Someone stop me from buying an M8!

[Loren]

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No, that's what insurance is for…see above. [And (limited) warranties still apply to used cameras when using reputable dealers.]

 

Remarkable how many folks seem not to carry insurance.

 

Jeff

 

Insurance is great for theft or loss due to an accident.

 

What I meant in the case of the M8 is if the LCD goes bad or some other obsolete component, you are faced with a catastrophic loss that insurance will not cover.

 

That is why you buy items like the M8 with disposable income. It's remarkable how many people fail to do that! They get burned and they can't afford the loss.

 

However, a new camera will have a warranty that covers service related issues.

 

I personally simply self-insure my gear. If I could afford it I would self-insure my car, too, but we have liabilities for injury and other people's property to consider, which makes that impractical for my meager income.

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[Ulev]

Ok, a little background. I am a pro photographer on the side. I usually shoot 5 weddings a year and a bunch of family sessions/portraits. My main gear is a big roller bag of Nikon bodies and glass.

 

I recently purchased a Fuji X100. Had an X1, but I missed a viewfinder.

 

So, I love photography and often shoot with a Nikon FE and Yashica-D for fun. I get tired of always shooting a big D3 with 70-200 f/2.8 lens. The D800 is simply AWESOME. But, it is still big to walk around with. I end up putting cheaper glass on it for the sake of weight.

 

Now, the M9 and above is out of my price range unless I unload some gear. Perhaps get rid of my 24-70 f/2.8 because as much as it is great glass, it is heavy and I use the 70-200 almost exclusively, even for all family portraits.

 

The M8 is intriguing me since it can be had for the price of a used Nikkor 24-70 and an Elmarit 28mm won't break the bank.

 

But, I have a few fears...

 

1. ISO. Not a huge deal as I read 1250 is usable and Lightroom cleans images nicely. I also heard the noise is more film-like and converts to B&W perfectly! I have my D3/D800 for high ISO work.

 

2. Repairs. This is the biggie. I am not a wealthy Leica collector, so if the sensor fails I heard there is no repair. It is a paper weight.

 

So, I REALLY want to begin my Leica experience. I turned 40 and it seems like the thing to do. LOL

 

Is the M8 safe/durable/unlikely to fail? Will I be "satisfied" with the image quality at ISO 800 and below? Flash? Can I use a manual Vivitar 285HV?

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Chris

 

Chris,

 

I did copy/paste a reply of mine regarding a simular topic:

 

" I did have a X100 as well, and at that time ( few years ago) I was able to "testdrive" an M8 and decided to stick with the X100.

 

Let me "warn" you !

 

Coming from a DSLR, a M8 might dissapoint you !

In terms of speed, or better, the lack of (writing takes forever) !

Poor display quality ... mandatory use of certain filters ... low ISO performance ...

 

BUT once you get over this, you'll have a great tool at your disposal, which will take you back to the essentials of photography !

 

You will not regret it ! "

 

True, your choice of glass can make the difference ... fast glass is always "nice".

My advice, a 35mm ... "acts" like (almost) 50mm on the M8 and will be perfect on your next (full frame) Leica !

 

 

Rgds

Ulev

[Jeff S]

Insurance is great for theft or loss due to an accident.

 

What I meant in the case of the M8 is if the LCD goes bad or some other obsolete component, you are faced with a catastrophic loss that insurance will not cover.

 

For the third time, mine covers all circumstances. Policies vary greatly…by location, by company and by individual policy terms.

 

Jeff

[bocaburger]

So far nobody has really addressed the OP's plea ^. OP: send me the money. I'll put it to good use, and you'll be stopped from buying an M8. Win-win.

[bender73]

So far nobody has really addressed the OP's plea ^. OP: send me the money. I'll put it to good use, and you'll be stopped from buying an M8. Win-win.

 

LOL

[ynp]

My old M8u is on a long time loan ( given) to a professional photographer and she uses the Leica for candid black and white work on weddings and PR events.

 

She is a Canon girl and the Leica supplement the Canon. She has one of my Rollei Sonnar 40mm or borrows my Summilux 24/1.4 and she owns her own Nokton 59/1.5 and Nokton 35/1.2. She loves the JPEG files in b&w I am told. She uses an old Contax-200 flash for fill in manual.

The camera is solid still and makes beautiful pictures.

[otto.f]

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Don't know of a Canon-type can judge Leica results but OK, :D

[amro]

Get an M6 and shoot film! Much cheaper than an M8 and full frame.

 

You won't regret it. ISO is no problem - you can get still get a good range of ISO films.

 

Sorry this isn't really asking your question.

[bender73]

So what are the current options if the LCD fails? Unable to be repaired?

 

I can get a square trade warranty for 2 years at $350, which seems reasonable as they will replace or refund if it cannot be repaired.

 

What will Leica do?

 

I can live with a stain, but if the LCD simply goes blank, well, that is not good.

[rbelyell]

is there a reason you won't consider an rd1? no lcd problems, no IR filters, 1:1 finder vs .68 and half the price. i know no one replied to my prior post above on this, and i'm certainly not trying to put down a fine camera like the m8, but if youre not sure about the whole RF thing, why not limit your exposure?

tony

[wda]

...2. Repairs. This is the biggie. I am not a wealthy Leica collector, so if the sensor fails I heard there is no repair. It is a paper weight...

...

 

Chris

Chris, it is well documented but worth repeating. If the screen fails - as opposed to merely getting the 'coffee stain' which will not stop you taking excellent photos, Leica would probably offer you a beneficial upgrade to another similar camera, possibly an M-E or later if you send it to them for repair. So it should not be thought of as a potential paper-weight if you are open to such an upgrade path.

 

My guess is that only a very small minority of M8 cameras are no longer working. (based on running assessment of reports in this forum)

[bender73]

Chris, it is well documented but worth repeating. If the screen fails - as opposed to merely getting the 'coffee stain' which will not stop you taking excellent photos, Leica would probably offer you a beneficial upgrade to another similar camera, possibly an M-E or later if you send it to them for repair. So it should not be thought of as a potential paper-weight if you are open to such an upgrade path.

 

My guess is that only a very small minority of M8 cameras are no longer working. (based on running assessment of reports in this forum)

 

Ok.

 

A good plan would be to buy a square trade warranty for $350 and be covered for 2 years and put money aside for another M just in case I do have a failure.

 

My hunch is that a complete LCD failure would occur earlier in the life of the camera or not at all. The coffee stain is another issue.

[adespen]

I chose the M–E as I have a full frame Canon. Second hand via EBay with warranty still. I learnt almost instantly to love using it. Replaced my 5d2 for day to day work but not video.

I carry the M-E everywhere and have hung up my G12 as well.

Bought 35 and 50 Summicrons and the IQ is wonderful.

No regrets at all.

[pwrdesign]

You've guys have covered it all but I recognize myself in the situation the OP is in and just want to add that I've done the same trip myself.

 

I've been a semi professional photographer (3D-Viz has been my main profession) for 15 years roughly. Started out with an hasselblad 500C, switched to the 10D when it arrived and after that full format (5DmkII). After 2-3 years with the canon I started to realise that I had lost the feeling and joy of photography. At a London trip I walked into a Leica shop and started to test a used M9. With the rangefinder and simplicity I suddenly got a flashback to the Hasselblad period and decided that this was what I've been missing. The M9 was to expensive for me though so in a chaotic attemp to find something similar and cheaper I bought an Fuji XPRO 1 with all the lenses available at that time. Big dissapointment, the inage quality are great but the camera still have alot of programs, panorama features and the manual focusing was a big mess. I put it up for sale after a few weeks and started to think... Ok, that didnt work out, what know? One day I found an ad from a professional photographer who had two pretty well used M8's and he wanted to trade one of them against a X Pro 1!

 

I met him, had a great coffee and got to look at the M8! It was in great cond, he had the batterygrip, three batteries, charger and a Summicron 40/2.0 and he wanted to trade it against my X Pro 1 with extra batteries and double lenses. He probably though that he got a hell of a deal and so did I, win-win!

 

After that point I've been totally in love with the M8, its easy to use, it forces me to be active, I might arrive hoe after a walk with 4 shots! Where 3 of them are perfect! The same feeling as when I used the Hasselblad and arrived home after a week long trip with two rolls of exposures, and 85% of them where flawless!

 

You will not regret the M8, and dont get an X100, you will always look at the M8 and think "what if", "I wonder how"...

[melgart]

i'm a happy Leica Monochrom owner and i just rented a Sony A7R from lensrentals.com, put some of my Leica lenses on it and i'm amazed with the results. the A7R is almost the same size as the Leica M bodies, although quite a bit lighter -- leica build quality being what it is.

 

i'd recommend you rent an A7R from lensrentals.com with a single Leica lens and perhaps one of the Zeiss lenses specifically for the A7R body. i'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed with the image quality or the unobtrusiveness of the camera. Another great thing about the A7* system is that you can buy/rent adaptors to mount your lenses from Nikon or several other major camera systems. i imagine not all of your existing lenses would be great for the A7R, but a good number of them should be. The 37MP, full-frame sensor on this little camera is kind of amazing. all for $1700, or the price of a used M8.

 

just a thought! i can understand the desire for the digital Leica M body, so if it must be Leica -- it must. i wouldn't worry so much about the price, just go for it and you won't be disappointed, like others have been saying here. good luck!

[carbon_dragon]

I have an M8 and an M9. I'm an amateur and tend to shoot landscapes but I'm older and my back makes it useful to save weight and I used M2s in the past so I gravitated to the Leica digitals though I bought them both used. Bear in mind that lenses are expensive, even used. I currently have a 35/2 ASPH Summicron, a 50/2 Summicron (not the latest), a 90/4 elmar (old one hardly ever used), and a couple of wideangle Voigtlanders. I mostly use the 35 and the 50 but I do use the Voigtlander 25/4 more on the M8 to get an effective 35.

 

The M8 is cheaper, but the infrared photography is superb out of it. Put a regular infrared filter on it and you can do great false color infrareds (or black and white infrared). Put a dark infrared on it and you get really dramatic results. Although I have IR cut filters for regular photography, you don't really need it for most purposes. I don't think I can remember shooting anything (mostly landscapes) which showed something odd as a result of the infrared sensitivity and that sensitivity helps regular black and white too. The rear screen, even when it is without problems (which mine is) is very low resolution, the M9 is much better.

 

The M9 has amazing image quality and is full frame and the same weight basically as the M8. I was able to use my 35 as a wideangle again which I appreciated.

 

The M9 will work as a great general purpose camera for anything really, but the M8 is a camera that is as at home in infrared as it is in available light and you don't have to pay anyone to "convert" it. If you miss your Kodak HIE film, you'll like the M8.

[plewislambert]

Hi! I had started using a film Leica a few years back as a change from digital but getting the films processed and scanned never worked out well. 2 years ago I bought a used Leica M9 (they are a lot cheaper now) after I saw the pro photographer using an M9 at my son's wedding. His only grouse was the lousy performance in bad light.

 

So, I have been using my M9 happily with a 40mm Summicron and a succession of 90mm lenses, starting with a 1954 f4 Elmar, finally getting a 1990s 90mm f2.5 Summarit. I also have a 1980s f2.8 28mm Elmarit. These three used film lenses are giving results on the M9 which are usually very sharp (unless I forget to focus or shake the camera).

 

In addition I use Voigtlander 12mm, 15mm, 21mm ultrawides and pass the raw images through Cornerfix to address vignetting and edge discoloration. Results are quite good.

 

Changing lenses in the street allows dust into the camera but Pshop fixes the images and a rubber bulb-blower gets the dust out, if I use it every day that I've been out with the camera.

 

The batteries have a short life but Chinese batteries are very cheap and so is a spare

charger. I expect the members of my camera club view the choice of an M9 as eccentric

but I don't think I will return to Nikon, as the full-format dslrs with zooms are very heavy and the menus nearly reach the ground.

 

Hope this helps,

Philip

[bender73]

I have an M8 and an M9. I'm an amateur and tend to shoot landscapes but I'm older and my back makes it useful to save weight and I used M2s in the past so I gravitated to the Leica digitals though I bought them both used. Bear in mind that lenses are expensive, even used. I currently have a 35/2 ASPH Summicron, a 50/2 Summicron (not the latest), a 90/4 elmar (old one hardly ever used), and a couple of wideangle Voigtlanders. I mostly use the 35 and the 50 but I do use the Voigtlander 25/4 more on the M8 to get an effective 35.

 

The M8 is cheaper, but the infrared photography is superb out of it. Put a regular infrared filter on it and you can do great false color infrareds (or black and white infrared). Put a dark infrared on it and you get really dramatic results. Although I have IR cut filters for regular photography, you don't really need it for most purposes. I don't think I can remember shooting anything (mostly landscapes) which showed something odd as a result of the infrared sensitivity and that sensitivity helps regular black and white too. The rear screen, even when it is without problems (which mine is) is very low resolution, the M9 is much better.

 

The M9 has amazing image quality and is full frame and the same weight basically as the M8. I was able to use my 35 as a wideangle again which I appreciated.

 

The M9 will work as a great general purpose camera for anything really, but the M8 is a camera that is as at home in infrared as it is in available light and you don't have to pay anyone to "convert" it. If you miss your Kodak HIE film, you'll like the M8.

 

Thanks. I have no worries about using ISO 1250. Lightroom's NR is excellent and I already took someone's M8 1250 image online and cleaned it up. Add a little "clarity" and some deeper blacks and it looks as clean as ISO 100 while retaining the Leica look. (and it was a JPEG)

 

I have a D3/D800 if I want to play in the dark!

 

There is something classy and simple about a Leica. I was at a fair recently and was lugging around my D800 and the lightest lens I had. It was so bulky and annoying. There was a gentleman near me with a nice Leica M8 or M9 casually hanging around his neck. So less obtrusive and being a Leica it was like a diamond necklace for men. LOL Pure class and simply "photography." That sealed the deal for me.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[otto.f]

@ post #35: "unobtrusive"

If you come from a DSLR like Nikon your M8 maybe more silent, but there is a big difference with the M9 and the M8.2 in shutter sound. The Sony A7.. sounds like a Nikon F2. You have to take that in consideration when we talk about unobtrusive.

I really wouldn't dare to bring a Sony A7.. into the theater, which was just possible with my M8, with an apologizing smile to the people who sat in front of me. With my M8.2 I felt much more comfortable

[Onley]

Hi. I have read some of this correspondence although not all of it I admit.

 

I know exactly what you mean about having and using a Leica. I bought an M8 used a few years ago and have been using it ever since. I love my photography and I adore the M8, It has never given me any trouble at all and I have never needed even to think about insurance or what to do if it does wrong; it doesn't! It is a beautiful camera and very useful. Unlike you I am now well into my 70's and my eyesight is not as good as it was so I fear I will soon have to part with my lovely work of art. I have several wonderful lenses and if you want to go true wide angle you don't have to invest in Leica's own wonders as Vogtlander make some excellent alternatives.

 

Let me know if you need more information.