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M8.2 Appreciation


Afairall

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I'm not a professional and I still have my M8 purchased brand new very early 2009. Leica offered a rebate because the M8.2 was available. It did not get much use (almost 1050 clicks now) but it's the only digital Leica camera from which I have had prints made and hese prints are gorgeous and does not look digital. In 2012 it went to Leica for pixel remapping of the sensor. Used my M8 once earlier this year, but within two weeks I'll attend an M camera- workshop organized by the local Leica dealer. My love for the M8 may receive a boost.

Best

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At the time of its release it has also been recognized that the IQ is indeed stunning for a 10Mp sensor. After all these years of pixel rat-racing though and anticipatory disappointment over an SL2 which would not deliver at least 46Mp, we can see now even better how relative such preoccupations can be. Although it remains a mystery to me how this works in the M8. I wonder also if its competitors from that time, Sony, Canon, Nikon, are still functioning today. 

I sold mine because of the ado with the magenta filters, but the not-FF of the M8 had great advantages with some lenses too. I never liked my Summicron 28 asph mk1 as much as on the M8.2 and this counted for my Summilux 50 asph too. Typically enough I sold these lenses after I acquired the M9.

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If I have to shoot, I take my Sony A7III
If I want to shoot, I take my M8.2

😉

I use my M8.2 every week 2 or 3 times

There is a M8/M8.2 community with over 2100 members on Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/326047637595813/

 

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Edited by satijntje
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@otto.f: " Although it remains a mystery to me how this works in the M8. I wonder also if its competitors from that time, Sony, Canon, Nikon, are still functioning today.  "

My good old Nikon D700 works flawless since 2008 - actually it rests in the stock, cause I like the M8 more.

The 12 MP pictures from the D700 are not so tack sharp as these from the M8, but they more than "good enough".

Best,

Jens

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I have an M8 which was upgraded by leica to M8.2 spec and it’s my only digital camera.  There’s nothing more I want or need.  Lets me focus on what’s important; finding my own creativity and inspiration.

 

a photo is 0.5% about the gear and 99.5% about the person taking the photo. 

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On 9/14/2019 at 2:54 PM, iedei said:

I have an M8 which was upgraded by leica to M8.2 spec and it’s my only digital camera.  There’s nothing more I want or need.  Lets me focus on what’s important; finding my own creativity and inspiration.

 

a photo is 0.5% about the gear and 99.5% about the person taking the photo. 

 

4 hours ago, farnz said:

I agree but, ironically, I note that you list every piece of your gear in your signature. 🤔😄

Pete.

I do not agree and these sort of statements are very wrong, romantic and persistent. The famous photograph of a bullet through a playing card by Harold Edgerton couldn’t have ever been made without gear and investment of time, thinking and money in how existing gear can be used to accomplish such an image. The same counts for sports, wildlife, deep sea, etc. photography. Look at the series Our Planet with David Attenborough. The astounding captures are for -ty % dependent on gear. Better gear makes you a better photographer, because gear inspires to new ideas and widens your creative horizon, no doubt about that. If you don’t have the talents, gear won’t help. But you cannot turn that statement around, that is a narcissistic, omnipotent illusion which leads to needless suffering. 

Edited by otto.f
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On 9/18/2019 at 2:06 AM, otto.f said:

 

I do not agree and these sort of statements are very wrong, romantic and persistent. The famous photograph of a bullet through a playing card by Harold Edgerton couldn’t have ever been made without gear and investment of time, thinking and money in how existing gear can be used to accomplish such an image. The same counts for sports, wildlife, deep sea, etc. photography. Look at the series Our Planet with David Attenborough. The astounding captures are for -ty % dependent on gear. Better gear makes you a better photographer, because gear inspires to new ideas and widens your creative horizon, no doubt about that. If you don’t have the talents, gear won’t help. But you cannot turn that statement around, that is a narcissistic, omnipotent illusion which leads to needless suffering. 

I was lucky enough to hear one of Edgerton's assistants say the bullet though the apple, light bulb etc. was a little math and very basic equipment, a 4x5 speed graphic, so they figured the sound of the gun was about the same speed as the bullet, so the room was dark, gun fired, sound sets off a high speed strobe the camera was set on bulb. Seat of the pants science, Edgerton did have a room that could be dark and you could shoot a 30.06 in it. Our Planet is a whole different level some amazing stuff.

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20 minutes ago, pico said:

I think the light source was  a naked spark.

 

No his who research was on high speed strobes for the military. How he got a lot of nonmilitary pictures, he was by all accounts a nice guy, famous scientist who had a social life around Boston. I believe on an MIT tour you can still see his lab. I was there with my medical photography class, and had an hour or 2 seeing a film and discussing Dr. Edgerton's work with one of his assistants. The gun was still there this was way back in the '70s

Edited by tommonego@gmail.com
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On 9/17/2019 at 9:56 PM, farnz said:

I agree but, ironically, I note that you list every piece of your gear in your signature. 🤔😄

Pete.

i can't seem to edit my signature.  i put those there 6 or 7 years ago when i was far less evolved as a photographer. 

i still have the same gear as the signature.  that goes to show you how much i de-prioritized 'shopping' for gear. 

I enjoy seeing what other gear is out there, but i have little to no desire to change gear. 

would rather spend my time focusing on what matters; rather than detailing mundane, uninteresting, and irrelevant differences in lens rendering. 

 

Edited by iedei
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On 9/14/2019 at 8:54 AM, iedei said:

I have an M8 which was upgraded by leica to M8.2 spec.. 

An M8 that received all three offered upgrades (shutter, sapphire screen and 2m  frame lines) still wasn’t fully the same as an M 8.2, which had black paint rather than chrome (black version), a black dot (black version), different body covering and snapshot mode. 

Jeff

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I like the M8 and still use my chrome one with the M8.2 frameline & shutter upgrades. I use lenses 50mm and shorter, finding the 18, 24, etc particularly useful. The "crop sensor" is fine by me, takes only a small mental adjustment. :)

med_U77I1295577156.SEQ.0.jpg

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7 hours ago, iedei said:

i can't seem to edit my signature. 

Yes it's a little less obvious how to do it than it used to be:

  • Click on the triangle to the right of your name and miniature avatar at the top right of the page and a list will drop down.
  • Select "Account Settings" from the list,
  • Click on "Signature" in the left-hand border of the page and you're able to edit your signature.🙂

Pete.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I love using the M8.2 and it's quality output. I use mine a lot with the Super Angulon 21mm f3.4 and with the Elmarit 28mm f2.8 V1.

I appreciate that my camera has been used in a lot of different climates, has travelled a lot on me, and has never showed any issue .

 

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  • 1 month later...

I was loathe to part with my M8, but decided to in the end.

The reason? For the second time, this time on a trip overseas, the shutter stopped working. (first time, it would not stop re-cocking, this time, would not re-cock). I did jury-rig it, but the cost of setting it right was significant.

So, I traded it and some lenses on a CL and two lenses. The repair cost on the M8 was about twice what I got for it on trade-in. Would have been better off $$ wise to just put it on a shelf, or into the dumpster (joking) or...  Had to pay for international shipping, then taxes on return import, then the repair itself...

The M8 is really cool - I could use it without needing to pull out my reading glasses, and the controls are dead simple. Not quite so with my CL, but that's ok.

Oh - one other "issue" I had with the M8 - when very cold outside, a battery would not last 36 shots, so I went back to shooting film (little rangefinder) when it was cold!

I hope everyone enjoys the benefits of the incredible M8, without the dubious joys of repairs.

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I bought an M 8.2 last December with 1200 clicks on it....the original Adorama outer packaging, boxes, manuals, perfect LCD, clean sensor, etc. I have been using various Leica (35mm f./2, 50mm f/2.5) and Voigtlander lenses (40mm f/1.4, 28mm f/2, 75mm f/1.8)....While I use a UV/cut filter on all of the lenses, I decided to experiment without the UV/Cut filter to see whether the modern 6 bit Leicas and the newer Voigtlanders would shift the blacks, purples and greens....proud to say that they did not have any significant changes.

So my question to the group is, do modern lens coatings make the IR correction cut filters unnecessary? these cameras are so sharp at 10.3, it makes me dream for a 24mp CCD filter.....

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