[Leica] M8 notes during use.

[philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent)]

Now that is the best piece of copywriting for an M8 ad that I have  
ever read.
Small target group, though.
Philippe


Op 13-jun-07, om 20:36 heeft Ted Grant het volgende geschreven:

> M8 assignment experience:
>
>
>
> After several months of shooting assignments and fun stuff with an  
> M8 I'll
> say again..it's 40 years too late! :-)
>
>
>
> While doing my assignments during the past half century my M  
> cameras were
> predominantly loaded with B&W simply because they were. Colour was  
> used with
> R bodies of one model or other. The rare occasion for colour slide  
> film in
> an M was due to shooting in the black holes of hell of non-existing  
> light
> when I'd be working the Noctilux @ f1.0 with a 2 or 3 stop push for  
> any kind
> of image. One might say a tad "grainy" ;-) Nice effect though. Or  
> Kodachrome
> indoors where others feared to go without a Twinkie light flash. :-)
>
>
>
> The arrival of the M8 and the horror stories of "Magenta cast" did  
> create
> some concern, although it never bothered me as the M8 was destined  
> to be
> used as a B&W camera no different than previous M's.
>
>
>
> But I began to shoot colour, converting to B&W. Oh sometimes  
> there'd be an
> "odd looking" colour frame, but I'd be shooting in a mixture of light
> sources, so my response was a shrug of the shoulders and .. "Oh  
> what the
> hell I suppose that's the magenta thing!" If I were to keep it in  
> colour for
> some reason I'd move on with a bit of tweaking in PS as close as  
> looking OK.
> But no big deal, because it was mixed light and who was going to say
> anything about good, bad or ugly light. "Hell man it was in a night  
> club and
> all weird colours, so big deal magenta, get a life!"
>
>
>
> The odd time shooting out doors requiring colour I've seen a light
> "warming." But once again. "no big deal if it looks neat!" If it  
> didn't
> it's called PhotoShop! ;-) History.
>
>
>
> But I don't have a complaint about this magical machine, yeah I  
> know it's
> just another digital camera, or is it?
>
>
>
> Consider the background experience of the hands that have held M  
> cameras for
> a half century day after day. Some assignments months at a time  
> every day.
> Not the 9-5 routine, weekends off. But first light to last every  
> day on the
> shoot.
>
>
>
> Now move that time to the M8 of today with no thought of  "frame  
> 36, damn I
> have to change film usually at the most inopportune photo moment!"  
> I can go
> like the wind on and on. Even though I've read about batteries not  
> lasting
> very long, I've not encountered this. As was the case yesterday  
> shooting
> from 8.30 am until last light and there was still power showing.
>
>
>
> No I don't mean a few frames, but 2, 2 gig cards filled. No I do  
> not look at
> the screen every five minutes, never did on the other M's so why do  
> it now?
> Keep the screen off, battery lasts longer! KISS! However, common sense
> dictates a spare battery should always be at the ready. Do I have  
> one yet?
> Nope, but will have shortly. :-) But it's "never leave home without  
> the
> charger!"
>
>
>
> I put a lens on and away I go as I've always done, not worrying  
> exactly
> where the frame lines are but more about light & content.  I'm  
> working right
> to the edges, well what sort of looks like the edges. But as close  
> as wild
> guessing as it can be. If one wants to be absolutely exact, one  
> should use
> an SLR. Even then you'll probably be slightly off. But you know  
> what?  Who
> cares!
>
>
>
> Are my M lenses key coded? Nope, I just click them on and shoot!  
> Have I had
> any losses because they're not black felt tip marked or whatever it  
> is done
> to them? Nope! Neither did I suffer any loss because my R lenses  
> weren't
> modified either.
>
>
>
> I've pretty well always worked with 3 M cameras off my neck and a  
> couple of
> motor driven R's off the shoulders depending on the assignment
> requirements,. So will I have 3 M8's hanging off my neck? Always a  
> wild
> possibility depending on what assignments come up, and at the  
> moment it
> looks cool for '07. :-)
>
>
>
> Keep busy, live long! And smile!
>
>
>
> ted
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