The new M8 - 2.0 Firmware is online

[stunsworth]

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well, i guess it's not really a problem after all. i'm just glad that it writes so much faster now with SDHC card.

 

I'll be picking up a couple of cards for sure.

[andybarton]

Maybe this is what happens.

 

Let's say your monster card holds 3,000 images.

 

You shoot away merrily for the first two thousand and 999 remains in the counter window. Only when you get to the last 999 on the card, does the counter start to go down.

 

I'd have thought that relying on one card to safely store thousands of images was asking for trouble.

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[ArtZ]

well, i guess it's not really a problem after all. i'm just glad that it writes so much faster now with SHDC card.

 

Yes, it DOES! Now I can set my M8s for DNG+JPEG fine using SDHC Transcend 16GB Class 6. I was restricting myself to DNG only because of the writing speed.

 

I haven't tested enough yet but I get the impression that JPEG quality has been improved with firmware 2.0.

[dennersten]

Is this better ISO 1250? Looks not so bad to me (I dont use that much...)

LR,all zero excpt: shp: 20/detail 100/ nr: lum 0/ crom 25/

 

Can we see some 2500 samples please?

[ndjambrose]

Robert, Okram - thanks for picking up the question and re-posting with NN. I've looked at the image again. Not sure I change my opinion though. There's still more noise in the image that I could accept.

 

Okram - yes, I print a lot - fine-art prints, galleries and wedding albums. I've used 2500 ISO in emergencies but haven't been convinced; generally the results are unacceptable for any kind of print that people are paying for.

 

Based on your test image, I don't see that there's much to get excited about for high ISO shooting. But I'll be installing the new FW and testing it for myself anyway.

 

-- EDIT -

 

Just noticed Rob says this is a crop from a larger image. If so, that might change my opinion depending on the ratio of the crop. Care to post the original?

[badpets]

I think that's not the best reason for not getting SDHC.

 

I'd have thought that relying on one card to safely store thousands of images was asking for trouble.

[Shootist]

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Can we see some 2500 samples please?

Why? It is still the same senosr and hardware. the only way to reduce noise in high ISO shots is to apply some type of noise reduction in the camera. I don't think the M8 has that capability.

[robsteve]

Yes, it DOES! Now I can set my M8s for DNG+JPEG fine using SDHC Transcend 16GB Class 6. I was restricting myself to DNG only because of the writing speed.

 

I haven't tested enough yet but I get the impression that JPEG quality has been improved with firmware 2.0.

 

What card were you using before?

 

I just checked the Sandisk site and they have both 20mb/s and 30mb/s Extreme III SDHC cards. The SD version only goes to 20mb/s.

 

If you buy new SDHC cards, make sure the Extreme III you purchase are the 30mb/s edition. They show it as 200x speed.

 

Robert

[badpets]

i just got SanDisk Extreme III 16G (upto 30MB/Second Speed) and it's working fine with all format settings.

 

Yes, it DOES! Now I can set my M8s for DNG+JPEG fine using SDHC Transcend 16GB Class 6. I was restricting myself to DNG only because of the writing speed.

 

I haven't tested enough yet but I get the impression that JPEG quality has been improved with firmware 2.0.

[robsteve]

Why? It is still the same senosr and hardware. the only way to reduce noise in high ISO shots is to apply some type of noise reduction in the camera. I don't think the M8 has that capability.

 

Ed, shoot some and see what you think. They may also be able to reduce noise by improving their algorithims for processing the RAW data off the sensor. I don't think they are doing any serious noise reduction because the images are still sharp, but with less of the color blob noise.

 

Robert

[Shootist]

Robert, Okram - thanks for picking up the question and re-posting with NN. I've looked at the image again. Not sure I change my opinion though. There's still more noise in the image that I could accept.

 

Okram - yes, I print a lot - fine-art prints, galleries and wedding albums. I've used 2500 ISO in emergencies but haven't been convinced; generally the results are unacceptable for any kind of print that people are paying for.

 

Based on your test image, I don't see that there's much to get excited about for high ISO shooting. But I'll be installing the new FW and testing it for myself anyway.

I was at a clients house the other day and they had many family pictures on the walls from years ago, 10-15, that were all in B&W and some wedding shots taken some 25+ years ago. They all looked fine from a normal viewing distance. When I got closer I could see grain/noise in all of them.

I think what everyone with a digital camera and a computer is forgetting is that in the old days we didn't pixel peep. Now everyone wants to blow the image up on the PC screen and pick apart the grain/noise.

Try printing some of your 2500 ISO shots and looking at them for a normal distance.

[Shootist]

Ed, shoot some and see what you think. They may also be able to reduce noise by improving their algorithims for processing the RAW data off the sensor. I don't think they are doing any serious noise reduction because the images are still sharp, but with less of the color blob noise.

 

Robert

Rob I will but when I have needed ISO 2500 I don't find the images unusable. I do remember pushing ISO/ASA 400 film to 1600+, both slides and B&W, and I never called Kodak to complain about the grain. It is what it is.

Is the M8 a Nikon D3, as far as noise at high ISO, No but then a D3 isn't a M.

 

Let me add that I'm having to much fun with the Auto ISO to be bothered to do test shots.

[ArtZ]

What card were you using before?

 

I just checked the Sandisk site and they have both 20mb/s and 30mb/s Extreme III SDHC cards. The SD version only goes to 20mb/s.

 

If you buy new SDHC cards, make sure the Extreme III you purchase are the 30mb/s edition. They show it as 200x speed.

 

Robert

 

I was using (and I still use) SanDisk Extreme III 2GB. I can see a difference in writing speed between the Extreme III and SDHC Class 6, especially when you have selected "DNG + JPEG Fine"

 

Concerning the 200x cards not all devices (including readers) support that speed. I've been reading recently different articles which confirmed that with older devices their performance could be even worse than with 120x cards.

[chris_tribble]

Or find a part of the shot that you want to measure light on, and recompose.

Works fast- I was never a fan of exp. comp. on M8 more than this- maybe my hands are too big- but holding a shutter button and moving a knob with a thumb does not seem easy to me...not as my ds in fact maybe it is a question of habitue.

 

Couldn't agree more - you get to recognise the light values you need to expose for - find that in the scene and off you go.

 

But hey - I'd still prefer to see the shutter speed in the VF so that I can use manual without taking my eye away...

[Guest DuquesneG]

I can't find the file on either the German or US website, all they have listed under firmware updates for the M8 is 1.201. Is it somewhere else on the site, or has Leica pulled it like they did once before with an early, buggy update that accidentally got posted to the site prematurely? Would hate to think that was the case here, if it isn't possible to go backward to 1.201

[Philinflash]

Popup flash still doesn't work.

 

How about the autofocus?

[Guest farbtupfer]

I can't find the file on either the German or US website, all they have listed under firmware updates for the M8 is 1.201. Is it somewhere else on the site, or has Leica pulled it like they did once before with an early, buggy update that accidentally got posted to the site prematurely? Would hate to think that was the case here, if it isn't possible to go backward to 1.201

 

 

You have checked this site?..:

 

Leica Camera AG - Downloads

[geoff]

well, i guess it's not really a problem after all. i'm just glad that it writes so much faster now with SDHC card.

 

 

This is so significant it almost warrants a whole new thread.

 

I just ran a quick and dirty test with a ATP ProMax 4GB Class 6 SDHC memory card, model AF4GSD, which I have had laying around in wait for SDHC firmware support.

 

I got up to 15 shots in 15 seconds before the buffer had to clear. Not too bad compared to about 4-6 shots with a Transcend 4GB X150 “SD Compatible” memory card, model TS4GSD150.

 

The big news is that when I allowed a two second interval between shots, I found I could shoot endlessly until the memory card was full with never running into a full image buffer! In comparision, the Transcend with the latest firmware 2.0, again, got tied up after about 4-6 shots.

 

Hey Bill Parsons, are you reading this!

 

 

Geoff

myspace.com/geoffotos

[Guest DuquesneG]

No, I was clicking on 'DOWNLOADS' in the top menu, then going through the firmware updates menu. I didn't realize they put it in a different place. Must be one of the "features" of Leica's website

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[Shootist]

I can't find the file on either the German or US website, all they have listed under firmware updates for the M8 is 1.201. Is it somewhere else on the site, or has Leica pulled it like they did once before with an early, buggy update that accidentally got posted to the site prematurely? Would hate to think that was the case here, if it isn't possible to go backward to 1.201

It's right there.

Leica Camera AG - Downloads