Some thoughts on the M8.2 after 2-1/2 weeks

[sandymc]

I'm guessing Leica could integrate it in to the RF unit. Take a reading off one of the mirrors or prism blocks. That way the meter in looking at what the photographer is looking at.

 

The other option is a 'lolippop' in front of the shutter, like the M5 and CLE used. But that solution has it's own drawbacks.

 

Neither of those would work, unfortunately, unless the lollipop has some fairly complex optics of its iterated into it - matrix metering depends on the sensor actually being at the focal plane of the lens. Optically, of course - you can put in the base of the camera, or in prism housing, and use light from the mirror, but you have to have focussed light. The M5 and the CLE didn't need focussed light on the sensor.

 

Sandy

[wattsy]

Notice how almost no one shoots slide film in uncontrolled situations.

 

Maybe less so now but that has nothing to do with any inherent trickiness of exposing transparency film using an M6/7/P. The Leica M and slide film are a perfect combination (where's our resident Kodachrome man?) and have been a staple diet of reportage photographers for donkey's years - think National Geographic, Webb, David Alan Harvey, etc.

[ShyTot]

The M8 is capable, at lower ISOs, of a medium-format film look but my own style is more of what I would call the "35mm aesthetic", with higher contrast, rougher tonal gradation and graininess.

 

Mitch, I think you're trying to bend reality here. No disrespect to your photos, they are what you want and that's all that matters.

 

The images from your Ricoh look like what they be - low res pics from a pocket P&S camera with blocked-up shadows converted to B&W to make the noise look interesting and appear as grain. In no way do they approach what 35mm is capable of and 35mm needs some atrocious processing to make it look like the Ricoh pics, but if that's what you want, that's OK.

 

The M8 on the other hand is a remarkable camera. It lacks some of the aesthetics of 35mm film, but offers an excellent alternative with its clean digital look. As a regular M8 and MF shooter I'd suggest that the M8 cannot match the aesthetics of MF film, but it can produce clean digital images to a large size. Look at the MF work of Tommy Oshima and Mark Tucker and see how you could match that with the M8. Reality is, you can't. LOL, LOL.

 

Shyt

[Raf DeBoeck]

"The images from your Ricoh look like what they be - low res pics from a pocket P&S camera with blocked-up shadows converted to B&W to make the noise look interesting and appear as grain."

 

Rather a condescending statement wouldn't you agree?

 

It's a certain style used to project an image, capture the atmosphere and not necessarily the technical qualities of the medium, I, and many other will judge an image by what it represents optically and not technically. Mr. Alland's shots might not be technically perfect, but I don't actually think this was the artists intent. They do however represent "life, atmosphere, movement" and that all in one simple image .... I enjoy the style and content of the image and being able to control this is much harder than achieving a clean one on one representation of any subject with an M8.

[ericperlberg]

"Rather a condescending statement wouldn't you agree?

 

Personally I found it refreshingly accurate.

[Raf DeBoeck]

Personally I found it refreshingly accurate.

 

Yep you would ... based upon browsing through the images on your homepage, these are indeed smooth, can't judge wether they are good or not, just different from a style point.

[ericperlberg]

Yep you would .

 

condescending did you say?

[Guest malland]

What's with all these personal attacks, guys? Pretty boring stuff compared to the discussion that's going on about these pictures in the dpreview thread where they have been posted and where I encourage you to have a look:

 

M8 style and my own style [Page 1]: Leica Talk Forum: Digital Photography Review

 

 

 

...It's a certain style used to project an image, capture the atmosphere and not necessarily the technical qualities of the medium, I, and many other will judge an image by what it represents optically and not technically. Mr. Alland's shots might not be technically perfect, but I don't actually think this was the artists intent. They do however represent "life, atmosphere, movement" and that all in one simple image .... I enjoy the style and content of the image and being able to control this is much harder than achieving a clean one on one representation of any subject with an M8.

Raf, that's a good statement what these pictures are about. The only trouble is "Mr. Alland" was my father — me, I'm "Mitch".

 

—Mitch/Turks & Caicos

Bangkok Noir©: Book Project - a set on Flickr