Keepers

[huwge]

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There are a number of ongoing threads from people describing their experience with the M8. For me, the lack of images supporting the stories is disappointing as it lends so much more to the text however florid it may be.

 

I have been a keen amateur photographer from the time my Mum placed a Kodak Instamatic in my 4 year old hands at the tail end of the sixties. It was on the island of Ibiza and I have no recollection of what I was thinking or why I decided to chop the corners off things or seemed to have a fascination with fence posts. Nevertheless, the developed pictures weren't bad. Even so, it was difficult to understand the lag between shutter release and a picture to review.

 

I evolved from the Kodax to Pentax and finally ended with a reasonable Canon system. Along the way I even started to develop my own film. As my travelling increased I found the Canon system was often redundant as I was not always able to carry a full bag. I had always been fascinated with the Leica myth and so took the plunge on an M6. The compact nature of the camera and the versatility of a 35-50 pair of lenses more or less put the Canon system in the attic.

 

Then, the curse of the 20th century appeared - convenience! D-SLR systems were suddenly becoming interesting and so I got a 10D and dusted off the Canon glass. Not having the time for the lab and not needing the hassle of going to the shop, I suddenly had immediate pictures and prints that weren't too shabby if I needed them.

 

9/11 - suddenly, travelling with a film camera became a major hassle. Several poorly exposed rolls of film later and my Ms were gathering dust. Even with its bulk the Canon system was significantly easier to get safely through airport security with no image loss or degradtion. I still used the Ms as they had that certain extra quality, but it was only at home or when travelling by car.

 

In December of '06 I read about the M8 and thought it was a great idea but the price did cause a slight cough. It took me until February to decide that I had to give it a go. At the end of March I had the camera in my paws.

 

Teething has not been without its pain. A 35 lux needed recalibration and I am still sure that it delivers better results to film. My 50 lux is still in Solms for a back focus problem. Nevertheless, on balance I am very happy. There seems to be a 3-D quality to the pictures that is more often present than not. I am not saying that I could not do this with the Canon, but it just seems easier with the M8. White balance issues mean that I always shoot DNG and I am not particularly happy with the auto jpeg compression,

 

Here are a selection of my favourite shots with the new system, lenses used include a CV21, 24 Elmarit, 50 and 75 'lux. These shots may fall more into a category of snapshots, being more personal to the photographer than the viewer but they are part of the journey and mean a lot to me.

[mustafasoleiman]

wow that's a blue sky!