[Leica] M8 Impressions, Pro and Con

[images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley)]

LUG:

I've had my M8 for four days now and I used Leica's for 3 days, so 
after one week with the M8 here are my initial impressions.  I'm 
comparing it to the Canon 5D, the camera I was carrying around for 
everyday use.

M8 Pro:
It's a rangefinder.
It's small, light, easy to carry and operates intuitively.
All of my M lenses will fit and work well with it.
It's quiet and unobtrusive.  Nobody notices when I'm taking photos.
High ISOs are better than I expected.
I can post photos for discussion on the LUG without feeling guilty 
that they're not from a Leica :-D

M8 Con:
The battery lasts less than one day of use and spare batteries are 
over $100 each.
The battery takes three hours to recharge.
The buffer fills up quickly.  After taking 4 or 5 photos in rapid 
succession, you have to let the camera catch up.
The camera is not instantly "on".  It take several seconds after you 
turn it on before you can start to take photos or set the menus.
As a left-eyed shooter, my nose smudges the LCD monitor with every 
shot.  I'm going to have to learn to shoot right-eyed.
Either the viewfinder is dimmer than my M7's or my eyes are getting 
worse (a possibility!)  It's harder to get the focus right than with the M7.
It's not as indestructible as the M7's.  I'm sure if I dropped it in 
a river it would be dead.
It's not full-frame.

Canon 5D Pro:
It's automatic focus (my eyes are getting old)
The L lenses are very nice.
The battery lasts forever - over a week - spare batteries can be 
bought for $29.
The battery charges in 30 minutes.
You can take many rapid photos in succession and the camera never has to 
stop.
The camera is instantly on.
It takes my R lenses with an adapter.
It's full-frame.
It's 12.8 megapixels.
High ISOs are very, very good.

Canon 5D Con:
It's an SLR.
It's big and heavy. (Not as big and heavy as my 1DMII, but much 
bigger than the M8)
It's not as waterproof or weather-sealed as my 1DMII. (But maybe 
better than the Leica?)
It's fairly loud and noticeable.  Everybody comments on the big camera.

You may notice that I didn't mention the magenta cast or streaking as 
cons for the M8.  I'm not worried about that.  Leica will come up 
with a solution and in the meantime, it can be fixed in photoshop.

Your mileage may vary since everybody uses cameras differently, but 
for my purposes, these are the pros and cons of both cameras.  I 
don't regret buying the M8 at all.  It will be the camera that I 
carry with me everywhere.  I'll still carry the 5D and/or the 1DMII, 
depending on what I'm planning to photograph and how far I have to 
walk to do it.  I'm still working on comparing similar photos from 
the two and also some film photos that I shot with my M7 in 
Rockport.  I'll get those posted as soon as I can scan them.

I hope this helps those of you sitting on the fence about whether to 
get the M8.  Those who aren't interested have already deleted the 
message anyway ;-)  If you have any questions, I'd be glad to try to 
answer them.

Leically (again!!)

Tina





Tina Manley, ASMP, NPPA
http://www.tinamanley.com