Who is buying the M8?

[Guest guy_mancuso]

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Who is buying the M8?

 

 

Hell who cares. I just want nice images, do i have to be somebody special for that or not special for that matter.

[Venkman]

Guy, you're "special" when it comes to you, a vendor, some Leica glass and a credit card in the same room.

 

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[lxlim]

Guy, you're "special" when it comes to you, a vendor, some Leica glass and a credit card in the same room.

 

 

Let me add to this; test pilot, research scientist, problem solver, cheer leader, ... in fact I would add quite a number of forum contributers to this list ; )

 

Alex

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Thanks guys , really i am just sick in the head. ROTFLMAO but I know this stuff helps others as well so be it. LOL

okay back to these projects. I have a feeling John is running around NY shooting the Zeiss 18mm LOL

Which i hope he is doing

 

Starting to feel naked here , My 18mm is in NY , my 35 cron version IV is going to NJ for a code and lube job on the focus, my 135 apo is going to NJ than to Solms for a shim and just discovered the aperture ring is spinning around. Bummer is i'm stuck here working:D

 

At least I have enough lenses for two people so I am covered

[lxlim]

First timer M8.

 

Got the M8 more for its lenses and ability to resolve details cleanly at wide open apertures. Using it more like a MF digital back i.e. with tripod. I use my canon's for fast fluid changes in action and quick changing lighting conditions.

 

Until I get my M8 back from Solms, and practise with it for a year I cannot say if it is suitable for my needs in event coverage but for what I intend to use the M8 for I would say there isn't anything as good except perhaps a 1DsMkIII.

 

I do wish I can remotely trigger the M8 with a pocket wizard which is possible with my Canon camera.

 

Alex

[gwelland]

 

.... my 135 apo is going to NJ than to Solms for a shim and just discovered the aperture ring is spinning around.

 

Really. That's interesting because when I bought my 135 APO-Telyt the first lens had the same problem - the aperture ring and blades were disconnected from each other. This was on a new lens.

 

As regards the shim - infinity focus problems or alignment problems with the mount?

 

Thanks

 

Graham

[sdai]

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My humble guess is there's a lot more first timers than existing M users.

 

1. first timers can move the "Old New Stocks" and suck up the used market.

2. first timers will compare this to that ... which are mostly topics already beaten to death.

 

Interestingly, couple of guys here who have Leica for over 20, 30 or maybe 40 years are still sitting on the fence.

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Really. That's interesting because when I bought my 135 APO-Telyt the first lens had the same problem - the aperture ring and blades were disconnected from each other. This was on a new lens.

 

As regards the shim - infinity focus problems or alignment problems with the mount?

 

Thanks

 

Graham

 

Infinity , It is front focusing a touch and they want to get a shim in it to correct it. The aperture ring is a weird one though it works but just don't stop

[StS]

To continue the 'historical RF thread':

 

The first RF I borrowed as a child was a 50s Voigtländer

The first RF I bought was an Olympus XA

The second RF I bought was a M3

The third RF I bought was a M8

 

I never sold a camera they just keep piling up (more than 10 in total, SLRs, TLRs plus some lenses).

[scott kirkpatrick]

I picked up an M2 when they were being dumped by all the journalists moving to Nikon FTNs and similar highly automated gear. It was hardly a man-jewel; I liked its immediacy and naturalness of operation, and it was extremely affordable at the time. Some Nikons, a Rollei and a nice darkroom all fell by the wayside as my day job got too interesting, but I held onto the Leica when digital made it attractive to get back into photography. I bought the M8 while waiting for the Olympus E-3 to replace my E-1 (I'm still waiting), along with a few Voigtlaender lenses since those were a lot crisper than my old Canon lenses. And now have several of Leica's finest in addition. The costs seem reasonable in terms of results that i can see.

 

Besides the subjective qualities of shooting with a digital RF (which Sean Reid expresses very well), there are several clear technical advantages -- light weight, small kit, less obtrusive appearance, and the ability to focus on what you intend to have in focus.

 

scott

[Peter Kamp Knudsen]

I got my first Leica today a M8 with a 28mm 2.8 & 35mm2.0

I have a Canon 5D and use mostly 16 - 35mm.

 

Wow! The M8 seems to fullfil my dreams...

 

Peter

a brand new M8 shooter

[simon_hughes]

I had an M6TTL and M7 and sold them (Idiot!), then a pair of Epson R-D1 cameras. I got my M8s a few months ago.

[PhotoLouis]

Ordered the M8 last Thursday from Robert White, second hand (2 months old) with a 21mm, 50mm and 90mm. They kindly delivered it to my hotel on Friday evening so that I could use it to photograph the LABBS Friday night show in Bournmouth.

 

It's my first rangefinder for many years, currently using Canon 1DS 7 D60. I looked at the Hasselblad as well as I have wanted one for years, the Leica won.7 I'm fairly pleased with the first results, considering that I have not used a manual focus for more years than I care to remember! First photos can be seen here PhotoLouis.co.uk - powered by SmugMug

in any of the sub galleries that have a LABBS Convention 2007 gallery. Also there is a Leica M8 gallery PhotoLouis.co.uk - powered by SmugMug

 

Nothing exciting, most where shot at ISO 2500 & 640.

 

Went out today and bought a Billingham Pro to put the Leica stuff in, well I forgot my wallet so my wife was kind enough to use the plastic

 

Louis

[small-luxury-world]

Haptic lover like me! Of course there is much more about the great all over quality. But great quality is the minimum requirement I ask and the haptic thing is the cream on the top.

 

As somebody said before:

 

I wanted an M8 because it's the only digital camera (and lenses) that actually feels and works like a REAL CAMERA.

 

My first real camera (in the age of 13) was a Contax 139 Quartz with a Zeiss 1,7/50mm and after 27 years still a great pleasure to handle it. I would never sell it. Maybe I will handover it to my son in a few years

Next was a Nikon F3 HP with some great lenses, as I started as a apprentice photographer (stolen!).

Next was a Contax RTS III, which I still have. It was great for theatre photography, especially with my Zeiss 1,4/85mm and T-Max 3200. Both are still existing, but not used often because of heavy weight and lack of time.

After some years with just a small Nikon Collpix, I bought a Panasonic Lumix LC1 which is great to handle. Especially I like the indirect flash and the classical style.

 

Was lurking for the "perfect" digital SLR and haven´t found it. To much plastic, to much programming, to heavy, ... . Then I started thinking about the M8, but never had a rangefinder before and the price was even to high for me.

 

A few month ago I went to a Leica-Shop to have a look to the D-Lux 3 and of course they also had the M8 in stock. After handling the M8 for a few minutes it was clear - I need one. I tried to resist, but asked for an used M lens 35 or 50 with a least 2.0 to keep it as cheap as possible. And surprise there was none in stock, but there was a small parcel coming in from an other customer who wanted to sell. Now I´m the proud owner of my own M8 with a (used) 2.0/50mm lens and for sure I really love it. It feels perfect to me and I really like the pictures I am able to do with this jewel of a camera.

 

Looking forward to great times and photos ....

 

Question was: Who buys ....

Answer: Not only the "healthy & wealthy" ones, but for sure admirers of high quality products! (Just my 2-cent!)

 

oliver

[Maggie_O]

Hi Oliver!

 

I was the poster you quoted and I too used to use a Nikon F3 HP! I have to say that the M8 is the closest thing I've found in a digital to that wonderful Nikon. If someone made a digiback for the F3 that kept close to its original form factor, I'd snap it up. My Nikkor primes are too nice not to use.

 

Interestingly enough, I had a chance to compare my M8 to my dad's old Konica T3- the M8 was lighter, shorter (both height and length) but was about the same thickness. Dad's 55mm lens was stouter but shorter than my CV Ultron 35mm. Both felt solid as tanks.

[ChrisC]

I had not shot 35mm in over 25 years, but have owned owned or regularly used wonderful 6x7 and 6x9 rangefinder camera; Koni Omega, Plaubel Makina, Fuji, Mamiya 7. The last three camera types in particular had fabulous lenses, and used alongside a much used Linhof Technikardan 6x9 view-camera system made useful combinations for me.

 

My move to M8 was part of a conscious downsizing, but it was the evidence from this forum that the camera was capable of producing relatively large prints which was the tipping point. I am still agnostic about Leica and believe they should be criticised where deserved; I bought the camera 'warts and all' but there are times when it is the best camera to use. Despite all my reservations about the M8 and Leica eccentricities, my biggest regret is that I might be forced to sell it because my roll film cameras are not selling; if that day comes it will be a heartbreaker. [i'd miss this forum too].

 

................... Chris

[@bumac]

Who is buying the M8?

 

I bought it.

[edlaurpic]

Warning - this is a nostalgic rambling and perhaps even boring story from an old guy from the era of Speed Graphics.

 

Many people who have never owned a Leica before are buying the M8 because they want to capture high quality images with a small and portable package.

 

My story is different.

 

I started with a SpeedGraphic as the school newspaper photographer when I was 14, used Nikon SLRs until I was 35 when I got my first Leica CL, then an M5, then MP, M2, M3, M6, M6TTL, then several Leica Rs, R3, R4, R6 for macro and telephoto, trading up or selling as I “advanced”.

 

When I decided I wanted much higher resolution for some of my shooting, I got Hasselblads, but continued to use Leica M and R cameras (M for people, R for sports and macro).

 

When digital came along, I yearned for, but could not rationalize buying a MF digital back, so during my first few years with digital I went back to Nikon DSLRs, then Canon DSLRs, but I dearly missed using the Leica Ms.

 

I ordered two M8s the day Leica announced them (summer of ’05) and waited five months to get them. The results and the fun of using them were so great that the Canon DSLRs were hardly used after that, except when absolutely necessary for telephoto and macro.

 

Interestingly, because I liked the quality of the M8 files so much more and was intrigued by what I read on the Mancuso DMR “bible” on the Miranda site, I finally decided to try a used R9 with a DMR which I now use instead of the Canon DSLRs for telephoto and macro digital shooting, for which it excels (see Doug Herr’s work, e.g).

 

Because I loved the Hasselblads as much as my old Leicas simply because they are beautiful machines, I could never bring myself to get rid of all of them, which was a good thing, as I eventually got a CFV back and recently a CF39. Now, when I can shoot in my studio or when resolution is paramount and large enlargements for trade show placards are the goal, I use the Hasselblads and the CF39 and get astonishingly good files, but at the price of weight, bulk, slow response and spooked human subjects. So for most people photography (my favorite subjects by far) and for all of my travel photography, I find the M8 to have no peer and feel it is almost as satisfying to use as an M3.

 

As I tell my wife, this pastime is a lot less expensive than horses, boats or sports cars (all of which have at various times over the last 50 years also taken my money). Now she her own M8 and loves it, even though she only had SLRs and DSLRs before.

 

If I had to dramatically downsize my photo tools and toys and could only use one camera and lens, the choice would be easy - it would be a black M8 with a 35/2 ASPH.

[arthurpreston]

I am a first-time Leica user, my digital expereince began with the Minolta Maxxum 7D, which as soon as I bought, Minolta went out of the camera business. I am still getting used to the M8, although, the learning curve is not now as steep as it was when I first went to digital. I must say, I still like my Minolta, and have about 6 lenses for it, so I won't stop using it all together. But now, as I go places, the M8 is ALWAYS with me. So far, I only have two lenses, the 21mm and the 50mm, hope to add to my collection as time goes by. I am very impressed with the quality of images thus far; as with any camera, the responsiblity is on the photographer as far as the subject matter, AND getting the focus ring correct.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Shootist]

I had not shot 35mm in over 25 years, but have owned owned or regularly used wonderful 6x7 and 6x9 rangefinder camera; Koni Omega, Plaubel Makina, Fuji, Mamiya 7. The last three camera types in particular had fabulous lenses, and used alongside a much used Linhof Technikardan 6x9 view-camera system made useful combinations for me.

 

My move to M8 was part of a conscious downsizing, but it was the evidence from this forum that the camera was capable of producing relatively large prints which was the tipping point. I am still agnostic about Leica and believe they should be criticised where deserved; I bought the camera 'warts and all' but there are times when it is the best camera to use. Despite all my reservations about the M8 and Leica eccentricities, my biggest regret is that I might be forced to sell it because my roll film cameras are not selling; if that day comes it will be a heartbreaker. [i'd miss this forum too].

 

................... Chris

 

Selling your M8 would be a big mistake. You say your roll film cameras are not selling. Well maybe you are asking to much for them? In todays world people, like yourself, are moving from film to digital. That's why you bought the M8 in the first place. So what do expect, for someone else to say "Hey I'm going to go out and buy some used film gear and not do digital photography anymore".

Sell the film cameras for whatever you can get for them and be done with it.