Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/09/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Henning, can you comment on high-ISO performance, or you holding back as firm-ware related? Tom On Sep 14, 2006, at 11:56 AM, Henning Wulff wrote: >> Hi Henning, >> >> Thanks for this--my keyboard is all wet with drool. >> >> One little detail: what kind of storage does the M8 use? Compact >> Flash? >> >> Cheers, >> Nathan > > SD cards. I had some Sandisk Ultra II's. > > I've also read the spec now, and found out the connector is > apparently USB2. > > One thing I didn't like and forgot to mention was that after you > select an option on the menu, and then go back to shooting mode > directly, you don't get what you selected. You have to press the > 'set' button after you select an option. But that's fixable in > firmware (hope, hope!). > >> Henning Wulff wrote: >>> Well, DPReview has said that Leica has now officially announced >>> the M8, posted pictures and spec so there's no point in being >>> quiet any more. >>> >>> Tom Abrahamsson got hold of an M8 about a month ago, and shortly >>> after let me use it for about 10 days so that I could evaluate it >>> and do a write up. >>> >>> Firmware version was 0.23 so final image quality and some >>> electronic operational items are certainly going to be different >>> than what I got to use. Reasonably, I was asked not to post >>> pictures from this camera. Various family members have gotten >>> prints from it, but they really couldn't care much about which >>> camera they came from. I took about 1600 pictures. >>> >>> I had a couple of interesting moments w.r.t. other people's >>> reactions. A couple of times while walking around downtown >>> someone came up and said 'nice camera' while sporting their own >>> late model Leica's. I slipped my fingers over the 'M8' logo and >>> held the camera back against my body, went into grumpy mode, >>> grunted and walked past. Then we had a gathering at our house, >>> and among others the neighbours were there. A friend of their son >>> came to our door, asking for Christoph; I let him in and he saw >>> the M8 on the counter and immediately oohed and aahed. Turn's out >>> he's a photographer and while born in Vancouver now lives over >>> the LeicaShop in Vienna. After that I 'disguised' it, but it >>> still was recognized at times. >>> >>> So - the camera. It handles like an M, except your hands miss the >>> grip that the wind level gave you. The extra thickness is easy to >>> get used to, and the responsiveness is very good. Because of the >>> firmware issue, the testing I did on it is meaningless, but there >>> was nothing negative to my perception. The shutter, while >>> certainly different than the rubber-curtained one on the film >>> camera, is not particularly loud, either in firing or winding. I >>> think the dampening they did on the transplanted R9 shutter had >>> some effect. It doesn't have a high frame rate, but neither do >>> the film M's and that's not important to me. The shutter travel >>> includes a detent for locking the exposure that was a bit hard to >>> find, but a lot better with one of Tom's softies. >>> >>> The covering is fine grained and a bit too slippery, especially >>> since I missed the wind lever for holding the camera with the >>> right hand. Some kind of molded bump like on the Hexar RF would >>> be nice, but I'm not sure right now how that could be implemented >>> in line with the desire to retain the 'classic' look. >>> >>> Frame lines were bright and useable, and came up in the pairs >>> that you would expect due to the traditional lens mount >>> activation. The frame for the 24 is reasonably visible with >>> glasses. It works with the Visoflex III, and it worked fine on >>> the Aristophot I got recently, and I shot some pictures with the >>> various Photars. I also put on my 17mm fisheye, and it looks like >>> this: >>> >>> http://www.archiphoto.com/Various/Incognito.jpg >>> >>> All lenses that I tried, including 12, 15 and 21 CV; 21, 35/1.4, >>> 50 and 90 ASPH, and older 35/2, new 50/2.8, 50/1, 75/1.4 and >>> 135/4 worked, and worked well. I wouldn't hesitate to use any of >>> them and there was no vignetting that wasn't visible on film as >>> well. Those angled microlenses do their job, and erase one of the >>> main objections I had re the RD-1, which was really not useable >>> with lenses beyond the range of 24 to (slow) 75. Image quality >>> was outstanding in general, the best were easily on a par or, in >>> the case of wideangle shots, readily exceeded that of the best on >>> the Canon 5D. My favourite lenses on the M8 were the 21 and >>> 35/1.4 ASPH and 75/1.4, but I wouldn't hesitate to use any lens. >>> >>> Menus were fine, and quite direct. There is no 'dedicated' button >>> for ISO (full stops from 160 to 2500), but since you can get at >>> two different menus by pushing two different buttons, changing >>> ISO's was very fast and efficient. There are also good user >>> parameter save options, so after you set them up you can go from >>> low ISO with -1/3 compensation, colour, colour histogram, bright >>> LCD screen, high resolution with DNG and fine jpeg with medium >>> sharpening and low saturation to high ISO, not compensation, B&W, >>> dim LCD screen and regular jpeg with higher sharpening in a very >>> few button pushes. The dial that's concentric with the arrow pad >>> is also very nice and works well. >>> >>> The little door to the left of the screen just has a connector >>> for a dedicated cable, which I didn't have so don't know whether >>> it's USB2 or 1394. >>> >>> Mainly, it felt like an M, and within a couple of minutes of >>> picking it up you could shoot with it like an M, and except for >>> the sound, lack of winding and having more than 36 shots, it >>> really wasn't different than an M. >>> >>> And that's good. >>> >> >> -- >> Nathan Wajsman >> Almere, The Netherlands >> >> SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUY DANISH PRODUCTS! >> >> General photography: http://www.nathanfoto.com >> Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws >> Seville photography: http://www.fotosevilla.com >> >> Stock photography: http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman >> http://myloupe.com/home/found_photographer.php?photographer=507 >> Prints for sale: http://www.photodeluge.com >> >> Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > -- > * Henning J. Wulff > /|\ Wulff Photography & Design > /###\ mailto:henningw@archiphoto.com > |[ ]| http://www.archiphoto.com > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information