jaapv Posted July 26, 2008 Share #21 Posted July 26, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Well Water resistancy of the M8 is OK, I tend to shoot often in rain and mist. It's actually the fine dust and fine sand the worries me a bit, I was in Morocco in april and did some sandstorm shots in the desert and was surprised to see sand in the innards of the M8, not a lot, but it was , well dusty. Cleaned it out with a small vacuum cleaner and a very fine brush and it still works fine. But I wouldn't take it out in the pouring rain, although I would too, bad weather shots are always so dramatic .... I do work with plastic bags made to fit the camera and lens though, but its not the same as shooting it "raw" so to speak Been out in Africa in the dry season, which is really dusty, nor problems. Frequent sensor cleaning in the bathroom though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 26, 2008 Posted July 26, 2008 Hi jaapv, Take a look here Waterproof M8's. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
thedudeistoocool Posted July 26, 2008 Share #22 Posted July 26, 2008 I just wanted to make a quick comment on the photos on your site BRILLIANT ! My particular favorite is in the DANGER gallery of what appears to be a Ford van fording a river Don't know if that's irony or what but it is fabulous. It's going to take me quite a while to go through them all but I certainly like what I see thanks Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannenr Posted July 26, 2008 Share #23 Posted July 26, 2008 Tina, Wonderful pictures on your site! Which lenses are your favorite ones on the M8 ? Thanks, Rainer Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Manley Posted July 26, 2008 Author Share #24 Posted July 26, 2008 Thanks, Rainer, and everybody else. My web sites are all a work in progress! I like the fastest lenses because I'm often taking photos with very low or no light. The Noctilux used to be my favorite with film M's, but even after sending it in to be matched with my M8, I'm still having problems focusing it. Maybe my eyes are getting too old! With the M8, I like the 75/1.4, the 35/1.4 and the Nokton 35/1.2. When I have plenty of light, I like the 24/2.8 and the Voigtlander 12/5.8 with the M8. I'm still in Honduras. My M8's are still getting soaked every day and they are still working fine! (Knock on wood)! Tina Tina Manley- powered by SmugMug Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danyves Posted July 27, 2008 Share #25 Posted July 27, 2008 Good work Tina. Nice to see a pro using full steam the M8, even in waterflood Daniel ______________________ Daniel Legendre, Photographer | Lightstalkers Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gDallasK Posted July 27, 2008 Share #26 Posted July 27, 2008 In no way as intrepid as Tina's trip but my M8 gave me no problems after receiving a real soaking at Niagara both on the Maid of the Mist and the Behind the Falls tour. The only problem I had was in keeping water droplets off the front element of my WATE long enough to get a few shots. Does anyone have a solution for that? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_reinierv Posted August 8, 2008 Share #27 Posted August 8, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) My M8 died on me after the first day with rain in Greenland (cold and wet)... couldn't revive it anymore and the display was totally full with condence... maybe I had an older model and repairs will solve the problem Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jimmy pro Posted August 8, 2008 Share #28 Posted August 8, 2008 My M8 died on me after the first day with rain in Greenland (cold and wet)...couldn't revive it anymore and the display was totally full with condence... maybe I had an older model and repairs will solve the problem Tehe, yea...Leica switched to waterproof but they kept it a secret so as not to piss off the early adapters any worse I do believe the M8 is buttoned up pretty good against normal moisture, including a few raindrops, due to the pieces fitting fairly tight. Mark Norton knows the answer to that. But I really am sceptical about dunking underwater. Hell evenf the Canon's or Nikon's that are claimed to be weather resistent aren't claimed to be submersable, and the M8 isn't even claimed to be weather resistent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrism.. Posted August 8, 2008 Share #29 Posted August 8, 2008 Thank you very much for your pictures, they´re really great. All the best to you and your M:) Regards, Christoph Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
imported_reinierv Posted August 8, 2008 Share #30 Posted August 8, 2008 and the M8 isn't even claimed to be weather resistent. officially you may be right...It however can take a beating as they claim themselves in their ads and being in the back of the backpack during bad wewather isn't really exposing it...is it. I however only expect it to certainly do what a 0.4K camera can do..a 400D/kitlens owner was happily shooting even in the storm... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted August 10, 2008 Share #31 Posted August 10, 2008 Tina, I'm glad to hear about your good fortune. But I still can't get over the fact that Leica built a $5500 camera which is billed as a pro body and didn't incorporate as much sealing as they could. The shutter release alone is a direct path in to the body for fluid and dust. At the moment it's a game of Russian roulette. Let's hope they get it right with the M9. And on that note... Survey forecasts demand for weather-proof cams: Digital Photography Review Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted August 10, 2008 Share #32 Posted August 10, 2008 You should not forget, that sealing a camera can also work against it in a very bad way, that is, trap hi humidity levels inside the camera. If that happens, then you need to have rust resist materials, and we all know how well built is that M8. I cant say the same for the "cheap" dSLRs. @Jimmy: you are right being skeptical about ditching a camera in the water, but Tina has done that already. Don't try it with your Canon though Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted August 10, 2008 Share #33 Posted August 10, 2008 You should not forget, that sealing a camera can also work against it in a very bad way, that is, trap hi humidity levels inside the camera. If that happens, then you need to have rust resist materials, and we all know how well built is that M8. I cant say the same for the "cheap" dSLRs. There is nothing cheap about the construction of a high-end Canon or Nikon. These are very well made cameras. Magnesium alloys and many of the other materials utilized do not rust like iron etc. and can be treated. The circuit boards in many sealed bodies are often also 'sealed', as they were in the Nikon F3 etc. No sealed body is invincible, but it does prevent a lot of problems from ever occuring. The biggest danger to a sealed body occurs during lens changes and most pros will avoid swapping lenses in a hostile environment etc. Overall I think the M8 would be fairly straight forward to seal. There really aren't that many entry points and the body is very tight. The most difficult areas to seal are the shutter release (the threaded release in particular) and lens mount (and lenses). Leica could add a gasket to the mount on the lens, without too much trouble. The new Summarit type barrels already look pretty tight and could probably be improved without much trouble. The shutter release could be trickier, because it may necessitate a design change, which would be controversial. @Jimmy: you are right being skeptical about ditching a camera in the water, but Tina has done that already. Don't try it with your Canon though The only camera I would trust to survive being submerged is a Nikonos.... My Canon 1-v HS is heavily sealed, but would not survive a dunk, unless I was very, very lucky. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 10, 2008 Share #34 Posted August 10, 2008 A few points: Dunking a camera for a moment is not as bad as exposing it to a wet environment for a longer period of time. The tolerances on the M8 are probably up to resisting any immediate intrusion of water, but capillary action will transport moisture into the camera if given time to do so. That goes for weather-proofed cameras as well, although the period of resistance will be longer. Goretex garments have an interesting leaflet about waterproofing attached to them. It makes clear that all waterproofing is not absolute, but dependent on hydrostatic pressure and time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 10, 2008 Share #35 Posted August 10, 2008 officially you may be right...It however can take a beating as they claim themselves in their ads and being in the back of the backpack during bad wewather isn't really exposing it...is it. I however only expect it to certainly do what a 0.4K camera can do..a 400D/kitlens owner was happily shooting even in the storm... Taking any non-weatherproofed camera into the circumstances you describe is russian roulette., especially keeping it inside an obviously non-watertight backpack. So the Canon survived and the M8 blew its brains out. The reason is speculative. Maybe the Canon has marginally better sealing. Maybe the camera-case was more waterproof, or maybe it was just plain luck. Most users would take precautions taking any camera into such circumstances, A Pelican or Rimowa case, or even a 50 cents Ziplock polyethylene bag. And plenty of Silicagel. Taking the camera out to use shortly won't kill it. Keeping it in a wet backpack over a prolonged period of time may well do so. Leica at least has the advantage of Passport Warrantee. Normal guarantee will certainly not cover this type of damage, especially as the manual warns against such use. Any insurance claim is bound to fail as well, through "lack of reasonable precaution". Don't shoot me, that is the way guarantees and insurances work... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted August 10, 2008 Share #36 Posted August 10, 2008 A few points: Dunking a camera for a moment is not as bad as exposing it to a wet environment for a longer period of time. The tolerances on the M8 are probably up to resisting any immediate intrusion of water, but capillary action will transport moisture into the camera if given time to do so. That goes for weather-proofed cameras as well, although the period of resistance will be longer. Goretex garments have an interesting leaflet about waterproofing attached to them. It makes clear that all waterproofing is not absolute, but dependent on hydrostatic pressure and time. I'm sorry jaap, but I highly doubt that an M8 or even something like my EOS 1-v would survive a full submersion. Even if it was for only an instant. These cameras are simply not designed to survive something that drastic. You could get away with that with the mechanical bodies (Tina can tell you a good story about that one, including one about Ted Grant and a cow...), but the electronic gear will just fry itself. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted August 10, 2008 Share #37 Posted August 10, 2008 Depends on how long - a fraction of a second- who knows - but I am not about to try . My point was that getting the thing wet - I was rather thinking of a shower - is not as bad as keeping it thoroughly moist all day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted August 10, 2008 Share #38 Posted August 10, 2008 Depends on how long - a fraction of a second- who knows - but I am not about to try .My point was that getting the thing wet - I was rather thinking of a shower - is not as bad as keeping it thoroughly moist all day. Mold is the creeping death of all gear... nasty stuff... ;-) Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tina Manley Posted August 11, 2008 Author Share #39 Posted August 11, 2008 I'm back from Honduras and my M8's are still working fine, but I'll probably send them in for CLA if I get a break between trips. Speaking of rain, You would think living in a stick hut with mud floors, that you would get tired of the rain. Not in Honduras. They love the rainy season because they don't have to carry water for miles uphill and the rain means that the corn will grow. Everybody is happy when it rains. (Unless you are a visiting photographer trying to keep cameras dry!) Rain Dance photo - Tina Manley photos at pbase.com Tina Tina Manley- powered by SmugMug Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
diogenis Posted August 11, 2008 Share #40 Posted August 11, 2008 There is nothing cheap about the construction of a high-end Canon or Nikon. These are very well made cameras. Magnesium alloys and many of the other materials utilized do not rust like iron etc. and can be treated. The circuit boards in many sealed bodies are often also 'sealed', as they were in the Nikon F3 etc. No sealed body is invincible, but it does prevent a lot of problems from ever occuring. The biggest danger to a sealed body occurs during lens changes and most pros will avoid swapping lenses in a hostile environment etc. Overall I think the M8 would be fairly straight forward to seal. There really aren't that many entry points and the body is very tight. The most difficult areas to seal are the shutter release (the threaded release in particular) and lens mount (and lenses). Leica could add a gasket to the mount on the lens, without too much trouble. The new Summarit type barrels already look pretty tight and could probably be improved without much trouble. The shutter release could be trickier, because it may necessitate a design change, which would be controversial. The only camera I would trust to survive being submerged is a Nikonos.... My Canon 1-v HS is heavily sealed, but would not survive a dunk, unless I was very, very lucky. Copper from circuit boards usually gets oxidized, then some steel springs, ball rollers anything that is not designed to withstand high levels of humidity. And by submerging or exposing to humid climates you get high levels of humidity... Humidity can be real sneaky and it all depends on RH levels between the bodies. If you leave a m8 close to a dehydrator(freon) which works in a closed room this will dry out your camera real fast due to evaporation. If you dont have that, then a simple fan in a room with low RH will help. In those cases m8, which is not sealed help expel humidity, then silica gels for storage. When working in the Amazon with 95%RH sooner or later your camera will get up there, no matter how well it is made, so as Tina points out m8 was wet and it survived Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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