of its glitches but craving what it does when it does it right (which fo me so far has been very much mostly).

 

In the end, what I like is the result. I would rather miss a few 85% shots in favour of slightly fewer 93% shots.

 

There's just something about the files....

 

Thank you all again

 

Tim

[jfaier]

I am afraid to say something nice about my M8 because i might jinx it all. Okay - I just knocked on some wood . . .I had a silver one, and it went back to Solms for the firmware recall, and bought a 2nd, this one black. I am still partial to the silver. It is nice to have a backup body. I use it everyday for work and I love it. I usually use an H1 or Linhof CS with a Phase P45 - but I do love the quality of these files and images. They are the most film-like. My 1ds II is collecting dust - I can cary two Leica bodies a whole bunch of lenses and not break my back and when the magic happens, well . . .it's fantastic.

[jrc]

Instead of buying a second M8, I bought a new Pentax K10 and three new prime lenses (for ~$2500) while the M8 makes its second trip to Solms, this one for Sudden Camera Death. I'm not sure I regret the Pentax yet, but it sure ain't the same thing as an M8. Everything feels a little mushier, as do the photos. I'm not really a newspaper-focus-tester sort, so that judgment may be as mushy as the Pentax feels, but as soon as the M8 comes back (I sent it to NJ on March 5), I'm going to do some side-by-sides. In the meantime, I hope nobody gets in a stock of chrome M8s. 8-)

 

JC

[nikau]

I'm very happy having my M6 TTL as a backup, loaded with 400 film, for if the M8 dies. The downside is only a trip to the local lab, a 10 minute wait if they're not busy (usually they are not!) and a bunch of negatives to run through the scanner.