M8 vs M3 - Durability?

[GarethC]

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I have a feeling it's a question more of consumerism rather than the actual durability of the M8 itself but I was reading something today that raised the question in my mind.

 

So many M8 owners have come from film M's and have used them forever.

 

I myself used a Minolta slr for about 20 years and then bought a new Canon dslr every time I changed my underwear (for those of you wondering I think it was annually ).

 

Now that we have the M8 I was curious how many long standing Leica users were reading this forum and think they will be using an M8 in let's say 5 years? Certainly not a long time by Leica standards but an eternity in our age of consumerism.

[Artorius]

 

Now that we have the M8 I was curious how many long standing Leica users were reading this forum and think they will be using an M8 in let's say 5 years? Certainly not a long time by Leica standards but an eternity in our age of consumerism.

 

As far as M film bodies, we all know about their longevity. The M8, on the other hand, we won't know for another 4 years, as the M8 is only a year old. I myself can see me using mine for at least 10 years if the camera holds up.

[luigi bertolotti]

I think that none of us oldtimer Leica users has the illusion that our M8 shall have a duration comparable to old mech Leicas (and, for a number of us, is not a great concern... my M4 is exactly 40 years old, would my M8 of 2007 have a 30 years life... well, maybe I'll have OTHER issues about this 70 years timeframe ). But I hope that a 10-15 years lifecycle wouldn't be so incredible to envision... expecially if they could engineer some kind of upgrading (will 10 MP seem ridicolus in 5 years ? we'll see...); after all, is true electronics has very short lifecycles, but it's mainly a problem of technology evolution, not on FUNCTIONALITY in itself, if the gear is well manufactured: of course, I use a PC of about 2 years ago, but sometimes it happens that, at home, I switch on my HP 150 PC dated 1986... it works fine: DOS seems ridicolous, 128K RAM and 5 MB Hard disk make laugh, Visicalc is not Excel, Epson FX80 is noisy, slow, horrible print quality on perforated paper... but there is nothing that does not work...

[Tom_W]

Personally I am hoping that, as the camera is a kit of parts, that I can return the camera for an upgrade or the sensor, processor, switch gear, as needs be. That will provide the longevity...but at a cost - but hopefully at a lesser cost than a trade-up.

 

T

[marknorton]

I think it's unlikely Leica will offer any hardware upgrades, aside perhaps from revised finder frames.

[carstenw]

The M3 has lasted 53 years, the M8 only one (so far)

 

The M8 is close, but not the equal of earlier cameras, but the build quality is still above most other cameras, and if you put more emphasis on quality materials and less on ultimate ruggedness, I even prefer its build to the 1D/D2x type cameras, but that is a personal taste.

[tim power]

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Flickr: Photos from gonzopixVery interesting speculations about notional longevity of the M8. my instinctive feeling on this one is that there are so many wires, contacts, flexi cables, circuit boards, chips etc, all inherently fragile, IN ADDITION to the usual mechanicals of shutter and rf that a used M8 is unlikely to survive the knockabout which film Ms routinely endure from active photographers. Those boxed in bank vaults or posing in collectors' cabinets will last forever but working M8 cameras - as Mark Norton's wonderful autopsy revealed - are such clever, complicated bundles of electronics, or kits of parts as Tom Wylie perceptively puts it, that as an M8 ages it will have increasingly frequent holidays in Milton Keynes or Solms. Perhaps I'm being unfair. Perhaps the M8 will prove to be much more robust than we imagine. It would be good to think so. But in any case this is academic. I bought my M8 on the premise that if I got three years' use out of it, the cost, amortised over that period, is around 20 quid a week. Which is equivalent to the processing and printing of three or four films a week. And if the camera is still working at the end of three years, with no Solms downtime, then I'll have had a result.

[andym911]

I am sure that camera will be fiunctioning fine for many years to come.

 

Whether people will use them or succumb to buying the newer models will depend on the individual.

When the next Leica M8 ll or M9 is shown at Photokina next year, I guess we will see whether or not the tendency for consumers to buy the latest Digital Cameras applies to Leica users as well.

 

My guess is that it will but to a lesser extent.

 

Andy

[jaapv]

I read somewhere that Leica has pledged to support the camera for 20 years.

[Shootist]

Will a M8 last as long as SOME M3's have, YES BUT.

There are a lot of M3's that were produced and no long exist/work/function as a camera, I have one (I also have one that still works as it did in 1960).

Will the same be true for the M8, YES, but for a M8 to still funtion 10-20-30 years from now as it does today depends on IF you can get SD cards and batteries for it. Where as with a M3 all you need is a roll of film.

Will the electronics still work, YES, on most. To prove this I have a phone answering machine that I bought when I was 29, I am now 56, that is 27 years, and it still answers my phone. Have all of the same make and model lasted, Probably not.

[4X5B&W]

Electronic components are very reliable these days, and the quality of the CCA's used, as per Mark Norton's disassembly photos, show that Leica has used quality components.

 

Reliability in electronic assemblies is usually dependant on the mechanical interfaces (ie switches etc.) the CCA's themselves are today very reliable, there are MTBF tables that can be referenced.

 

Things as simple as the on/off switch or battery contact will be the things that ultimately determine the long term reliabilty.

[Photoskeptic]

I don't expect my M8 to rival my M3 in longevity. It is, after all, a computer. I've been having to replace my computer every two to three years. I can but hope the M8 lasts a bit longer than that. We are all beta testers in that regard

[Daniel Ortego]

Well, at age 54 I’m certain the M8 will out live me, or at least my usable state, so it’s already an inheritance to my son.

Regards,

[Shootist]

I don't expect my M8 to rival my M3 in longevity. It is, after all, a computer. I've been having to replace my computer every two to three years. I can but hope the M8 lasts a bit longer than that. We are all beta testers in that regard

The only reason you replace your computer every 2-3-4-5 years is because YOU want a new and faster model or something died in it, like the hard drive or CD drive, and instead of replacing that one part you buy a new one. Other reasons for buying a new PC is to get rid of all the CRAP you have installed on it, spyware viruses and JUNK software. When in fact in another 1 or 2 years your new PC will be just like your old PC, IE Loaded with junk, unless you change your internet and PC use habits.