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Possibly getting an M8 just looking for advice


NYCJMV

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I’m new to the forum and new to photography. I have been shooting casual street scenes with a Leica d lux 7 traveling, around New York and at work (I’m a marine engineer so I get in some amazing places at the shipyards). 
 

I’ll be honest I bought the dlux 7 based solely on the reviews at the time, the way it felt in comparison to other cameras at B&H in New York and yes, I loved the look. Had that classics Leica look that everyone loves in a solid slim package. My only goal at the time was to start taking better photos than I get with an iPhone.  We just moved into a new Manhattan apartment and I hate “stock art” so I wanted to be able to frame some original pictures of places that meant something to us in good quality. 
 

fast forward to now I’ve been primarily using. Y camera on auto. It does the trick at the moment. I do plan on taking some local photography group classes just to actually get to know more about the cameras functions etc. I do love taking my own photos and have hundreds that I’ve kept now that I really love. 
 

i have the opportunity to get an M8 with lens from a friend who is selling it to me for the difference they are missing from whatever the latest M series is. In other words approximately 500 dollars under the conditions when I get rid of it they get a chance at it first. She uses it still nearly daily. 
 

I am curious if anyone has opinions and recommendations for a beginner with this camera. I generally enjoy simple technology I like things that keep you more involved so I get the feeling a range finder is something I’ll really using and actively working for the photos. Just curious what others would say. 
 

my little point and shoot dlux 7 would still remain my go to camera I think but I see the m8 as something interesting to learn and be involved in. 
 

also for a beginner on an M8 what would be the best lens?  
 

and I’m well aware of the fact the electronics are old and dated and could just die, parts are hard to come by and I’ve seen the screen and it’s useless. All that aside any thoughts?

Edited by NYCJMV
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Use any Summicron 35 and an IR filter. The screen may not produce pictures as pretty as you like but it is certainly not useless -it does what is needed to be done-, just dated.

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Hi and welcome to the forum.

Do you have an idea of what your favourite / most-used focal-length is? The M8 utilises a 1.33x crop-sensor (in full-frame terms) which means that, for instance, a 28mm lens will give roughly the same as a 35mm on a f/frame body; a 35mm lens will be closer to the once-ubiquitous 50mm on a f/f body etc...etc...

Have a look through any data the camera might have stored about the images you like as there will usually be a note of which f/length has been used for any given photograph.

Leica lenses are superb performers but can be pricey even on the used market. There are numerous 3rd party manufacturers who offer a very wide range of lenses which will work very well on the M8.

Once you have a better idea of which f/l you are after I'm sure the members here will be more than happy to make some suggestions which might be appealling to you.

Just to reiterate a point made by Jaap above; when shooting colour photographs with the M8 it is advisable to use a UV/IR Cut filter. Otherwise some colours (mainly blacks and greens) and fabrics/dyes (normally artificial/man-made) might not be captured accurately.

Good luck!

Philip.

Edited by pippy
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Welcome here @NYCJMV

M8 will teach you to become better photographer 😉.

Anyway, M8 is dated but nothing can be as cheap with so much possibilities to learn.

 

At first, you might be upset (maybe not), but if you want to learn, it can be the right tool.

Just be prepare to learn, if you have some questions, many of us are happy to answer.

Arnaud

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11 minutes ago, Olaf_ZG said:

Besides, 500$ seems to be a very fair price and a great one for the entry into the leica m world.

beware though: soon you might be looking for a m9, mm, m10 and cost will be significant more 😇

That’s what I’m afraid of. I do figure at least the lens is always usable with a new body. 

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3 hours ago, jaapv said:

Use any Summicron 35 and an IR filter. The screen may not produce pictures as pretty as you like but it is certainly not useless -it does what is needed to be done-, just dated.

IR cut filter. It needed to be said.

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The M8 is a nice camera, being an M camera that is a given. A few things to realize:

1) It is Leica's first generation digital, some parts are no longer available. It is good it is being used Leicas don't sit well. Repairs can get expensive.

2) As been said it has a cropped sensor so decide what you want for your lens, a 24 mm will be a little shorter than 35mm, 32mm, a 28 a little longer, 37mm. A 35mm lens will be a little shorter than 50mm, 47mm a 40mm longer 53mm. A 21mm is equivalent to 28mm. We all have our "normal" lens. I would suggest starting with a 28mm, wide enough, and some Leica 28s are relatively affordable, there are 3rd party 28s that are quite good. Check out the Leica Lens section, just filter the opinionated answers. 

3) as everyone is saying the IR/UV cut filter really helps, just get a B+W, works fine, B&H carries them.  

So a photo, M8 with a Canon 25mm, thread mount, adapted.

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

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If you're not used to a manual camera, the screen isn't great for checking exposure.  It's ok to check composition but you need to check the histogram because pics look blown out on the screen when they aren't (colours also look washed out but they're not in reality).  Aperture priority with exposure compension is not a speedy process on this camera as it lacks the ability to allow the thumbwheel to be dedicated to it, if that makes sense.  The M240 was the first Leica RF camera to allow "live" exposure compension using the new and better designed wheel.  On mine, the control wheel is quite stiff too, so I find I use it in manual mode using the led indicators in the viewfinder.  The good thing is it's the same as any other center weighted Leica ttl meter i.e. once you get the hang of it it's predictable.  Definitely recommended though as the pics are good, and it's less outlay if you want to learn how to use a rangefinder camera.  

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  • 3 weeks later...

m8 was a great tool back then 😉

ISO is a bit limited in practical terms 640 is what you would go for, exceeding may bring up dead pixels in your images which manifest as lines (you can ignore them in prints but visible on screen). 

Then there is the filter IR story, you can also ignore and go for the odd look which is very much instagram like.

then there is the shutter which is very noisy compared to anything 

then there is the crop factor which makes it difficult to find wides with large apertures without spending loads

then it is a bit slow and screen is small and stained 

the rear wheel is also prone to locking

and if you take a picture of a strong light to the edge you will get a weird sensor effect, with a large splash of colour across image.

BUT

for $500 it is a steal. I would acquire just for the collector factor.

went for a conference a couple of weeks ago and used the M8 with a 35, was still fun. I wish I took the 28 but forgot about the crop 😉

G>

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/10/2022 at 10:22 PM, geotrupede said:

went for a conference a couple of weeks ago and used the M8 with a 35, was still fun. I wish I took the 28 but forgot about the crop 😉

The infamous crop of x1.3 🙂

Another idea of "28mm".

When I used M8, I used other 28mm that I used by then with good results of course.

 

A couple of years back, I had bought Elmarit-M asph. 28mm which was created at same time as M8.

This lens is very nice at corners, even using on FF sensors or films.

"Chapeau bas" 👍 to Leica team who created this so small&light wonder 28mm lens.

 

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  • 4 months later...

The summicron 40C was my favorit starter lens on the M8. Prices have gone up since I bought it, so it maybe not ideal for you. Also, it is advisable to have it changed to bring up the 35mm frames iso 50mm. Later on I bought the 28mm Elmarit-M ASPH also. It was ideal on the M8, but when I upgraded to the Leica M9, I found that I still use the 40 Summicron a lot and I sold the 28 Elmarit-M for a 35 Summicron.

Just my 2 cents...

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