Why do I feel like I am the only guy using a Leica M8 here?

[Geoff Marshall]

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On 3/25/2020 at 1:20 AM, Graham (G4FUJ) said:

I certainly use mine.

Same here Graham, I think the only way I will part with it is if my grandson talks me into giving him it on permanent loan 🙂

[pippy]

I'd still be using mine had I not received this in an e-mail last November;

"Subject: Leica M Repair

Good Morning Mr xxxxx,

I hope this email finds you well.

I am very sorry about this, but it has been communicated to me that your Leica M8.2 has been misplaced at the Leica headquarters......"

To be perfectly fair Leica behaved in a very generous manner by way of an apology but I still miss my 8.

Philip.

 

Edited April 7, 2020 by pippy

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[cobbu2]

Ok, lesson learned, this is my latest M8 acquisition; I'm holding on to this one until either I or it expires. It has a 90-day warranty and about 11,550 clicks. To be clear, I plan on expiring much beyond my M8.

I love the simplicity of the menus and the intangible quality of its images, especially the ability to do easy handheld IR.

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Edited April 8, 2020 by cobbu2

[analog-digital]

Am 30.3.2020 um 00:23 schrieb cobbu2:

When will I ever learn?

You can't resist it^s GAS!

Edited April 9, 2020 by analog-digital

[analog-digital]

Am 2.4.2020 um 00:38 schrieb peterm1_Leica:

I have returned to mine after a long break. I thought about getting an M240 a year or so back when I decided to treat myself but in the end instead got a Q from someone planning to upgrade to the Q2. I knew the Q would complement the M8 whereas the M240 would supplant it. Of the two - the M8 and the Q I use the M8 much more as it has far greater flexibility due to its interchangeable lens.

Barber Poles by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

The look so grainy and not sharp to me. Why is that?

[analog-digital]

Am 7.4.2020 um 17:14 schrieb pippy:

I'd still be using mine had I not received this in an e-mail last November;

"Subject: Leica M Repair

Good Morning Mr xxxxx,

I hope this email finds you well.

I am very sorry about this, but it has been communicated to me that your Leica M8.2 has been misplaced at the Leica headquarters......"

To be perfectly fair Leica behaved in a very generous manner by way of an apology but I still miss my 8.

Philip.

 

I have a M8.2 left .... in silver

[pippy]

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38 minutes ago, analog-digital said:

I have a M8.2 left .... in silver

Great!

I'll send you a PM with my address!...

I have thought about picking up another - an 8.2 in silver as it happens - but having bought an M-D Typ 262 just before Xmas I swapped my M9-P and the brand-new fully factory refurbished M9 'a la Carte' M9 (which I received in place of my 'misplaced' M8.2) because I didn't even use those anymore.

These days I have two very different M digitals - the M-D an a MM1 - and am content...-ish....

Philip.

 

[peterm1_Leica]

11 hours ago, analog-digital said:

The look so grainy and not sharp to me. Why is that?

It is this way because that is the way I made it in post processing.

To be honest most ordinary photos bore the heck out of me, especially those that are merely  "sharp".  I like images to have some "character" preferably in the nature of those made with older lenses on older film. Or what I think of as "painterly". And I will often seek to achieve this by post processing.  So this effect is what I was aiming for. I do this with most images I post to Flickr these days simply because it provides an aesthetic I prefer. If you look closely the woman in the Barber Pole  image is sharp enough (I take it this is what you were referring to as its the image referenced in your post). The background is blurry partly due to the natural bokeh of a fast lens shot wide open and partly because I applied some overlaying texture to it - which is what may be what you are referring to. Bear in mind also the image was shot through the dirty window of a bus on which I was travelling which always adds an element of flare.  I accept it is not every one's preferred style but I shoot primarily for myself not others so that does not bother me so long as I am happy with the outcomes. 

Here are some, perhaps  more extreme examples of this style:

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

Street Performer by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Through a glass darkly 3 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Agnes plays Violin by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

 

Lunch with Friends by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

One Day at the Markets by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

 

Edited April 10, 2020 by peterm1_Leica

[gfspencer]

I bought my M8 new when they first came out.  I'm still using it!  I had been using an M6TTl before that so I had to have my lenses coded by Leica.  When the M8 dies I will get another Leica rangefinder but I will miss the M8.

[tobey bilek]

M8 is under appreciated unless you need full 21 mm angle of view or very large prints, greater than 16x24”, or you need to be church mouse quiet.

The glass layers over the sensor are very thin yielding extremely sharp photos.  Use uv/ir filters to get correct greens in landscapes and blacks on man made fabrics or correct them in photoshop.

[Ko.Fe.]

29 minutes ago, tobey bilek said:

M8 is under appreciated unless you need full 21 mm angle of view or very large prints, greater than 16x24”, or you need to be church mouse quiet.

The glass layers over the sensor are very thin yielding extremely sharp photos.  Use uv/ir filters to get correct greens in landscapes and blacks on man made fabrics or correct them in photoshop.

I always feel M8 files are sharper than my M-E 220.

[carbon_dragon]

The M8 works great for IR, BUT, when used with the OLD OLD leica IR filter (the deep red one labelled just IR in 39mm) it requires a slight focus shift. That is, the infrared light focuses at a slightly different point (not dissimilar to how film used to work). So you have to experiment a bit. Typically I use the 35/2 ASPH (as a 50 on the M8) with the filter in place. With regular red filters you can get a nice false color look. It's why I still have the camera, but if you use it you should do some digital experimentation with how to shift the focus IF you're going to use it close to wide open (and even if you're stopping down). 

[farnz]

2 hours ago, carbon_dragon said:

The M8 works great for IR, BUT, when used with the OLD OLD leica IR filter (the deep red one labelled just IR in 39mm) it requires a slight focus shift.

This is the same with all IR-pass filters owing to the difference in wavelength.  

I suspect that the Leica IR filter is a 'R72' IR filter (also known as a deep red IR filter) according to the Hoya numbering system (= Wratten 87 or B&W 092) and blocks all wavelengths below 720 nanometers, so a little visible red light gets through but no green or blue.

I use a '093' (also known as a black IR filter), which blocks all wavelengths below 800 nanometers so all red, green and blue visible wavelengths and only passes near-infrared wavelengths (far-infrared starts at about 10,000 nm) and I have to adjust focus accordingly.

Older lenses may have a red 'R' printed on the focus scale and this correlates with infinity focus for wavelengths passing though deep red IR and black IR filters.  So when focussing IR rays at infinity you need to align the 'R' mark with the infinity mark.  Focussing IR rays on objects closer than infinity is a case of pro-rate adjustment.  I normally focus as normal with the rangefinder and transpose the indicated distance so it lines up with the R.

If your lens doesn't have the red 'R' then trial error is needed but for most lenses IR infinity focus between the f/5.6 and f/8 marks so it's a good place to start.

Pete.

[carbon_dragon]

I don't know, the Leica "IR" filter is so black that you can only tell it's red by holding it up to a strong light source. I'm not sure it's as dark as the 093 but I think it's darker than an R72. I've never been able to get any kind of answer to that despite having lots of Leica books and asking the question more than once. Nobody I've talked to has one and the machinery to measure the frequency. It has to have been made for a film like HIE though and it works very well for that film if you want really intense IR.

[farnz]

Thanks I stand corrected then; the only Leica IR filter I've seen was a fairly 'thin' red so I assumed it must be a R72 or similar waveband.  I take your very good point about needing to work with HIE film.

Pete.

[mike_j]

I have had mine for at least ten years, not sure exactly. It's on its third shutter, one failed at about 13,000 actuations as did so many others. The second was damaged when the camera was dropped. Insurance had it repaired /replaced. 

Not often used now, only two lenses left, Zeiss 28mm f2.8 and an old Jupiter 8. Plus I suppose, a 1933 Summar from my Leica lll of the same vintage,

When I do use the camera for a bit of nostalgia it's usually B&W or infra red.

[PhotogLeica]

I just got my 8.2 and three lens from a friend. I normally shoot Canon 5DS. I am amazed at this camera! I love its B&W capability! It has forced me to slow down and think more, and enjoy the composition effort with a little soul and feeling.....photography is fresh again.

[farnz]

7 hours ago, PhotogLeica said:

I just got my 8.2 and three lens from a friend. I normally shoot Canon 5DS. I am amazed at this camera! I love its B&W capability! It has forced me to slow down and think more, and enjoy the composition effort with a little soul and feeling.....photography is fresh again.

Welcome to the forum!

Congratulations on discovering the different world of Leica, I hope you continue to enjoy your M8.2, and I hope the wealth of information available on the forum is useful to you.

Pete.

[boojum]

I've just bought an M8.2 from a Hong Kong dealer on eBay and am quite happy about it.  I will be checking the mailbox daily.

B&H has a Voigtländer Nokton 1.4 II with my name on it along with a strap.  BTW, which is better, single coated or multi coated?  I'm guessing multi but you tell me.  I'll have to find the suitable lens hood  --  help me out here  --  and will possibly get an adapter to take me from 43mm to 49mm to use my filters for my Sony/Zeiss 55mm 1.8.  What filter is correct to tame the IR problems with black discoloration etc.?

I hope soon to be posting some gushing reports about this camera. 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[farnz]

Congratulations!

You need a UV/IR filter to remove the 'IR bleed'.  The sensor is also sensitive to optical radiation in the ultraviolet range too although that doesn't manifest itself as visibly as the sensitivity to infrared.

SC or MC is really a preference on how you'd like your pictures to look; SC will produce pictures with a more 'classic' look like some older lenses produce because thinner coating generally means less stray light absorbed by the coating and therefore a little more flare like in older lenses.  MC will produce a more modern look with flare minimised through absorption so it depends on your preference. 

You've said it's a Voigtländer Nokton 1.4 II but not whether it's a 35 or 40 mm?

Pete.