Is the M8 still worth buying in 2022-2023?

[maidenfan84]

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I’ve been looking at the M8’s for sale on eBay, etc and they seem to be within a price range I can afford for a second camera. I know it’s an older model but is it still worth purchasing in this day and age? If so, what are things that need to be aware of and look out for when buying an M8? Thank you, in advance 

[tom.w.bn]

Why do you want this camera? Is it the only digital RF you can afford or do you expect some special output from it? What lenses do you have? Do they work well for you considering the 1.3 crop factor?

Some people say that the black and white conversion is special because of the sensor characteristic and CCD. I used the M8 for 7 years (long ago) and belong to the group that does not see any magic in the converted black and white images. If you shoot colour you will probably need IR-cut filters for your lenses because of the IR sensitivity. Without the filter, you will get colour shift. Nature in summer will look like nature in late autumn. Black fabric looks magenta. I took many great photos with it. Not because the camera is special but because I had it with me....

I would buy this camera only from a dealer that offers free return for at least 14 days (standard in my country) so you don't need the mercy of ebay if something is wrong during the function test. Most parts can't be repaired anymore today. If something breaks later, it's a full loss.

 

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[farnz]

Whether the M8 is still worth buying in 2023 is a subjective value judgement that only you can answer depending on the price asked, your finances, and what you plan to use it for so I can't help you with that.

Will an M8 offer value for money in 2023?  Quite probably.  It represents an entry point into owning a Leica digital rangefinder camera so if you're not yet familiar with rangefinder cameras it's a lower-risk means of finding out whether RFs 'work' for you and if you don't 'take' to RFs then you've limited your financial exposure because you're likely to recoup most of what you paid if you decide to sell it.  The Leica badge alone means that the camera will retain some intrinsic value unless it's completely wrecked or broken.

The general things to watch out for are:

1. that the rear LCD screen is working.  The stock of repair LCD screens is gone so Leica cannot repair them.

2. 'coffee stain' on a working rear LCD screen.  This is usually a brownish colouring around the edges of the screen and often means that the screen's sealing has failed and the screen is likely to fail entirely before long.  Refer to 1.

3. a high shutter count, say, 100,000+ actuations (search the forum for how to work it out) that means there is a risk of shutter failure, which is unlikely to be economically repairable.

4. beyond that the risks are no different from just about any other camera, so signs of mistreatment or being dropped or drowned should be balanced against the price asked.

I still have an M8 primarily for shooting infrared handheld but I'm also very happy with black and white jpegs straight out of the camera and treat it as my "poor man's Monochrom".  Sure it has minor irritations - the shutter makes a 'sproing' sound (they all do), the battery needs changing when one bar has been depleted or it has a tendency to lock up until the battery's taken out and put back in or replaced with a freshly charged one, and it prefers older, slower SD cards but working with these foibles quickly becomes second nature and adds to its character I think.

Is the M8 worth buying in 2023, 24, 25 ... ?  I think so.

Pete.

[84bravo]

12 hours ago, tom.w.bn said:

Some people say that the black and white conversion is special because of the sensor characteristic and CCD. I used the M8 for 7 years (long ago) and belong to the group that does not see any magic in the converted black and white images.

I'm one of those who prefer the M8 over my M10R for BW conversions from DNG. There is nothing remarkable about the BW jpegs from the M8. I think the reason I like the BW from the M8 is because of it's lower dynamic range. I find the BW files from the M8 much like shooting Tri-X, which I like. The BW conversions from the M0 are superior to the M8 in almost every regard, but I find the images "too perfect." More akin to shooting Pan-X, which was never my thing. When it comes to opinions about the M8 black and white or the files from a CCD or CMOS to be all subjective depending on the user.

As for a second body, save just a few more bucks for an M240 instead. It is a much more capable and modern camera for almost the same cost. The M240 is the best bargain out there right now. The M8 is a good camera for what it is and considering its age, but it is currently way overpriced IMO. I bought a couple of M8 bodies just a couple of years ago when they were going for around $1000 (and slightly less if patient and lucky at the time).

[Tux4711]

I agree with what has already been said. Whether the M8 is worth buying depends very much on what you expect from the camera. I enjoy the way to take photos with the M system (slow and manual). If that's what you're looking for, then any M camera can offer that experience, but the M8 is a good (inexpensive) entry point.

However, I strongly recommend that you purchase the camera through a dealer with a warranty. I bought my M8 on Ebay from a private seller for a fair price. After a few weeks of usage, I noticed that the shutter had a defect (which can certainly happen after a certain number of triggers). The repair at Leica has cost me almost 900 euros. If I had purchased it at the dealer's price, I would have ended up with a much lower sum.

[Al Brown]

Not sure if very much has changed since then:

 

[satijntje]

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A few weeks ago I found a refurbished M8.2 in a mint condition in the Leica store in Wetzlar.
Refurbished means a new leatherrette, shutter and sensor and screen were only checked I assume.

But most important to me, it came with a certificate and a 2 years Leica warrantee.
I dont know what will happen if Leica has to replace a faulty screen or sensor that are not anymore in stock 🙂

[pgk]

On 1/2/2023 at 7:10 AM, maidenfan84 said:

..... they seem to be within a price range I can afford for a second camera.  

You do not say what your primary camera is. I started on M8s and then moved over to M9s which I have to say that I have found to be far more suitable for my needs. And my M9s are still my 'primary' Leica rangefinders. I'm not sure that I would go back to the M8s not because I didn't find them effective, but basically because I never quite took to the cropped format. Other than that I had no real complaints about them, still use images taken by them and enjoyed using them. farnz summarises what might be termed as their weaker points very well. 

[Jeff S]

An M8.2 will include features not available on the original M8.  I explained the differences, as well as the 3 possible M8 upgrades that were offered, in the following post..
 

If you go this route, I would look for an M8.2 rather than an M8, or secondarily a fully upgraded M8 (still not same as M8.2, as I explained), assuming these can be verified. I would also buy from a reputable dealer with warranty and return policy.

Jeff

[Tux4711]

vor 37 Minuten schrieb satijntje:

I dont know what will happen if Leica has to replace a faulty screen or sensor that are not anymore in stock 🙂

My M8 has now an M9 shutter incl. M9 time dial. May also work for the display.  🙂

[69xchange]

19 hours ago, Jeff S said:

An M8.2 will include features not available on the original M8.  I explained the differences, as well as the 3 possible M8 upgrades that were offered, in the following post..
 

If you go this route, I would look for an M8.2 rather than an M8, or secondarily a fully upgraded M8 (still not same as M8.2, as I explained), assuming these can be verified. I would also buy from a reputable dealer with warranty and return policy.

Jeff

Almost impossible to find a m8.2 for a good price now a days. A MINT m8.2 safari edition just sold on eBay yesterday for $3800 USD. I mean it’s a limited edition but was sold within a day..

 

One of my biggest regret is not snagging up the local M8.2 in black paint last summer for $1600 USD. It was on classified for about 2 months before it was sold. 

Edited January 4 by 69xchange

[Olaf_ZG]

I bought a m8 in the summer of 2021 just to see if I would enjoy the RF experience.

Sold it after a year. Not because I didn’t like it, but decided I wanted a monochrom and FF.

However, I even made a small “profit”, so therefore the m8 was a good buy to see if RF was for me.

That said, I bought from a leica store.

[MelodyMcLean]

On 1/2/2023 at 6:17 PM, farnz said:

Whether the M8 is still worth buying in 2023 is a subjective value judgement that only you can answer depending on the price asked, your finances, and what you plan to use it for so I can't help you with that.

Will an M8 offer value for money in 2023?  Quite probably.  It represents an entry point into owning a Leica digital rangefinder camera so if you're not yet familiar with rangefinder cameras it's a lower-risk means of finding out whether RFs 'work' for you and if you don't 'take' to RFs then you've limited your financial exposure because you're likely to recoup most of what you paid if you decide to sell it.  The Leica badge alone means that the camera will retain some intrinsic value unless it's completely wrecked or broken.

The general things to watch out for are:

1. that the rear LCD screen is working.  The stock of repair LCD screens is gone so Leica cannot repair them.

2. 'coffee stain' on a working rear LCD screen.  This is usually a brownish colouring around the edges of the screen and often means that the screen's sealing has failed and the screen is likely to fail entirely before long.  Refer to 1.

3. a high shutter count, say, 100,000+ actuations (search the forum for how to work it out) that means there is a risk of shutter failure, which is unlikely to be economically repairable.

4. beyond that the risks are no different from just about any other camera, so signs of mistreatment or being dropped or drowned should be balanced against the price asked.

I still have an M8 primarily for shooting infrared handheld but I'm also very happy with black and white jpegs straight out of the camera and treat it as my "poor man's Monochrom".  Sure it has minor irritations - the shutter makes a 'sproing' sound (they all do), the battery needs changing when one bar has been depleted or it has a tendency to lock up until the battery's taken out and put back in or replaced with a freshly charged one, and it prefers older, slower SD cards but working with these foibles quickly becomes second nature and adds to its character I think.

Is the M8 worth buying in 2023, 24, 25 ... ?  I think so.

Pete.

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Edited March 2 by MelodyMcLean

[Tessar.]

While buying an M8 as a route into RF photography is a good idea, and some people have got their money back when they sell, I wouldn't rely on that.  I bought one a year ago, in good condition, with a 6 month warranty, from a UK dealer for £1150 and have been offered about £700 to sell it back.  I've noticed since that (in the UK at least) most of the M8s that were for sale when I was thinking of selling mine back in November are still on sale now in March.  So i think dealers are asking too much for what you get.  The average price seems to be about £1200, and you can get a reasonable M240 now for about £1800 in the UK if you shop around.

I would advise to check it over with a fine tooth comb.  I sent mine back to the dealers I bought it from, to try and sell on commission, and they came back saying it had a hot pixel - which they would need to declare, and which wasn't mentioned when I originally bought it.  So make sure the camera is 100% during the return period.  The hot pixel only appears during under exposure in lower light, so it's not really a big deal in use, but might put off any potential buyer in the future.

I've decided to keep it now as I've been using it with my G-Rokkor 28mm lens and it's the only digital camera I've found with this lens where the corners don't completely turn to mush.  

I'd be careful of batteries.  If you are going to buy spares then make sure they are 1800mAH as this capacity is the same as the original Leica battery and any other capacity seems to throw the camera out in terms of calibration.  I just bought a new 1800mAH battery and used it today for the first time and took 115 pics on a trip out, which I'm really happy with.  It's down to 2/3 capacity according to the lcd, which is excellent.

My copy seems to be happy with modern 32GB SD cards, which will allow 100s of images to be recorded.

The screen covering is very soft, so it's worth buying a screen protector to prevent further scratching.  Its pretty unusable in bright light and for anything other than roughly checking composition and exposure with the histogram.

It's a pleasure to use once you are used to it, but it's quirkier than the later cameras.  As mentioned above, there is the sproinging shutter cocking sound.  Aperture Priority isn't very usable because exposure compensation selection is a multi button push.  Manual is easy though.  The meter is a bit different than my M262, in fact it's probably more accurate.  The viewfinder is excellent, as is the RF patch.  The rear jog dial is a pretty poor design and very stiff in use.  The thumb wheel on the M240 and later cameras is much better.

Oh, and the 1.3x crop, which may or may not bother you.

Hope that helps!

 

Edited March 2 by Tessar.

[jonnyboy]

The M8 was my first ever Leica - and I absolutely love it. I bought it many years ago in a reputable dealer and it worked flawlessly without skipping a beat. It was my introduction to Leica, it made me fall in love with BW and a couple of years after I upgraded to a Monochrom 1.
The reason for upgrading was that whilst the M8 is a fantastic camera, it was quite challenging to use it for professional work (slow buffer was my main problem but also the ISO performance).
The Monochrom M1 gave me plenty of problems, I had to send it back to Leica few times and it later years I managed to sell it and upgrade to the M246 which is much more stable.

Personally, I wouldn't buy one in 2023 unless you want something 'romantic'. As it's been pointed out, the M240 is really a bargain these days and you get much more in terms of value for money.

I do miss the M8, it's probably the camera I loved the most but it had to go, sentiments doesn't help paying bills

The price of the camera hasn't dropped much and it's steady around 1100, that means it's still well appreciated even to these days.

[farnz]

The M240 was/is an excellent camera that I used and loved for years but I think it's easy to forget (or newcomers might not be aware of) the main difference between the M8 and the M240.  The M240's sensor is CMOS whereas the M8's sensor is CCD. 

Many steadfastly maintain that there's a visible difference between the pictures the two sensor types produce and far be it from me to stoke that fire or turn this thread into another endless discussion about the virtues of CCD and CMOS and the differences between them so I'll leave it there.

Pete. 🙂

[TAFFY]

Like many say here, if you can find a good one -- shutter, sensor, LCD -- it's a good camera even today.  When I bought mine 11 years ago from the original owner, the shutter died and I had to replace it.  I cracked the LCD cover, and when I finally decided to do something about it, Leica wasn't repairing the M8 anymore.  I still have the camera today and it sees about the same action as my M10.   

I love the M8 and it gives me photos with a signature that the M10 can't do and shooting experience different from the M10.  There are some days that I prefer it when I want to shoot slow and at ISO 160, mostly outdoors.  Shooting it and seeing the photos make me happy.  I really do hope you find a good copy.  3rd party batteries and accessories are cheaper now and the B&W JPEGs are lovely.  I like shooting DNG + B&W jpeg.    

Late last year, I picked up the Voigtlander 28 Ultron V2 and it matches really really well with the M8 (the 35 Nokton Classic 1.4 works great too).

I wrote an article about it here just in case it is useful. 

 

[jonnyboy]

2 hours ago, TAFFY said:

Shooting it and seeing the photos make me happy.

 

Absolutely! The camera is an absolute joy to use to have fun with. I had my Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 attached for years, as you said DNG + BW Jpeg is the combo. It made me fall in love with black and white.....and it made me fall into the Monochrom!! 😪

 

[rtai]

It better be worth buying because I just bought one  

I had one years ago when I only shot B/W film and wanted a camera for the occasional color. The color out of the M8.2 mated with a Leica lens was something special. I regrettably sold it a few years ago when I went digital with an M10M and Q2M. KEH had one with the shutter upgrade and I did not hesitate. 

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[TAFFY]

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!

This was taken today with the Voigtlander 50 1.2 ASPH at F/1.7.   While the M8 still works today, and it totally fine for personal work, I think it's reliability as a camera might have a bit to be desired.  Shooting with it yesterday I had one DNG file corrupted and same as many users, it locks up when the buffer is full.

However, I love the B&W output so I am wary of the shortcomings but happy nonetheless I'm keeping this until the wheels come off