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Upgrade of an M8

oyvindandersen

By oyvindandersen
in Leica M8 / Leica M8.2

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scott kirkpatrick

scott kirkpatrick

Posted
Posted
Had a look on the official Leicasite today, seems like they have reduced the upgrade costs nearly 50%, is it worth it You think?

 

The differences between an M8u (upgraded) and the M8.2 are minimal. If you plan on keeping the M8, I would recommend that you get the upgrade done. The warranty is also extended for one year, and you get a tune-up (perhaps not a full CLA, but a factory check-over).

 

scott

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jamriman

jamriman

Posted
Posted
Maybe this is it?

 

Leica Camera AG - Service - M8 Upgrade

 

The $1320 EUR price for all 3 upgrades equals $1934 USD. I remember the upgrade cost $1075 USD for new M8 owners back in April. I'd pay $1075 for all 3 upgrades, but not $1934. To spend close to $2k, I may as well put the money towards an M9.

 

Yes doesn't make sense dump it and put the money towards an M9.

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ho_co

ho_co

Posted
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I just bought the upgrade a couple months back for well over $1000.

 

Now I'm annoyed that I did, simply because the dollars would have gone better toward an M9.

 

I'm glad for the quieter shutter, and I figured the upgraded frames would be nice. Then I decided that I might as well get the sapphire glass while I was at it.

 

My advice is, if you're asking here, you probably don't need to spend the money on it.

 

When you sell the M8, you won't gain back the extra dollars you put into the upgrade.

 

Have fun in your decision-making process, Øyvind! :) It will still take the same picture either way.

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kalina

kalina

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I think for $1075, the upgrades are worth it. This is how I see every camera I've ever owned. If I were to rent a good camera, I could reasonably pay $100 per month for it (this is how much I could afford versus what the going rate it). My Nikon D300 cost me $1800. I've used it for over 18 months now. To me, every month from now on, it's like using a free camera. That's a great feeling. My M8 cost me $2300 and I had it since March of this year. It will be a long time before I get my money's worth from my M8. Every camera I've ever owned, I got my money's worth so far following this simple formula.

 

The way I see any Leica is you put in a much bigger investment into it in the beginning and you should expect to use it for far longer than cheaper gear in order to get your initial investment back. Note that I haven't even included lenses or accessories into the equation. You can include those costs in there as you choose. Maybe to you owning a Leica is worth $200 per month to rent. That's up to you and how much you value your Leica.

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innerimager

innerimager

Posted
Posted

Here's my decision. I have a chrome M8, over 3 years old so out of warranty. The frame line selector lever sticks on occasion, and sometimes when I put a lens on it's stuck as well and I have to nudge the lever to get the correct lines. So my choice is to have it fixed or upgrade at least the framelines. I'll get an estimate for the repair, but let's say it's $300 or so. Do you think it would be wise to go ahead and upgrade the framelines, getting more accurate ones, and know the extra money is also buying 1 year of warranty? I wonder especially if I decide to sell it in the next 6 months for an M9. How much resale value do you think 6 months of warranty brings? Thanks for your thoughts......Peter

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marknorton

marknorton

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Looks like the prices have come back to the original ones - all upgrades for €1320 instead of €2000. Have to say they transform the camera, not just the upgrades themselves but the alignment process they force the camera through. Especially important if you have an early M8.

 

I suppose it only makes sense if you are planning on keeping the M8 for a while; however, the sapphire glass is great - and cool to the touch - and that isn't available on the M9.

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innerimager

innerimager

Posted
Posted

Hi Mark- I guess I have been discounting the value of the sapphire cover all along. But it sure seems that folks like it a lot. I do plan on keeping the camera. I have 2 M8s including a newer black one which I could sell to get the M9. If I upgrade the shutter on the chrome, then I won't have a 1/8000 shutter available which is a bit of a issue. Decisions, decisions.....Peter

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marknorton

marknorton

Posted
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The problem for Leica is that an M8c user can now likely trade their camera for a secondhand M8.2 for less than the cost of the upgrade which makes it difficult to justify the cost. Reasons are down to cosmetics, no S mode and the fact the M8u is still "your" camera. Keep in mind too that the M8u has the same shutter speed dial as the M9 which I see as an advantage.

 

The spoiler is of course the loss of the 1/8000 and the M8c is the only one of the 4 Leica DRFs to retain it.

 

I expect that the number of people upgrading has fallen off a cliff, in much the same way as secondhand prices for UV/IR filters. I can't imagine Leica will be selling many.

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Nicoleica

Nicoleica

Posted
Posted
OK I'm a dunce :D I can't fill that in - what's the "c"?

 

Don't worry. It took me a while to figure out some of the shorthand in this forum. (And some of it escapes me still!)

 

An 'M8c' is a bog-standard M8, with no upgrades. The 'c' is supposed to represent 'Classic', which seems to be current 'in' term for anything that's not been upgraded.:eek:

 

I have also seen this referred to as an 'M8.1' too. :eek::eek:

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