jrc Posted September 22, 2006 Share #1 Posted September 22, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) M8 photos, and interpretations of photos, are starting to leak onto the 'net, and I think as pressure builds, more leaks are inevitable. Too many people had cameras, and there's too much curiosity. First Puts released his, which are still floating around, and then BJP printed a few. The firmware can't be so far out that Lieca *still* can't use it; especially not the RAW. I'd hope they'd release a few carefully shot RAW files that would let us see what can be done with them. You know, a model close-up with hair and skin tones, a couple of outdoor shots in sunlight and shade, and a maybe a nice dark moody bar shot done at f1.0 and 1250, or whatever their highest good ISO will be. JC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 22, 2006 Posted September 22, 2006 Hi jrc, Take a look here Time for Leica to release M8 sample photos. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
adan Posted September 22, 2006 Share #2 Posted September 22, 2006 I dunno. Lots of "work in progress" stuff is part of what got Leica in trouble over the DMR. According to their web site, official delivery is "End of November", and I know the firmware development is going to go on through at least mid-October. I'm not especially interested in seeing results that won't be representative of the final product - might just as well look at Canon 1D shots (or DMR). Even for RAW files - the software usually has 'default' settings, and I'm sure they are still experimenting with all the possible parameters in Capture One LE (and getting feedback on the various results). And once they get that stable, they'll need to run DoX or whatever analyses of each of the codeable lenses (past and present) to come up with correction settings for vignetting, fringing, and white balance. My guess is at Photokina they will have some print samples - and likely also have some of those "back-of-the-booth" personal showings to get additional feedback from [insert name of photo guru here]. Then they'll go back to Solms (and/or Copenhagen) and spend the first two weeks of Oct. making final adjustments. I should get my own hands-on (but NO take-home pictures) experience about a week from now. From the LCD I'll be able to check some gross things (like: will my 15mm C/V vignette more/less/the same as on the R-D1?, and: how well does the thinner, coated, cover glass work in reducing internal reflections of bright highlights? (another R-D1 problem). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted September 22, 2006 Share #3 Posted September 22, 2006 I think we all understand that Leica want the M8 to be see in the best possible light - to avoid needless Leica bashing - but I would be worried if they are making extensive changes. As some point, Leica is going to have to say, that's it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvaubel Posted September 22, 2006 Share #4 Posted September 22, 2006 I think we all understand that Leica want the M8 to be see in the best possible light - to avoid needless Leica bashing - but I would be worried if they are making extensive changes. As some point, Leica is going to have to say, that's it. Mark With the possibility of software upgrades its never "that's it". Even the notorious Epson brought forth a useful software upgrade for the RD1. I think with Leica, the fear is if they let the camera loose without the software being fully proved, we'd get into a situation like the DMR. Rex Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted September 22, 2006 Share #5 Posted September 22, 2006 Rex, I meant, that's it for a first release. Sure, there will always be scope for improvements and hopefully Leica will enhance retained value by refreshing the firmware from time to time. For this first version, there has to come a point when they think it's ready for general release, warts and all. The camera will get far more testing in the first month after release than it will during months of development. If the camera is behaving like a dog and they are working feverishly to sort it, then we've all be seriously mislead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertwang Posted September 22, 2006 Share #6 Posted September 22, 2006 I don't think that Leica should release any sample photos unless they are satisfied with what they are able to get. First impressions are everything especially with younger people who don't know about Leica yet. A batch of bad photos can cause problems for the M8 down the line. We don't want the M8 to be next M5. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted September 22, 2006 Share #7 Posted September 22, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) I don't think that Leica should release any sample photos unless they are satisfied with what they are able to get. First impressions are everything especially with younger people who don't know about Leica yet. A batch of bad photos can cause problems for the M8 down the line. We don't want the M8 to be next M5. You won't see any bad photos. The only question is just how good they will be. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrc Posted September 22, 2006 Author Share #8 Posted September 22, 2006 I don't think that Leica should release any sample photos unless they are satisfied with what they are able to get. First impressions are everything especially with younger people who don't know about Leica yet. <snip> I was trying to say that I think we're going to get samples, whether Leica wants them or not, and they would be better off providing samples which they control. They can be sure that the photographer knows what he's doing, that the photo-subjects are appropriate, and so on. I think there's about a 50-50 chance that somebody at the big photo-show party is goiing to sneak some shots (badly focused, badly exposed, shaky, you name it) of something like the Apple banner, or somebody's foot, and THAT will be the sample people begin to react to -- just like everybody freaked out when Erwin Puts released a photo of a badly focused rope dress. Or, alternatively, some of the thousands of shots taken by beta-testers will begin to leak. With Photokina here...I say it's time. JC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted September 22, 2006 Share #9 Posted September 22, 2006 You won't see any bad photos. The only question is just how good they will be. It's the photographer that takes the photographs not the camera ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
grober Posted September 22, 2006 Share #10 Posted September 22, 2006 Aw, come on, can't we just have a peek? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted September 23, 2006 Share #11 Posted September 23, 2006 If you think back to the DMR, there were some pictures posted on the web-site, one of Marktplatz in (I think) Wetzlar, another of a Thai dancer. Managed, of course, but they were enough to hint at the DMR's promise. It's true that the M8 has only been "out" for a little more than a week (seems a lot longer than that!) but once Photokina has happened and the 7 new products (forgetting accessories) have been launched, we will need to see some equivalents to convince us Leica is on track. What we don't know of course is just what work is being done, we don't know if Leica is encountering problems like sample variation from sensor to sensor, we don't know whether beneath the apparent calm, there's frenetic activity trying to tame the image quality. I just hope that for all their good intentions to get the camera out, the fixed Photokina deadline hasn't turned out to be hopelessly unrealistic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrc Posted September 23, 2006 Author Share #12 Posted September 23, 2006 <snip>I just hope that for all their good intentions to get the camera out, the fixed Photokina deadline hasn't turned out to be hopelessly unrealistic. I don't think this will be the case -- there were some suggestions that it might be done in time for the U.S. photo show in February. That didn't happen, but for the rumor to be so intense, I suspect that the caemra must have been very advanced at that point. You'll notice further up this board is a photo that supposedly was taken with an M8. It might be real, could be fake, but this is what Leica is going to have to deal with if they don't release some official demo shots. I'm don't think Leica should to have its reputation made (or dented) by some teenager in a basement in Chicago, working with a Sony P&S and Photoshop. JC Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterb Posted September 23, 2006 Share #13 Posted September 23, 2006 You'll notice further up this board is a photo that supposedly was taken with an M8. It might be real, could be fake, but this is what Leica is going to have to deal with if they don't release some official demo shots. I'm don't think Leica should to have its reputation made (or dented) by some teenager in a basement in Chicago, working with a Sony P&S and Photoshop. JC My apologies to the forum. I am the perpetrator of that hoax mentioned. With all the anxious anticipation and shared anxiety about just what Leica hath wrought with the M8 and the fact that all we've seen is the hardware and none of the proof of the potential that I"m sure will be nothing short of stellar, I couldn't resist offering up the shot with a little tweaking, of course, courtesy of the wonderful hue dials in Elements. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted September 23, 2006 Share #14 Posted September 23, 2006 Get a life, Peter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldie Posted September 23, 2006 Share #15 Posted September 23, 2006 Patience! I'm sure Leica will have some sample shots, well presented, at Photokina. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterb Posted September 23, 2006 Share #16 Posted September 23, 2006 Mark, If I offended you I apologize. I know lots of people (including myself, in fact) are waiting with baited(?) eyes to see image samples once Leitz is satisfied with the M8 firmware (and not a moment too soon I'm sure). So in the meantime I was just having a little fun with the forum. There was no malice or ill will intended. Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frc Posted September 24, 2006 Share #17 Posted September 24, 2006 There's no second chance for a first impression. ( which ad was that ) Leica will not want to make mistakes on this one. The wheatley pictures of London youth, weren't they made with the M8? I could be wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted September 24, 2006 Share #18 Posted September 24, 2006 There was no malice or ill will intended. Don't worry about it. It was a decent joke. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overgaard Posted September 24, 2006 Share #19 Posted September 24, 2006 I think Leica should just let some photographer go nuts with the M8 dummy. Either bring some great shots of him using it and/or show some shots manipulated as much as one would do it in real life. I'm still in love with the photos of the photographer using the MP in silver used in the first MP brochure. The ingeneering test shots can wait till later. But it would be nice to have something to look at. The Erwin Puts 'test shots' are far out. Who ever would take take a shot of a wall using an M8..? I don't get it. Why do Leica put up with stuff that far from the Leica type photography? Anyway, by Christmas we will know all the answers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter55 Posted September 25, 2006 Share #20 Posted September 25, 2006 Don't rush things. We want the camera, right? So let Leica work on it till they are happy with it. After all, as I said we want the camera - but we want Leica's best efforts. It will be better this way, please stop trying to rush them. Things will go better for Leica with a properly working camera. I want Leica to be in the camera business and to stay in business. So be patient! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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