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M8 good choice for a first Leica?


lucianboboc

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I never change ISO but leave the camera set at base ISO (160 on the M8) and adjust exposure in post. This works well for me and by doing so I can more selectively adjust and minimise noise better - depends on your way of operating though.

 

To avoid unacceptably long handheld times in A mode, you have to use the -EV adjustment to raise the effective speed.  Works quite well.

 

OP, if you search the web for M8 shots, you'll find a lot of amazing pictures.  It's a great camera.

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knutzer, that seems a wise decision. Keep it and enjoy it. Remember its excellent B&W capabilities. Then it is one of the best IR cameras, without any modification whatsoever. (Apart from removal of the IR/UV  filter). Finally, a worthwhile backup if needed.

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To avoid unacceptably long handheld times in A mode, you have to use the -EV adjustment to raise the effective speed.  Works quite well.

 

OP, if you search the web for M8 shots, you'll find a lot of amazing pictures.  It's a great camera.

What's A mode? :D. Never use it.

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I think it is a good way to get into Leica. I was waiting on my M3 to come back from CLM (now back after a 14 month wait) when I found a good deal on an M8 and went for it. I keep the monitor off and use it just like I do a film Leica rangefinder. It's fun. ....and addictive.

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I have just managed to purchase a very clean user M8 (20k clicks, slight rubbing on edges/some inor loss of white to rear lettering - no dead pixels) for £580 - add to that a Canon 50mm 1.8 ltm (or even a Jupiter 8, if I am feeling mean) and my daughter gets into Leica digital for less than £700.

 

The limitations (and of course there are some) of an M8 can be just as fun as an M240.  Sometimes perhaps more so.......

 

James

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  • 4 weeks later...

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If you absolutely want a Leica/rangefinder and can live with not going above ISO 640 and a 1.33x crop, the M8 is a great camera. Yes, in certain circumstance you can push the ISO higher, but if you are buying an M8 it's best to assume that 640 is the ceiling for color shots.

 

A Leica in general is something you purchase from the heart, meaning that for the same price as an M8 you can get a camera in 2016 that will blow it away in terms of technology, and the same goes for the M9. But, if you love the Leica rangefinder feel I can tell you from personal experience that the technological limitations won't matter when you love shooting with your camera. I could sell my M9 and lenses and buy a "better" camera, but it would be a camera that I don't enjoy shooting with nearly as much (a few times a year a rent the latest and greatest Sony/Fuji/Olympus to see if I'm missing anything, and I always come back to my outdated Leica).

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