[Leica] M8: "I think it's gonna be all right"

[pklein at 2alpha.net (Peter Klein)]

(Apologies to Lennon and McCartney for the subject line)  :-)

I don't own an M8 (yet?)  I learned a long time ago to never buy Version 
1.0 of anything that contains or controls a microprocessor.   It may not be 
"right," but it's a sad fact of life today that early adopters are beta 
testers who are paying for the privilege.

But so far, I'm optimistic about the long-term prospects of the M8.  I base 
this optimism on some very critical perusal of other people's posted 
examples, including some full-sized RAW files.

At the risk of sounding glib, I have a suggestion for M8 buyers currently 
in a purple-tinged funk.  Set the M8 to in-camera black and white, and 
shoot it that way--at least until Leica announces its fix and 
policies.    This will temporarily remove the source of irritation until 
you know what the future holds.  It will also give you a chance to 
appreciate the camera's good qualities without distraction.

The IR issue is a problem, yes, but we already know that it can be fixed 
with an IR cut filter over the lens.  And look what you get in 
return.  When I look closely at M8 files, I see edges that look like edges. 
I see details that, as I magnify them, don't smear out *before* I can see 
the individual pixels.  When Sean Reid says that the M8 can draw like a 
medium-format film camera, believe him.   This quality is the result of no 
anti-aliasing filter and a thinner-than-usual IR filter, plus great 
lenses.  That IR filter needs to be thinner than in DSLRs due to the higher 
angle of incidence inherent in RF lenses.

It was a real-world trade-off, and personally, I think it was a good 
trade.  A filter on the lens can remove IR, but no filter can add details 
removed by the camera design.  One of the things that has bothered me about 
every DSLR I've tried (including the one I currently own) is that slightly 
soft look that turns every fine knife-edge into a slightly blurred 
gradient.  Sharpening helps, but often at the result of an artificial look 
that screams "digital" to me.  If the M8's better acutance comes at the 
price of needing to mount a filter on my lenses, maybe I'll decide to grin 
and bear it.

How Leica handled the issue is another matter.  The M8's IR problem is 
understandable from a technical standpoint.   There may have been some 
"groupthink" blindness at Leica, plus a need to release the camera no 
matter what due to financial and organizational issues.   Regardless, the 
"magenta surprise" was bound to create Internet firestorms and conspiracy 
theories once the images were out there for all to see.

Now, what's done is done.  How Leica handles the resulting anger and 
apprehension will probably determine the M8's success or failure.  Rightly 
or wrongly, people feel betrayed, and that is what the movie industry calls 
box-office poison.  I think Leica's actions next week will be *more* 
important than whether some black polyester turned purple this week.

If I were Leica, I would buy up a sizable stock of IR filters, and give 
away a couple with every new M8 sold, retroactively--whether or not the 
customer buys coded lenses.  I would also implement a menu-entry system for 
lenses, similar to the Nikon D200.  Why?  Because the better the M8 can 
handle *all* the M and LTM-mount lenses each potential customer already 
owns, the better it will sell.  I suspect this will mean Leica will sell a 
few less lenses next year, but they will sell many more M8s.  And they will 
probably sell more lenses in the long run if the M8 is a success.

--Peter
(watching and waiting like the rest of you)