X2 vs M8

[jimleicam3]

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Just got back from a two week holiday in Spain! I had my M8 with a cron 35 mm and my new X2, also my wife used my D-Lux 5. After I downloaded my photos, I have come to the realization that the photos taken by the X2 are blowing away the ones taken with my M8. I used the X2 preset to B&W. The focus is sharper, exposure almost always right on, and just the overall quality of the photos go hands down to the X2. Even many of the photos my wife took with the D-Lux 5 are way better than my M8.

Seeing that compactness and ease of use is greater with the X2, my M8 is staying home next holiday. Cheers!!

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[Ecaton]

JEven many of the photos my wife took with the D-Lux 5 are way better than my M8.

Seeing that compactness and ease of use is greater with the X2, my M8 is staying home next holiday. Cheers!!

 

That sentence with the D-Lux5 says it all, unless something with your M8 or Summicron was not working correctly, of course.

There are drivers who can go faster with a family van than with a Lamborghini. But to conclude that the van was the better car, would be be downright wrong.

[wda]

It is possible you have a faulty M8 or possibly a suspect modus operandi.

[lm_user]

"Better" pictures is always subjective.

 

There are times in sunlight where a small sensor camera is preferred over a large sensor if large DOF is desired for an equivalent FOV (adequate light usually eliminates noise issues from small sensors).

 

Are you comparing at equivalent apertures,ISO settings and shutter speeds?

 

Is your M8 and/or or lens is calibrated correctly?

 

It is OK for you to prefer a small camera for travelling. I would like to have an X2 also, but I think I have enough cameras

[earleygallery]

Some examples of the photos would help.

 

By 'better' most people would mean sharper and exposed correctly, which may not be issues with the equipment!

[lm_user]

Some examples of the photos would help.

 

By 'better' most people would mean sharper and exposed correctly, which may not be issues with the equipment!

 

Agreed. However, I am suspicious that the OP is comparing shots with a 24mm lens on a 1.5 crop sensor at F? to a 35mm lens on a 1.33 crop sensor @ F2. DOF will be very different between these cameras and focus will be more critical on the M8.

 

Exposure issues? With a histogram on the camera I really don't see how this is likely? Stranger things have happened.

[earleygallery]

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Indeed - I suspect the OP is seeing 'sharper' photos due to AF and increased DOF on the X2 and possibly better exposures from casual shots due to mutizone metering.

 

Basically I guess I'm saying 'user error'. He should be able to get better results from the M8, assuming he knows what he's doing, unless there's a fault of some sort.

[wattsy]

All things being equal – light, aperture value, etc. – I'd be surprised if the X2 didn't produce results in the same ballpark as the M8. Why shouldn't it? Maybe the X2 just suits the OP's style more than the M8? Nothing wrong with that. That said, I'm surprised the OP finds the X2 is "blowing away" the results he is getting from his M8 and 35 Summicron. I recently looked through some of my older photographs taken with that very same combination and think, in many ways, the image quality is as good as (or better than:eek:) more recent material taken with my M9. The M8 and 35/F2 is a superb combination – pretty much as good as it gets for handheld "35mm" type photography.

[colonel]

I would say, in general, that the M8 is a very sharp camera, sharper then the X2 with a decent lens

 

Perhaps you are finding manual focus technique difficult, especially in low light

 

There is also slightly less DOF with the M8, as it is APS-H (1.33x the APS-C in the X2), so you need a smaller aperture to have the same sharpness across the scene

 

Although it might seem inconsistent in terms of price, the 35mm f1.4 or 50mm f1.4 work the best on the M8. Really razor sharp. But we are talking megabucks here

 

The Zeiss 50mm f1.5, 50mm f.2 or the 28mm f2.8 are also razor sharp on the M8

 

Lastly, you might need the M8 adjusted. It is possible that the RF mechanism can go out of alignment.

[lm_user]

By the way - check out Harold's link to X2 photos. Harold's pictures are outstanding regardless of his choice of camera. Thanks for weighing in.

[wwwwy]

I got a m8 with summicron 50mm and also a x2, the pictures came out from the m8 is sharper than the x2 ,even my m8 has a rangefinder patch misaligned problem...I sent my m8 to Leica to repair the problem, I can post some pictures when I get my camera back

[rudingshain]

Just got back from a two week holiday in Spain! I had my M8 with a cron 35 mm and my new X2, also my wife used my D-Lux 5. After I downloaded my photos, I have come to the realization that the photos taken by the X2 are blowing away the ones taken with my M8. I used the X2 preset to B&W. The focus is sharper, exposure almost always right on, and just the overall quality of the photos go hands down to the X2. Even many of the photos my wife took with the D-Lux 5 are way better than my M8.

Seeing that compactness and ease of use is greater with the X2, my M8 is staying home next holiday. Cheers!!

 

Why not! All you say here is that the X2 and D-lux 5 are also great cameras and that you want a very fast camera with less post processing and sharp pictures. Holiday time is Family time and you should spent more time with the family than in focussing ethusiastic with a rangefinder and loving the M8 over your familiy. A good decision spending your hoiliday mainliy with your familiy and not with your sex Leica baby.;-)) Your wife will love you for that decision.