Leica M8 Hands-on

A hands on look at the Leica M8 camera inconjunction with the review at ...(TBA)

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Leica
• M8

[yfjameslo]

There is one thing SO important that you do not undersand.Why are we buying a camera? For taking photos. The specifications are bonus. What we want is something that gives the greatest quality. Leica succeeds in doing so.What does 24.5 Megapixels give you? Just a larger file size and nothing more if you DON'T HAVE A GOOD LENS. What does 10 Megapixels with a Leica lens give you? Great dynamics, colours and the rest. It gives you all the quality and the rest is up to your technique.

[hmausolf]

It's not only the lenses' quality. If you pick up an M-Leica, it changes your approach to photography. It's different than taking pictures with an SLR or a compact. Neither is superior, but some people, like me, take different and maybe better pictures with a rangefinder camera. Also, most people don't take much notice of you, if they are not into photography and know what you're using. They just don't expect you to take serious pictures with a camera that doesn't look like a professional SLR.

[nichotom]

The M8 will be redundant in a few years because it doesn't have a full frame sensor. Leica made no advance in the 7 years since the Epson RD-1. The M3 (50 years old) is still a better camera than this because it is full frame, it is smaller, and it is cheaper.

[zippy045805]

@dstate1 The M3 wasn't redundant in the 1960s in the sense that I mean, because 35 format film remained as the leading small format film. I might be wrong, but electronics always fail after a few years. Look at prestige watches from the 1970s. Mechanical watches still work, but the then novel LED watches are all useless cases now. Now, Leica may offer a back to factory replacement service which wil overcome this inherent problem. I hope they do!

[dragonz46]

@yfjameslo It also gives you one heck of a credit card bill! hahah

[dstate1]

@zippy045805

What does redundant mean in this context? It will still take beautiful photos so who cares? The M3 was redundant in the 1960's if you are going by feature sets. It still takes beautiful pictures...just like the M8

[Ishcoa]

A digital Leica just isn't the same...

[zippy045805]

@ElTiBo44 why will it be "more or less useless" in a few years? All I meant to say is in my full comment. It will become redundant due to the progress in digital technology. The body that is, not the lenses.

Your comments about your M4 is also consistent with my comments about the M3 that I used to own still working wonderfully after 35 years.

[ElTiBo44]

@zippy045805

I don't mean this as criticism of your statement but f it takes "beautiful photos, superbly constructed" now why will it be "useless" in a few years? Unless the camera itself stops working it will still produce the same files. I used an M4-P and a M4-2 for years and loved them. For practical purposes I went with a Canon 5D when I went digital. That Camera is now 5 years old and sure it would be nice to have the latest & greatest, but it's certainly far from useless

[optoform]

I agree with you.The M8 should be thinner. The thing is, instead of the film rolls, the digital M8 has additional stack of shutter+CCD chip+back illuminated LCD. They could have easily brought the shutter closer but it might be because of the light meter that reads off of the shutter blade. The M8 is almost 1/4" thicker than M3 body.

[dvamateur]

I think the newer camera should be smaller than the older one. It's suprising to me that the film M6 camera is actually smaller than the M8. Why? The M8 doesn't require space for film rolls....