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Swapping my m6 for m8


Mrclick

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Hello all! :)

 

i have been a film shooter for years mostly (leica m6). recently i have been craving a digital camera to carry along with my set up.

 

I cant really stretch to a m9, so i was thinking of going to a m8..

 

... am I Mad? :confused:

 

i was thinking of trading in a m6...

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You are not mad IMO. The M8 is still a great digital camera. I hope you calculated in the crop factor and need for UV/IR filter?

 

 

Digital is a conveniance matter for me. I simply do not have the time to go analog. I use the M2 or M3 mostly on holiday only.

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Hello all! :)

 

i have been a film shooter for years mostly (leica m6). recently i have been craving a digital camera to carry along with my set up.

 

I cant really stretch to a m9, so i was thinking of going to a m8..

 

... am I Mad? :confused:

 

i was thinking of trading in a m6...

 

I have both an I am enjoying. Do not sell the M6 it is still a nice camera with a better rangefinder.

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I agree. Look into if you can get the M8 without selling your beloved M6. "More the merrier" and you can also compare if the crop factor affects your lens choices (I love my 35 on M8, doesn't quite hit it on M5, while the 50 is vice versa).

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There's another thread on the forum from someone who bought an MM, but only wants to view jpeg images on an ipad, which is quite frankly a waste of the camera IMHO.

 

If you want to go digital think of the implications of having to have a suitable computer, storage, monitor, software, knowledge, printer, profiling etc., etc.

 

That said, film and digital are two different mediums. They both produce photographs but the workflow and results are different.

 

If you want to dip your toe into the digital pool I would suggest that you buy a relatively cheap P&S or a s/h DSLR or even an M4/3 body which you can use your Leica lenses with, for starters.

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The M8 is a competent body and the images are a joy. I concur with the advice to keep your M6 and buy the M8 as a companion. I really enjoy my M8 as do many other M8 owners. There are some issues to be aware of, but they shouldn't stop you from buying one. Film and digital aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, and of course, the lenses and accessories work on both.

 

The hidden expense in using the M8 is the UV/IR cut filters; you'll need one for each lens; at a minimum you'll need one for each filter size you have in your lenses and they're not inexpensive. I'd recommend looking to the used market, although some are more difficult to find that way. B+W UV/IR cut filters are excellent at a substantial discount to their genuine Leica counterparts. I've also found Hoya to be acceptable, if not as elegant. I use the UV/IR cut filters in place of the standard UVa filters and I leave them on for my M9P and my M4-P as well.

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James post above sums up the most important factor for you to consider.

 

It is not a question, if one or the other camera body is better, but it is the periphery and workflow around each solution, that is entirely different.

 

I am very, very happy, I didn't sell my M6 - after using digital M bodies for a few years now, I wouldn't sell it for any digital body.

A small inexpensive digital camera is a very nice test-bed for trying the different workflow.

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Buy a cheap Nikon D3200 and zoom and see how you like digital. They are amazingly good cameras image wise, but not pro cameras build wise, not even close.

 

I would skip the M8 and go to a ME model. Your lenses will work the same as on film , no filter hassle, and you can manually set lens codes. The M8 can be a pain until you get all the issues sorted, after that it works well. I spent months filtering and coding/changing lens mounts. The replacement mounts you get in fleabay work fine, but they tend to be too thick.

I had to take .001" off most of them, ie reduce .040 to .039. So you need a micrometer.

 

Digital has a fairly long learning curve. I spent years at it. And you need a decent computer and monitor you can calibrate properly and a proper work space with no stray light. The $200 office monitors are not even close to good enough. Laptops really do not work well enough. Perhaps the Retina screen Macs are ok. No mater what , were are talking fair cash outlay.

 

Digital is a money pit, fun and results are superb once you catch on and buy everything required. I would seriously question if digi is cheaper, faster for sure, not cheaper all things considered.

 

Start with the Nikon

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i agree with mostly everybody here: the M8 is a fantastic, fantastic camera....by every means, buy one and enjoy it!

 

i also agree with others that you should TRY to keep the M6 if you can. It's wonderful to have a film M and a digital M....in fact, it's the ideal setup for anyone into Leica stuff.

 

if you cannot afford to keep both....then by all means get an M8. It's superb as an only camera, IMO.

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I agree with TRYING to keep the M6.

If that does not work, trading the M6 for a good working M2 might be a good option IMO.

The M2 would free up about half the money invested in the M6 and I even like to use it more than my M6

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