buy or wait

[vanhulsenbeek]

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Mine has no quircks, no mishaps, no back focus, whatever. But I'm sure that's because I just don't see it. Meanwhile I'm having tons of fun.

 

 

 

My view, and experience, exactly. Don't waste your time in the waiting lounge and go have fun!

[LichMD]

If you already have M lenses and have experience with RF photography I suggest you rent a M8 to get a feel for it. The EFOV will be different than what you were used to with film, though the M8 feels like it's film brethren.

I would not wait for the M9, as it's probably a ways out from making an appearance. Buying into a Canon or Nikon system when you already have M lenses doesn't make much sense to me. You can learnthe digital process just fine with a M8.

My M8 experience, coming up on 12 months and 12k photographs, I've learned more pure photography than 20 years of film and tgen digiital SLRs ever taught me. The M8 is just a ball to use, so you tend to shoot more.

get ready though for the ancillary expenses, software (C1, PS, LR, Aperture), a better computer, and tons of storage.

 

Buy it now and enjoy!

kind regards

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[GarethC]

Two choices

 

1. Buy now, you'll never regret it.

 

2. Wait for the M10 or M11 just to be safe.

[okram]

wait

[thompsonkirk]

You might save by getting an M8 'demo' - though they have only a 1-year warranty, they're quite a bit cheaper. CameraWest, among other dealers, has had some. These are probably the ones that failed & got fixed & refurbed, which may actually be a plus.

 

I don't see an M9 on the near horizon & in retrospect wonder why I let the Internet complaints make me wait so long to buy an M8. The images look richer in tone & subtler in tonal transitions than those from my full-frame DSLR.

 

Note that if you have elderly Leitz/Leica lenses, they may not be M8-codable. But this problem is easily overcome with filters plus CornerFix software.

 

If you have qualms, pay the fee to subscribe to ReidReviews.com. Then there'll be no surprises about how the wonderful/quirky thing works.

 

Kirk

[badpets]

maybe it's the other way around - people who do not shoot a lot do not know what to complain. hehe and how could LEICA improve if nobody voices their bad experience??

 

My 2 cents:

a. People who complain a lot, are mostly people who don't shoot a lot. It's a mind thing, not a faulty camera thing..

[monza]

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It's pretty easy to find new M8s for 4300ish with 2 year warranties. If you don't like it, it's pretty easy to sell them for 4000ish used. The difference is a pretty reasonable rental fee, if you have it a few weeks or months.

 

There's your risk.

[redfalo]

Have you taken one of your Leica lenses into a dealer and tried it on an M8? If you do, bring your wallet, because you will have a difficult time walking out without buying the M8 right there.

 

That´s absolutely true. If you´re into M the M8 is a highly addictive device.

I would also agree to the advice to buy a new one at a reputed Leica dealer and to haggle over the price stubbonly. I have first hand experience there is quite some room for manoeuvre for the retailer.

 

BTW mine has a serial numbe of 311 xxx , too. It came with firmware 1.102, which was released in June 07, I guess.

Yours Olaf

[jojo2]

wow! that's a really good community - so many answers - thanks a lot!

 

I’m into my third month of ownership of the M8 and initially I was overly concerned. Much like other user forums this is where you’re going to find the highest concentration of defects. The M8 is pretty much like any other computer centric device that occasionally goes wacky with power scrolling of the menu or an occasional lock-up of the display. In my case, I’ve had to press the “reset” button about three times so far, and this was after I was playing around with the User Profiles a lot. On another occasion, I had to remove and reinsert the battery to clear the “lock-up” issue. As an avid geek on computers, I don’t get too excited over these anomalies. My advice, don’t register the M8 with Leica for about 1-2 months after purchase since a “good dealer” will exchange it for you in the event of an issue. FYI: The current serial number range of the newer units is: 333xxxx.

Regards,

 

Regards,

 

daniel, where is the "reset" button at the M8? i downloaded the manual already, but can't find one.

 

I would buy now--a Nikon D40x or similar Canon Rebel--and then wait 6 months to a year past the time the M9 actually becomes available before taking that plunge. Recent history has (or for anyone grounded in reality, should have) taught us that Leica early-adopters are tantamount to un-paid beta-testers. Paying full retail for a new M8 at this point is IMO lunacy. Buying a demonstrator isn't cost-unreasonable, but these can be early models and there is no guarantee they aren't fraught with occult defects. True they come with one-year warranty, but the reality with Leica is that in most cases repairs leave you without a camera for weeks or even months. IMO buying a used M8 is, as one acquaintance of mine put it, "like playing Russian Roulette with a Glock."

 

can use use my m-lenses with the D40X or the canon rebel? i think have seen adaptors at ebay. which one do you recommend i should buy?

 

i have friends which are very happy with canon and nikon dslrs, but i don't like the design - my lifestyle is very classical - a leica will fit best :-)

 

Just a thought: I would FIRST start thinking about range finder/digital and after that I would perhaps think about 5 minutes about what's NOW and what "could be possible".

 

You will always be behind facts.

 

I bought the M8 being an amateur, hate it sometimes (when I think it ITS fault) and love it mostly (because it wakes me up to the fact that I AM IN CHARGE).

 

Mine has no quircks, no mishaps, no back focus, whatever. But I'm sure that's because I just don't see it. Meanwhile I'm having tons of fun.

 

And sometimes I grab my other camera, because I'm fed up with all the hassle of a range finder. But I always go back to it and am even contemplating to buy a M6 or an M7. Just because ..

 

Marco

 

do you think i should buy a second m8 for backup?

i travel a lot and don't want to use a picture because of camera makes problems.

 

another question:

 

what is more durable: silver or black chrome?

i have only black lenses but silver looks more classic so this would be my prefered colour.

 

best, jojo2

[chris_tribble]

If you can get to London RG Lewis had them at the old price when last I looked... Get TWO.

[Guest tummydoc]

can use use my m-lenses with the D40X or the canon rebel? i think have seen adaptors at ebay. which one do you recommend i should buy?

 

i have friends which are very happy with canon and nikon dslrs, but i don't like the design - my lifestyle is very classical - a leica will fit best :-)

 

Aside from Visoflex lenses or certain M lenses which have removable heads which can be used with short focussing mounts, the majority of M lenses can't be used on an SLR because they will not focus to infinity. My suggestion of an entry-level dSLR was merely as a stopgap to get your feet wet in digital whilst waiting for an improved successor to the M8.

 

do you think i should buy a second m8 for backup?

i travel a lot and don't want to use a picture because of camera makes problems.

 

You might buy ten of them and still end with none functional by the end of a holiday. To me, feeling the need to buy a second M8 simply because they are unreliable is a good reason not to buy one in the first place. There is no need to carry two bodies with digital as there was with film, for two ISOs or for b&w and colour; however, without reasonable-range zoomlenses, two M bodies is perhaps still required for quick switches between focal lengths. Given the fleeting value of digital cameras and the exhorbitant price of the M8, as a non-professional I opt to leave backup duty to a compact digital, or perhaps a film M body plus a few films. Perhaps if and when there is an M9, my M8 will become a backup camera. It certainly won't pay to sell it.

[stunsworth]

You might buy ten of them and still end with none functional by the end of a holiday. To me, feeling the need to buy a second M8 simply because they are unreliable is a good reason not to buy one in the first place.

 

Any camera can fail, the idea behind having a second camera is that it can be used if there is an issue with the first one. As an example I had a problem with my M6 on the first day of a two week holiday in France a couple of years ago. I had taken a Canon DSLR as back up in case something like that happened, having the Canon meant that I could continue to take photographs during the holiday.

[plasticman]

If you can get to London RG Lewis had them at the old price when last I looked... Get TWO.

 

i know the advice isn't entirely serious Chris, but in general I'm often amazed at the cavalier attitude to enormous expenses on this forum - very nice to be rubbing shoulders with such well-heeled individuals.

 

But on a serious note: seems to me that the M8s problems alone shouldn't be a reason not to buy - unless you're unlucky, you'll probably have a fine working camera.

Other considerations weighed in the balance could mean you should wait though - these might include the high ISO performance, or any other priorities you might have.

 

I'd say (and I don't own an M8, so take with a pinch of salt if you like), if you can only afford one camera purchase this year, and you feel you might regret buying an M8 if something better comes along 8 months later - then don't buy now. If you can afford it anyway, and want to use a digital camera straight away, then go ahead!

 

Please don't buy two because they might be unreliable though - that way Leica will make the M9 slightly less reliable so that people have to buy three!

[plasticman]

As an example I had a problem with my M6 on the first day of a two week holiday in France a couple of years ago. I had taken a Canon DSLR as back up in case something like that happened

 

But isn't that slightly different to buying two of the same camera, because the reliability might be doubtful?

 

Anyway, this is a side issue - most people can't afford one, let alone two.

[Guest tummydoc]

Any camera can fail, the idea behind having a second camera is that it can be used if there is an issue with the first one.

 

On behalf of everyone who've missed the three and a half million references to it already on the net, thanks for that enlightening bit of info My point however, was that $5600 is rather a substantial sum to pay for a camera destined to remain un-used until and unless the first body fails, despite the arguably significant statistical odds that will indeed happen in the case of an M8, although I do appreciate that the unspoken suggestion of wealth it bespeaks is of intangible value to some

 

I admit that an M body and some films, or a compact digital, are far from ideal backups for an M8, however if I were unwilling to go that route and still felt uncomfortable going on holiday with only one M8, I would opt for none rather than two. In point of fact when I go on a serious holiday with my Nikon D200, should it fail I would drop into any nearby vendor and purchase a D40X. That saves me the expense of buying a rapidly-depreciating camera I may never use, as well as the bother of carrying it along. In the case of the M8, I rely on my wife's solemn promise to permit me to commandeer her DLux-3 when the enevitable M8 failure will occur.

[stunsworth]

...despite the arguably significant statistical odds that will indeed happen in the case of an M8.

 

What are those odds and how would you arrive at them?

 

Just interested.

[Guest tummydoc]

What are those odds and how would you arrive at them?

 

Just interested.

 

From my personal experience, 2 in 3, although from overall observation I'm sure the average is much better, more like 1 in 2

[Dan States]

I wish folks would stop quoting people who are on my "ignore list":D

 

As I have yet to see any photographer who can rightfully claim their abilities exceed the capacity of the M8, or practically any other pro grade camera, I would say you should enjoy yourself now just in case you are due to get hit by a bus the week after the announcement of the M9.

 

Best wishes

Dan

[Guest tummydoc]

I wish folks would stop quoting people who are on my "ignore list":D

 

 

Perhaps you should place the folks who quote them on your ignore list as well...or else re-think why you choose to ignore people whose views other folks find worthy to quote

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Iron Flatline]

hello leica lovers!

 

i want to switch to digital now, as it is getting more and more difficult to get films developed in a good quality. as i own some leica m-lenses i want to use them and buy a digital leica for them.

 

but the big question is: should i buy the m8 (which is still making lot of trouble as i learned by reading this forum) or should i wait what leica will present at the photokina this year?

 

best, jojo2

 

I didn't read the other responses, so this may be redundant.

 

Do NOT take this forum to be an average sample. This is a great place to get help, so of course you're going to read about a lot of people having difficulties.

 

Some of the issues are tied to peoples' transitions to digital, and not necessarily brand or model-specific.

 

There is a also a lot of people here who are extremely tied to the brand, and have various levels of expectations.

 

And like any community, there's people here who think it's all great, or all crap. Neither are right, of course.

 

There are a lot of M8 users who are quite happy (me included.) I am nowhere near exploring the envelope of the camera's abilities.

 

If you don't absolutely NEED the digital camera right now, then the logical thing is to wait. In a few months, we will know whether there is a new model. I personally doubt it (Leica is a small company with limited resources, which are probably being spent developing the R10, not an upgrade to their digital Rangefinder, a market segment they currently own outright.) But if they do come up with a revised model, you can either decide to get the new one, or benefit from a possible discount on the M8, an excellent camera. If nothing happens, you can still get the camera for effectively the same price you'd be paying right now.