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Anonymous
SHOULD I BUY LEICA M8?
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Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeCanonCamera ModelCanon PowerShot G7Maximum Lens Aperturef/3.2Sensing MethodOne-Chip Color AreaLens Size7.40 - 44.40 mmFirmware VersionFirmware Version 1.00Image-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution180 dpiVertical Resolution180 dpiImage Created2007:05:13 10:39:31Exposure Time1/100 secF-Numberf/3.2Lens Aperturef/3.2Exposure Bias0 EVFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length12.73 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width3648Image Height2736RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoScene Capture TypeStandardExposure ModeProgramFocus TypeAutoMetering ModeEvaluativeISO Speed RatingAutoSharpnessNormalSaturationNormalContrastNormalShooting ModeManualImage SizeLargeFocus ModeSingleDrive ModeSingleFlash ModeOffCompression SettingFineMacro ModeNormalSubject Distance0.490 mWhite BalanceAutoExposure Compensation3Sensor ISO Speed160Image Number100-0483
>> Anonymous
i have one and it rocks
>> Anonymous
>>239187

Nah.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
http://web.mac.com/kamberm/Leica_M8_Field_Test,_Iraq/Page_1.html
>> Anonymous
>>239202

so pretty much

he says it's shit sucks for 8 pages
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>239205
Yerp.

The impression I get is that Leica tried to make it so that it would appeal to Leicafags rather than making it so it would appeal to Photographers.

But from a buying-a-leica perspective, I'm a total poorfag, so all of my information is secondhand.
>> Anonymous
>>239202

It's overpriced, but this reviewer is a fucking moron.

OH NOES shadow noise at ISO 2500?!?
What the bloody hell does he expect?!

The fag is hating on digital in general, not this specific camera.
>> Anonymous
>>239213

he's saying his 5d and 1ds are fucking great, so that's not filmfag hate
>> Anonymous
No, get a MP/M7/M6/Zeiss Ikon instead.
>> Anonymous
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>>239214

I guess he's just biased, then.
Because honestly, WTF do you expect at ISO 2500?
>> Anonymous
that's just one detail

he's saying the rest sucks too

controls and speed (lack of it) are the bigger gripes
>> Anonymous
you should if you can afford it!!
it's so expensive...
>> Anonymous
why do you want one, OP?
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>239220
>I guess he's just biased, then.
>Because honestly, WTF do you expect at ISO 2500?
It's not so much that he *expects* perfectly clear ISO2500 pictures. He's just pointing out that the M8 sucks for low light because (a) Leica doesn't make a fast wide for a 1.3x crop (b) The M8 is several generations behind Canon in terms of noise characteristics. So an ISO2500 shot on a 5D or a 1Ds is going to be pretty clear whereas on the M8, it's not just noisy but noisy in a particularly ugly way (i.e., lots of color banding and such that will show up no matter what noise reduction technique you use)
>> Anonymous
>>239230

He wants a box that goes *clicky click* says leica on it, and takes pictures.
>> Anonymous
>>239187
If I had to choose between M7 and M8 Id totally go for the M7. M8 does not have even near that quality and performance that you can expect from real leica cameras. (film M's)
>> Anonymous
>>239281

that's stupid

choose the m8, and sell it brand new in box, you just profited a few hundred bucks
>> Anonymous
LEICA SUCKS!
>> Serenar !m827jEgWi.
>>239202
Clearly the M8 is a terrible choice for the working news photographer but the amateurs who tend to buy it don't have any such qualms - there was a huge uproar at RFF when this was written.

>>239208
Essentially yes. OP may fall into the first bracket (definitely not the second) so if he has the cash, it may still be worth considering. But then it's probably a troll.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>239572
I'm really looking forward to the u4/3 cameras that will hopefully be coming out. I'm hoping one of them will be a real spiritual successor to the Leica line--I.e., something small and discrete and quiet with great ergonomics and quality.
>> Anonymous
if you want a digital rangefinder, some say the epson rd 1 is a better camera.

If you're just a leica whore, well, whatever.
>> Anonymous
leica has suffered the same fate as another german company, montblanc. back in the 1950s, both companies were the shit, leica made a revolutionary, cutting edge range finder in the M3 and montblanc made some seriously good writing instruments. now a days, they are more about status, and thus, they make expensive products that sort of echo their great heritage but fail to deliver fully. as some have said, the M8 is more for people who have a hard on for leica than for people serious about taking pictures. of course, if you look on the internet, it's polluted mostly with people creaming for the leica, but these are the same people its meant for.
>> Anonymous
Depends on your style and what you shoot.

Kamber's review is a joke, though. He basically shits on it for not being a 1Ds Mk. III.

What I don't get is why, clearly knowing what he's doing as a photographer and what he wants in terms of shallow depth of field, absurd perfection with noise, etc. and how he wants to work his camera, why he kept shooting with the M8, or expected it to work like it had the 36x24mm sensor of the 1Ds and the 21 Elmarit like the f/1.4 of the 24/1.4L.

"Oh, it sucks like this, this, and this, and I know this because I shot with it for months and months and months as a working photojournalist, even though a rudimentary knowledge of the technical aspects of the camera will tell you it doesn't work like this other camera I use."

There are other reviews from people who have shot with it, including in Iraq,that review it favorably, too, by the way.
>> Anonymous
For $5,000, I'd get a decent Canon body and a couple of lenses. But I'm biased, because I do own a decent Canon body and a handful of lenses.

Leica has long time ago slipped into the "collector", mint-in-box fashionista item and stopped being relevant as a tool for photographers.

Gear is important, but photography is more important. I have gear lust too. To quench my thirst of a rangefinder, I got myself a nice Yashica Electro35 off eBay for $10!

Leica =/= Photography
>> Anonymous
>>239615

cheap rangefinders are the shit. Hell, i've used an argus c3 for some photography. nothing professional, but it still makes some good pictures, and you can get those for like a dozen for 10 bucks on ebay these days.
>> Anonymous
>>239615
that's if the m8 is still 5 grand anywhere these days.

Leica seems to only keep raising the price. apparently, the more expensive it is, the more the brand whores want it.
>> Anonymous
skip the m8 and buy an m7 or a CV Bessa, or a Zeiss Ikon. All fantastic rangefinders, though they use film, but they're better cameras than the m8. the m8 still has digital growing pains.
>> Anonymous
>>239653
>buy an mP or used M3/2/4/6if-you-really-want-an-integrated-meter

Fix'd. Aperture priority and film cameras that need batteries can die in a fire.

Also, all the stuff about the M8 not working well with aperture priority because of its very center-weighted meter (which is better for manual)- that goes for the M7, too. It uses the exact same meter, etc. as the M8.
>> Anonymous
The issue of ISO 2500 was more the fact that he accidentally bumped the control button on the M8 so it went up to 2500 without him knowing about it.