An M8 users' favorite point and shoot?

[aj55]

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I agree with Manfred. M8 + 40 1.4 (VC) or 40 2.0 (cron).

[fuchs]

Me too am starting to think of a little carry-always... I don't feel M8 as bulkier/heavier than M4, but I was well accustomed to my delicious Rollei 35 as "carry always"; fact is that I seem small digitals (or P & S, if one likes...) go out with new models any month or so... and I prefer for the moment, to wait and increase my digital workflow practice; if I should decide for a P & S I would require :

 

- RAW - 6-7 MP minimum)

- Really compact even at the cost of a modest zoom factor

- SD card

- 28 equiv. WA (would prefer a 28-85 vs. a 35-135)

- Macro

- Don't care of flash

 

Is there some item of this kind on the market ?

 

[English below]

Caro Luigi,

Non lasciarti tentare dalla Leicità (scarsa, ammettiamolo) della DLux3, e pensa ad una delle Ricoh invece. Specificamente alle tue domande,

 

- Registrano in RAW

- 10.2 MP, con la scelta di usare 4:3, 3:2 oppure 1:1 (meraviglioso formato 'Rolleiflex')

- Usa schede SD e SD-HC

- La GRD2 ha un 28mm fisso, la GX100 ha un 24-75 equivalente, ma la sua caratteristica migliore è che puoi settare lo zoom come "step-zoom", e cioè con stop fissi a 24, 28, 35, 50 e 75mm, il che diventa prezioso se usato in abbinamento con un mirino esterno di una di dette focali, in quanto uno è già abituato a previsualizzare le scene con quelle focali in mente

- Il macro della GX100 è eccezionale, in quanto puoi usarlo a qualunque focale. Nel mio lavoro quotidiano (sono oftalmologo), ho messo da parte una D200 con MicroNikkor 60/2.8 e uso quasi esclusivamente la GX100.

- Sia la GRD2 che la GX100 hanno un flash, ma siccome è rientrante puoi tranquillamente dimenticartene. Infatti, lo stabilizzatore incorporato nel corpo macchina è abbastanza buono, e permette di usarla a mano alzata anche in qualche situazione di illuminazione compromessa.

 

Saluti,

Eduardo

 

Luigi,

Dont' be tempted by DLux3's Leicaism (a scarce one, let's admit it), and consider seriously one of the Ricohs. Specifically:

- They write RAW files

- 10 MP with formats of 4:3, 3:2 and 1:1 (yes, the lovely "Rolleiflex format")

- They use SD cards, with SD-HC capability

- The GRD2 has a fixed focal length 28mm and the GX100 has a 24-75 equivalent. The best spec iof the latter is its step-zoom, with stops at 24, 28, 35, 50 and 75mm, a great thing to be coupled with external optical viewfinders, as one is already educated to previsualize scenes in one of those field of views.

- GX100's macro is exceptional, as it can be used at any focal length. I am using the GX100 a lot more (almost always, actually) instead of the D200+60/2.8 MicroNikkor combo at my daily work (I am an ophthalmologist)

- Both the GRD2 and the GX100 have a flash, but you can forget about it. The built in stabilizer is good enough to earn an extra stop or two using the camera handheld

 

Cheers,

 

Ed

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[fuchs]

I have the Leica D-Lux 3, but I don't really like it. Yes, it shoots RAW, but I find it cumbersome to work with. Should I ever lose it I will get the Canon G9.

 

I have both cameras (G9 and Dlux 3), and even if the Canon feels much better in the hand than the Leica, the Grand Prize of ergonomics and useability goes yet to the Ricohs....

 

They are, and feel like, designed with the photograph in mind. If you have used at least a 'real' camera once in your life, you will feel at home with either the GRD2 or the GX100.

 

best,

Ed

[ptomsu]

What? The reason I opted for the M8 was for the express purpose to have a high quality digital that I could take everywhere I go. For me anyway, the M8 is my P&S.

Regards,

 

I fully can back this!

[DonWeston]

Guess I am another M8/40mm Nokton user. This is my P&S walk around set up, to back up the D300 and lenses. I have tried several of the conventional P&S, lastly a G7 which is not bad, but too slow, too grainy etc. The M8 is a good compromise between the size of a dslr and a ~5oz P&S. Luckily over 50, I can still focus....at least...:-)

[biglouis]

Back to the original question: DLux2, my first "Leica" and still a remarkably capable camera if shot RAW at iso100 f8.

 

LouisB

[wlaidlaw]

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I have a GX100 as my P&S and I don't like it particularly. It is just a shade too big to go into a shirt pocket and the AF is poor except in bright light or very poor when the green illuminator comes on. I know you can use the 'Snap' mode which improves things but it should not be necessary. It is nothing like as good at taking quick snaps for eBay as my previous P&S, which my son liberated, the Canon IXUS 850 IS. The Canon has a remarkably good macro facility and its image stabilization is considerably better than the Ricoh's, which is pretty primitive. To show how good it is, Canon have it running in live mode on a vibrating platform at photo events. The Canon is also neater, has a zoom optical VF and you can get an excellent 40 meter depth underwater housing for it. I would go for the IXUS again or if I wanted a slightly larger camera, the G9. A p&s needs to be quite a bit smaller than the M8 to be worthwhile.

 

Wilson

[Maggie_O]

To answer the original question: D-Lux 3, usually shooting RAW, ISO 100-800, OIS setting #2, with a San Disk eXtreme III SDHC card, which lowers RAW write times to 3.5 seconds. PP in LightZone or the newest version of iPhoto.

 

My D-Lux 3 photos.

[AlanJW]

D-Lux 3 for me. Nice raw files at iso 100. Don't like the lack of viewfinder but produces files easily worked on in PS and ACR. The 16 x 9 format is nice to have also. G9 is a nice camera, better ergonomics than the D-Lux 3 but much bigger; to me not that much smaller than M8. DLux 3 is very pocketable. And there are times when even the M8 is too much. There are also times when I would not use the M8 at all -- like going to the beach. There's no way I would risk the M8 in that kind of environment. But I would risk the D-Lux 3. It goes into a small watertight box that goes in the beach bag and if I ever should drop it in the sand I would not react the same way as dropping the M8 into the sand.

[ptomsu]

The Dlux3 and Dlux2 are noe PS for me. I do like them, but they are far to complicated for a simple concept with teir separate lens cover. And RAW really sucks. It is only to play with it for me, nothing else. Far too slow!

 

I would love the nikon P5100, if it had RAW and a 28 equivalent. It fits very nicely in your hands, not too small, not too big, just right. Hopefully they bring this at PMA in 2 weeks ?

[mitchell]

These were taken with my Ricoh GRD II. Leicaphiles will leicaly (couldn't resist) freak at the noise, but these were all taken in bad light. The extreme dof of the wet window is a P/S feature that Sean Ried discusses informatively on his site. And the blurred 40 mph car mirror shot would have been hard with a bigger camera.

 

I love the GRD, as well as my M8.

 

Best,

 

Mitchell

 

 

 

 

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[norbertnl]

This M8 user's (=my) favorite point and shoot is a chrome M8+'cron 28+shade of 'lux 35ASPH + Luigi halfcase with hanging flap. The combi has now replaced my beloved M6+'cron 35 in the P&S function, but not in all aspects. In earlier M6 years I made several attempts to replace the Leica with a yashica T5 for everyday use. After a short while I'd ruefully return to the M6 because I love its feel and the possibility of manual focussing. It's the same thing with the M8 now. I've decided to put up with its contained bulkiness because I know what I get in return .

 

Best regards,

Norbert

[Philinflash]

Flickr categorizes the M8 as a "Point and Shoot" camera, so what's your problem?

[sliversurger]

so you spend about $8K on an M8 and lens, then decide to carry around a $500 P&S as a backup? what kind of madness is this? a proper back up to the M8 is of course a second M8!

[earleygallery]

You don't have a mobile phone?

[tomdibella]

As with others who've posted my M8 is my P&S and certainly beats carrying a 1DsMkII. I have not seen anyone list the Sigma DP1.

 

Here's a link to a video;

[earleygallery]

As with others who've posted my M8 is my P&S and certainly beats carrying a 1DsMkII. I have not seen anyone list the Sigma DP1.

 

Here's a link to a video;

 

Maybe because its not actually available as yet. Apparently Sigma have 'gone back to the drawing board' with it.

[Jaifoto]

I fully can back this!

 

I sold my Canon 5D gear because I wanted to go lighter for travel work. I also have had a D-Lux 3, but sold it after getting the 21 and 28mm lenses for my M8.

[hahn73]

Okay, please - enough posts declaring that you carry your M8 around as a "pocketable" P&S. I get that some of you consider any other camera beneath your vast photographic capabilities. No, really I do. But some of us barely had enough money for one M8, to say nothing of two. And some of us, as kindly mentioned by another poster, don't wish to bring our M8 to the beach, or as I experienced a couple weeks ago, a heavy snowfall during a snowshoe trip. If you're offended or don't understand why some of us wouldn''t want to risk our $5000 cameras in such a manner, then all I can say is sorry, perhaps this is not the thread for you. (And I do also understand that some of you were merely joking.)

 

I also appreciate that some of you are earnest in that you do carry your M8 around for any and everything. Fine - I'm honestly happy for you. But I want a P&S because even without a lens, I *don't* consider the M8 to be light or pocketable - telling me otherwise will not change my mind. Perhaps you have never considered going on a run or kayaking with a camera - then you may rethink how light/pocketable the M8 is, and whether you want to risk dropping your camera on asphalt or into a river on such an outing.

 

And the reason I posted here was because I'd like to know what P&S M8 users consider to take photos of acceptable quality for those times you're in a pinch. To those who managed to stay on topic, thank you for your responses. I noticed that this morning Panasonic already announced a new P&S: LUMIX DMC-LS80. It looks potentially interesting. 33-100mm equivalent (max aperture: 2.8-5.5 across the 3x zoom). Apparently its ISO goes up to 6400, though if it's usable up to 800 I'd be pretty happy. No RAW though. Will be interesting to see what else comes out in the next few weeks.

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Hallo,

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[paralx]

I find myself in situations where as much as I love the M8 (and I do - very much); it is just a bit too much to carry around (going out to dinner, hanging out with friends, quick errands, etc). The GRDII is great in these situations. I find that it delivers images that with minimal processing (I shoot RAW) give me great results. Attached are a coupe of different looks from the camera; the color one is shot at ISO 80, the black and white at ISO 800. Dont get me wrong...the M8 is with me most of the time, but the GRDII is with me ALL the time.

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