Guest rweisz Posted March 24, 2008 Share #21 Posted March 24, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Unlike a d-SLR, for the M8, if you want it to take the same lenses and be digital, there's only one other backup choice besides another M8, which is a used, discontinued, equally-unreliable Epson RD1. With a d-SLR there are prior generations of them available as backups. Keeping my 1DS-MkII as backup made more sense than paying another 8 grand for a MkIII, the same way I kept my MkI when I got the MkII. If there's ever an M9 a used M8 for $2K will be a perfect backup. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 24, 2008 Posted March 24, 2008 Hi Guest rweisz, Take a look here Second M8, pro and con. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Riccis Posted March 24, 2008 Share #22 Posted March 24, 2008 I echo Tina's and Guy's comments. As a professional, multiple backups are a necessity (even more so for the type of clients that commission my work). In my case I own 4 M8s (and this was the same number of Canon 1Ds MarkII bodies when I was using DSLRs). My personal reasons to do this is because I shoot with a 2 camera set every other wedding and when I am overseas shooting a wedding have the peace of mind that if one of them goes down, I still have a couple of spare backups. For amateur use, I would really consider something like an M6 unless you can afford to acquire another M8. Regards, Riccis Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Manley Posted March 24, 2008 Share #23 Posted March 24, 2008 I agree totally, Guy. I have to have two M8's. The first one paid for itself in a matter of months. The second one will, too. There are shots that I can only get with M8's. I have two Canon's (1DMII and 5D) but I prefer the M8 for 90% of my work. Leica works for me and I'll buy whatever I need to have the M8 available all the time. Tina www. tinamanley.com Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
flavio Posted March 24, 2008 Share #24 Posted March 24, 2008 sorry for the ot: tina, i'd like congratulate for your portraits. wonderful pictures indeed and, i'm sure, great personal feeling with people. flavio Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Printmaker Posted March 24, 2008 Share #25 Posted March 24, 2008 Points taken Guy, thank you. Yes I should consider an alternative like Nikon, I sold all my Nikon gear to get the M8, (am I am going round in circles?) Of course the macro possibility would be useful. Hmm. Nothing wrong with a M8 with a 28 on one shoulder and a D3 with a 105 (or D300/85) on the other. SOP in the 60s and 70s (M2/4 w/35 and FTN then). Worked then; works now. Tom Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eudemian Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share #26 Posted March 24, 2008 I have looked at the specs on the D300 and as I did so my heart sank. It just rammed home the reasons why I have gone over so completely to the M8. I do not want featuritis, complexity, besides I think as I get older simplicity wins all day. Of course there are other reasons why I am so won over by the M8 despite its flaws, as I look at the image quality and the lenses I think it is an unfair contest. Had a look at the E3 Jono, thanks for that but again I am not convinced it is for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmaurizio Posted March 24, 2008 Share #27 Posted March 24, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have looked at the specs on the D300 and as I did so my heart sank. It just rammed home the reasons why I have gone over so completely to the M8. I do not want featuritis, complexity, besides I think as I get older simplicity wins all day. Of course there are other reasons why I am so won over by the M8 despite its flaws, as I look at the image quality and the lenses I think it is an unfair contest. Had a look at the E3 Jono, thanks for that but again I am not convinced it is for me. I would suggest for you to get a Sigma DP1, while you wait for the next gen M8/M9. I just received mine, and it is a hell of a little camera. It has some flaws, like F4 and fixed 28mm lens (equivalent), but boy, does it take nice pictures! And for $800, you can not go wrong. I guess a second M8, if your livelihood does not depend on it, is not the right choice right now, when we could have a FF or 1.1 crop M9 in a few months. Of course, there is always the possibility of a M7/Zeiss Ikon or Bessa and good old fashioned film, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eudemian Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share #28 Posted March 24, 2008 Guy Mancuso you are the evil agent from the empire of the red dot spreading your poisonous truths about the only true backup to an M8 is another M8. Did you have to be so brutal:) Why does the truth have to be so expensive? If my camera doesn't revive tomorrow I will have to succumb to the plain and painful truth Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted March 24, 2008 Share #29 Posted March 24, 2008 Tom I am still laughing after 2 minutes. That was good . :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted March 24, 2008 Share #30 Posted March 24, 2008 Tom not sure you tried this but take everything off or out . Battery, SD card , Lens than just get a hair dryer and just get the heat going in all the slots , nooks and crannies. It may help . One other note . I washed my son's cell phone , yes washed it in the washing machine full cycle . I did the hair dryer and charged it for 3 days and finally came to life. Give it a couple days, it may take a bit to fully dry everything up. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
eudemian Posted March 24, 2008 Author Share #31 Posted March 24, 2008 That is a very good idea Guy, I will try that now, the flow of air may just do the trick. Cheers Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
redfalo Posted March 24, 2008 Share #32 Posted March 24, 2008 Well, I personally would NOT buy a second M8. If I was in your place (I just had a look at the current gear which is listed in your profile) and was eager to spend another 4700 bucks in Leica gear (I always want to do, but my wife stops me....) I´d buy a used M7 (should be available for less than 2000 euro) and a used 21 Asph (1800 euro) plus viewfinder. The marginal utility from a film M and the 21 Asph to me looks bigger than a second M8. Unless money is not an issue and unless you´re not a pro, from my point of view the extra expense which is related to a seond body does not look justified. yours Olaf Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill_murray Posted March 24, 2008 Share #33 Posted March 24, 2008 Why not pick up a Digilux 2 - they have a cracking lens - are cheap 2nd hand - and may become a little future classic? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thompsonkirk Posted March 24, 2008 Share #34 Posted March 24, 2008 The one point that seems certain is that you really can't own an M8 without backup. With the length of journeys to the Solms hospital for major illnesses & with the promise of future upgrade surgeries (not necessarily the announced one, but something important like accurate framelines or an improved sensor), you can't expect to have a lone M8 with you all the time & running smoothly. To each his own about the mode of backup. I'm retired & don't have to maintain professional reliability. So my own decision is just to keep an aging 5D even after its replacement comes out. Despite its clumsiness I can run it with 1 lens while my M8 is traveling around without me. All those with ample funds or a favorable business expense writeoff are certainly welcome to a backup M8! Kirk Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 24, 2008 Share #35 Posted March 24, 2008 I lurk here and have been doing so for the past 18 months or so. Totally not interested to get into these discussions but now I feel I have to comment. My M8 is currently at Solms after a complete standstill, no evident reason for this what so ever.... I was genuinly pee'd of by this, I mean really pee'd of. And now I read suggestions that we should buy a second bodie of a 4000UKP cameras in order to ensure that we will be able to shoot images whenever we want too! Man, how crazy is this, I'm confident most of the forumists here have brains, I'm just wondering where they keep them..... and/or if they are ever used in Leica matters. I have been able to use my M8 for 5 months .... and liked it, but buy a second body for QA reasons, never ever..... total stupidity, like throwing money at a bunch of monkeys and watching it disintegrate. Don't bother to reply about the content, I won't take any part of any sort of discussion, I just wanted to get this og my heart. Maybe you don't want a reply, but you'll get it anyway... You totally miss the point. For people like Guy and Tina and Riccis there is no argument. They need backup, no matter if their assignment calls for a Hasselblad, an M8 or a Holga. There is not just money to be lost, there is a reputation too... For amateurs like me there is a choice. It is very nice of Guy to say some of us could be pro's, but I for one would not be a succes at that. I value my intellectual freedom too much (another way of saying I'm an arrogant bugger) to be of any use to clients and I probably would make a hash of the business side of the job.. To own more than one M8 is an option that brings me more pleasure. Do I need it - no, like I don't need more than one watch, a second or third fountain pen and being a two person family we certainly do not need three cars.... If my M8 dies, it won't cost me a cent, it won't be an item on CNN and it even won't stop me taking photographs. There is a DMR, a Digilux2, a Clux1, and even an M3 loaded with Kodachrome. But If I feel a need to supplement this by a second M8 why not? It is not business, so writeoff is irrelevant. Plus, if I go on holiday into western Mozambique at a cost of multiple M8´s, fall off a cliff and break one M8, it is rather nice to be able to carry on shooting with the second. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerimager Posted March 24, 2008 Share #36 Posted March 24, 2008 As a part time pro. the moment I decided to shoot any paid gigs with the M8 was the moment I had to have a second body. In addition, I definitely like having 2 bodies and lenses available for fast changes, usually a 28 on one body and a 50 or 75 on the other. Used M8s are becoming easier to get at somewhat reasonable prices, I paid $3800 for mine including a handgrip. With the possibility of upgrading and extending warranty this has even more appeal. best...Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
harmsr Posted March 24, 2008 Share #37 Posted March 24, 2008 I am only a semi-pro which means that I love taking photos for my enjoyment but also do some paid work which is mainly product work for a couple of magazines plus some event work. My camera arsenal is an M7, an M8, and a D3. In my situation, I don't have to have a duplicate backup of the same camera. Any of these cameras can serve very well for what I do at events. If the D3 goes down, I call NPS get it fixed right away and get a loaner until mine is back. If the M7 or M8 go down, I use the other one or the D3. Unless you are a true pro earning your living with the M8, I would personally spend the money on another system to give you more flexibility in either reach (macro / tele from a DSLR) or a different look such as from film and the M7. The M7 will use all of your same lenses and keep your same shooting style. Just my $.02 from a guy who did have 2 M8 bodies in the past. Best, Ray Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmaurizio Posted March 25, 2008 Share #38 Posted March 25, 2008 Some of the comments about second bodies are total, with all due respect, baloney. When you have a responsive service organization that will provide --OVERNIGHT-- a body, digital back, lens or whatever you need; or when you can go to the camera-rental shop and rent one of multiple bodies in a snap, then you really do not NEED a second body. We never had a second Hasselblad or Nikon body just in case the main body went awry... This only happens with Leica, whose customer service is not adequate for the professional needs and demands of most photographers. Having said that, I understand that the M8 is indeed a very nice alternative and should be in the bag of every serious photographer that likes the rendering the M8 and its lenses produce. But make no mistake, there is a need of a second body ONLY because, with all due respect, Leica service sucks. I do not care if they take seven weeks in Solms to fix something, as long as NJ ships me a muletto body overnight. I understand they do not stock hundreds of Noctiluxes for such occasions, but they could very well ship you a 50mm F1.4, and no one would notice the difference in the end result for 99.99% of assignments. So please, let's call things by their proper name. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckcars Posted March 25, 2008 Share #39 Posted March 25, 2008 Go for it! Never look back. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerimager Posted March 25, 2008 Share #40 Posted March 25, 2008 Some of the comments about second bodies are total, with all due respect, baloney. When you have a responsive service organization that will provide --OVERNIGHT-- a body, digital back, lens or whatever you need; or when you can go to the camera-rental shop and rent one of multiple bodies in a snap, then you really do not NEED a second body.We never had a second Hasselblad or Nikon body just in case the main body went awry... This only happens with Leica, whose customer service is not adequate for the professional needs and demands of most photographers. Having said that, I understand that the M8 is indeed a very nice alternative and should be in the bag of every serious photographer that likes the rendering the M8 and its lenses produce. But make no mistake, there is a need of a second body ONLY because, with all due respect, Leica service sucks. I do not care if they take seven weeks in Solms to fix something, as long as NJ ships me a muletto body overnight. I understand they do not stock hundreds of Noctiluxes for such occasions, but they could very well ship you a 50mm F1.4, and no one would notice the difference in the end result for 99.99% of assignments. So please, let's call things by their proper name. Gus- If I drop a camera and break it at a wedding, it isn't relevant how fast Leica can send me a replacement. One day might as well be 100 years.....Peter Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.