M8 Image processor

[ArtZ]

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Anyone knows which image processor uses the M8?

 

I doubt Leica has his own image processor (like Venus engine on Panasonic or Digic on Canon).

 

This is just personal curiosity.

 

Regards

[sandymc]

Probably mostly in the Analog Devices Blackfin processor. See Mark Norton's M8 strip down thread.

 

Sandy

[marknorton]

That's one reason why the M8 is much more interesting to look at internally than a Canon dSLR which will use a set of custom made chips about which no information is available.

 

The logic board of the new EOS 1DS Mk III (if that is the correct name) is rather simpler in terms of component count than the M8 board which appears to use almost entirely standard components, customised to Leica's requirements through flash programming.

 

The danger of customised silicon is that it's very expensive if you get it wrong. I once wrote the firmware for a remote control handset only to discover a bug which flattened the battery in less than a day after the chip had been manufactured. I personally binned the 5000 useless microprocessors and was not very popular...

[ArtZ]

Thank you Sandy and Mark for your answers.

 

Mark, I didn't see your great thread "Anatomy of the Leica M8" until Sandy told me about it. Wow ! I'm really impressed.

 

In fact, my question was pure curiosity. I hesitated to open a thread just for that.

 

As an engineer, I went to check out the Analog Devices Web site to get some technical information on Black Fin processors.

 

I had some problems with my first M8 (it had to be replaced) and also with a battery which run out after a few hours on stand-by mode.

 

My second unit seems to be perfect. I don't have problems with back focusing (which seems to be a common problem here) and most of the problems I had before have gone (venetian blind” effect, under exposure problems, etc.). Though, the quality of JPGs and the white balace issues must be reviewed and corrected by Leica.

 

I still waiting for the IR filters. I hope they will arrive soon. Concerning this issue, I have a question: I've noticed that with sunlight I ALWAYS get ecclesiastical purple on black fabrics (100% cotton). I thought the IR light will ONLY affect synthetic fibers under artificial light.

 

Does anyone have this problem? Is it normal?

 

After three weeks using the M8, I have mixed feelings. I agree about the quality of the glass, the construction of the lenses, etc. I'm used to rangefinders bacause I owned a M6 from 1984 until 2004 (all my Leica equipement was stolen at home). In 2004, I got a Canon EOS 1Ds and I invested in "L" glass. In 2005, I got the 5D and a couple of 20D for wild animal shooting.

 

I think picture quality (technically speaking) doesn't justify the difference in price. I even would say that in many situations and/or for certain kind of photography to choose a DSLR camera is better than a rangefinder camera: you can sure of not missing yur shoot.

 

When I read this forum I often think of Macintosh users. They are reluctant (and very critical) towards PC users. I always found this attitude like a kind of snobism. For sure, Macintosh computers, in certain points, have some advantages but it's exactly the same the other way round (...and I would say there're even more advantages in terms of compatibility, for instance, when you buy a PC!)

 

I think there're a lot of things to be reviewed on the M8 and Leica will make in a few years a great rangefinder camera (M9?). The problem is if the users will be still there... because those who have already adopted the DSLRs, they're not comming back to rangefinders. I think this will be the major problem for Leica.

 

I believe if I had rented a M8 for a month, I wouldn't have bought it... well, maybe... but not as a tool but as a pretty object which accessory can take nice pictures under certain circomstances.

 

Regards

[ho_co]

...I've noticed that with sunlight I ALWAYS get ecclesiastical purple on black fabrics (100% cotton)....

Manuel--

You're right about the M8 bringing religion to the troops!

 

I think Leica still refers to the problems of 'black synthetic fabrics,' but it's a problem of the dyes used to make the fabrics black, whether natural or synthetic. Different companies use a different combination of dyes to stop reflection of visible light, and those dyes often reflect in the IR spectrum, as you've discovered.

 

Re Mac & PC, I think we Mackies just don't like the way PCs look and feel. It's not snobbism, just the fact that we can't imagine how you guys can be satisfied with a PC. And then we get frustrated when people want to make us join their world.

 

Concerning dSLRs vs M8, SLRs have always been more versatile than rangefinders. I have a dSLR, but I much prefer the M8. Once I discovered rangefinders, I basically quit shooting SLRs. To my mind there's something vulgar about the bulk and universality of a dSLR, and I prefer to adjust my image-making to the more limited M8. (This degree of distaste for dSLRs is very much my own; I don't think that most M8 users feel that way.)

 

--HC