[Leica] Canon G9 or Leica M8?

[hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (G Hopkinson)]

Yes But! Of course expressing my personal views. What makes sense for me may 
be affected by another's priorities/needs.
Aperture priority is fine. You can use it or not as you wish. I love it on 
my M7 and I vary from it as I want. Auto ISO means
turning up the gain. There's no more sensitivity, just more signal 
amplification. Which brings increasing noise and compromise. As
implemented in compact digitals, which is what I mentioned, it is certainly 
imperfect.
Expressing my personal opinion, Auto ISO if you want it or need it in a 
DSLR. Why not an auto focus, matrix exposure, program mode,
fast frame rate M? Because everyone else is already doing it better and much 
cheaper. They are not doing it with M glass, even fifty
year old M glass, and bright finder and RF. What I would hate to see Leica 
do would be compromise their lens compatibility by
altering the entirely mechanical M mount and lens construction to add 
features that are already available elsewhere.

Anyhoo enough of a rant from a non-M8 owner here.
Cheers
Hoppy



-----Original Message-----
From: lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org 
[mailto:lug-bounces+hoppyman=bigpond.net.au@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
Mark Rabiner
Sent: Sunday, 11 November 2007 21:40
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: Re: [Leica] Canon G9 or Leica M8?

> I don't think the fuzzy logic is as good as our artistic judgement in this
> case. It may well be imperfect but it is ours. Yes you
> will more likely get a usable exposure. It may not be what you envisioned
> though. Also, at least with the digi compacts the ASA
> variation will be native or overamplification mode. Exposure decision might
> typically be a wide open or stopped right down decision.
> Similarly to focus zone decisions. You are not talking about continuously
> variable options. Simple functions only. I sure don't want
> any M digital taking away that functionality from me. There are a plethora 
> of
> DSLR choices if you want clever mode or need what they
> can do for you (yes I know they are supremely versatile). The whole raison
> d'?tre for the M8 is that it is an M. You make the
> decisions in every aspect. What you input will be what comes out, in
> superlative quality with the best glass in the world. Try to
> turn it into a Nikon or Canon and you get a superbly screwed together 
> quaint
> camera that is not as clever and costs a LOT.
> 
> Rant off.
> Cheers
> Hoppy
> 


The M8 is an M its a digital M7 as it's got an A setting.
You can set an f stop and the shutter speed will automatically match it.
Plenty of people in the 90s were saying before the M7 came out that a Leica
with an A setting would not be a Leica. Not be an M or whatever.
Maybe they've chosen to not use their A setting on their M7 or M8.
I doubt it though.
A is great and most people know it.
We'd have P as well but the lenses won't budge. Won't go into auto.
So we cant have both auto shutter speed as well as auto aperture.
Only auto shutter speed.
Too bad but we can live with it.

But there is another variable we CAN have.

The M8 is an M its a digital M7 as it's got an A setting. And it shoots
digital film which is a variable from shot to shot. Just like the shutter
speed.
It can be any ISO it wants on every frame just like it could vary the ISO
from frame to frame. So that's an option such a camera can have.
It can vary the shutter speed to match the f stop that you want and when
that shutter speed gets below what you have the auto ISO at;
say a 30th; your ISO increases instead of shooting at shutter speeds lower
than a 30th. You'd set that in the menus like you do with the Nikons and
Canons.
And why that would not be a welcome option is not obvious from this post.
What seems clear from the writing is the writer has no experience with auto
ISO and is only guessing how it works.

The auto ISO option is ok for a D=SLR but NOT a D-rangefinder?
I'm not hearing why. And I'd love to hear a reason as I cant imagine one.

Just like the A feature on the M7 or 8 if our delicate Leica sensibilities
are offended we can just not use it and choose to go full manual.


By the way when shooting in Manual mode on my D200 I can still use auto
ISO!!!

That way setting BOTH the f stop and the shutter speed to what I want.
The auto ISO is the auto matic aspect which sets the ISO to match that f
stop and shutter speed you've set on your camera to the light entering the
lens.

So its an A setting with no camera function auto variables such as F stop or
shutter speed. The variable is of course the ISO itself.

This is a quite elegant way to shoot.
Leica-like if you ask me. I have experience with shooting Leicas. So I can
make that kind of statement I guess. Also experience with shooting DSLR
cameras which auto ISO.




Mark William Rabiner
markrabiner.com




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