M8 backup body/system

[Guest guy_mancuso]

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Already done

 

 

Geez i go away for 2 days and your buying out the stores. LOL

 

10 dollars says you went chrome

[DaveEP]

My answer was a second M8, but I am actually thinking about selling my second one (black) to finance some other gear I need to get....

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[Jack_Flesher]

Geez i go away for 2 days and your buying out the stores. LOL

 

10 dollars says you went chrome

 

 

LOLOL! Yep -- no moss growing under these feet!

 

Oh -- it was used (slightly) and schwarz

[Guest tummydoc]

I understand perfectly why someone would buy 2 or more M8s if their intent was to use them simultaneously so as to avoid frequent lens changes and not miss shots (and also reduce the frequency of sensor cleaning). But the thread concerns backups, which I take to mean a camera that will only be used when the M8 becomes inoperable. In that case a second M8 is not only uneconomical (though I realise that the only way for someone to demonstrate his relative wealth on a forum where everyone owns an M8 is to buy at least a second ) but can just as easily fail as the first. My M8 as a case in point might be considered as a "backup" to the two cadavers that I returned .

[Guest guy_mancuso]

But Vinay anything can fail so really any backup you buy can also fall apart too. Even a lovely M3-7 can still fail. I bought a second M8 as backup and as a users camera like you mentioned , now the odds of both going down at once are slim. But still can happen. really no matter what you do you still are taking a chance at failure somewhere. Now i know you had your issues and so did i with the M8's but alot of that has passed also and SDS is not happening lately but your point is still valid, but really i don't see getting around the backup issue that easily. If not another M than you need to carry the other camera's set of lenses and also it's failures too. There will always be risk and for you what happened was very rare and unfortunate.

[teehas53]

...the odds of both going down at once are slim...

 

Another M8 as a backup/second body makes a lot of sense if you're primarily shooting with an M8 in the first place, and the cost is not a factor. As M8s get better sorted, they will command better respect from a reliability standpoint. Personally, I'm going to have to think carefully about this as the October price increase comes up!

 

If not another M than you need to carry the other camera's set of lenses...

 

The 5D also makes a really excellent second camera. I'm able to travel with just two zooms, 24-105L and 70-300DO, and cover pretty much everything I want to shoot. And although they don't quite produce the kind of images the Leica lenses do, they are still excellent and fairly compact. I've shot many jobs and a lot of edition print work using these two zooms.

 

In spite of what's being said rather vehemently in another thread, I believe it's sometimes useful to be able to automate some of the technical functions of shooting, in order to be able to concentrate totally on the image. If one can develop settings that are intuitive and do not in some way "remove" the photographer from the process, then why not? YMMV.

 

DSLRs excel at this, and the M8 does not. Traveling with both systems allows you to cover a lot of ground, and have excellent redundancy...

 

T

[Guest guy_mancuso]

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Tom and that makes sense the 5d or something of that nature can give you some needed options when you need them. I have thought about it many times even with 2 M8's and for me i have been able to get away with it and not have the DSLR and i agree there is nothing wrong with automation unless it takes you away from the task your trying to do or distracts the thinking process and that is what the DSLR's was doing to me , i was getting lazy brain. But the other thread is kind of silly if you ask me but let them play.

[teehas53]

... the other thread is kind of silly if you ask me but let them play.

 

I couldn't agree more...

 

T

[Guest tummydoc]

I bought a second M8 as backup and as a users camera like you mentioned

 

Yes, that makes sense. But to spend that much and just leave it in the bag until the primary body malfunctions doesn't make nearly as much sense. Many people trumpet the M8's light weight and compact dimensions in rationalising the expense of one, and slinging 2 cameras about one's person is not something everyone is comfortable doing. M8 users are in an unique and awkward situation because there is only one other digital camera with an M bayonet and it differs significantly in IQ. Moreover it's not got a sterling record of reliability either. If I wanted a backup to my D200, a D40X would be a suitable alternative to buying a second D200. A film M body works as a backup for me but I've no occupational constraints to shoot digital. If I were a professional I suppose I would have no alternative but to incur the expense of a second M8.

[Jack_Flesher]

I guess how we define a "back-up" is the big variable

 

The M8 makes a great second body to another M8, especially to avoid having to swap lenses between your two favorite focals and in that vein is also a great back-up. But the somewhat lightweight 5D or D200 (or even DMR) can also be pressed into similar service, especially with a longer lens, and thus are also excellent second camera choices too.

 

Cheers,