[Leica] Re: M8 problems

[jbm at jbm.org (Jeff Moore)]

2007-08-30-11:22:39 Lawrence Zeitlin:
> Curiouser and curiouser.
> 
> Since my questioning of the M8 most of the on list replies have  
> supported the camera. On the other hand, I have received half a dozen  
> off list messages complaining of the camera's unreliability and  
> general inadequacy.

That's just weird.  I don't understand why those people need to skulk
around like that, instead of just posting.

> My reluctance to buy an M8 is based on the fact that it would be a  
> marginal purchase for me, done primarily for curiosity. I currently  
> own a couple of rock solid M3s and a CL and about half a dozen Leica  
> lenses, none newer than the 80s.

Well...  that's probably not sufficient reason to fork over the cash.
Only you can decide.

Here's the thing: the M8 isn't for everybody, just as rangefinders in
general aren't for everybody.  When people ask me about my M8, wondering
if they should consider one when shopping, I tell them that they should
probably consider a Canon DSLR, unless they already know that they want
a rangefinder and why.  Yes, the M8 produces superb images.  And that's
part of why I use it.  But the main reason is, after using film Ms since
the eighties, the M8 is the first digital camera which truly feels as if
it belongs in my hand -- and that's a matter of both the handling
characteristics and confidence that the pictures will be as good as they
need to be.

If you don't like rangefinders -- no need to look at the M8, it might
rub you the wrong way.

If you love rangefinders, but both you and your clients (if you work
with your camera) are willing to put up with the delays inherent in
shooting film and then getting the pictures in whatever form they need
to be delivered in, why change?  But these days, more and more clients
(and indeed photographers) expect digital-fast turnaround and images
deliverable in digital form.

I was hustled unwilling into the digital age, and spent some time with
DSLRs which thoroughly reminded me why I still don't like SLRs for most
of my work.  Looking through one (except, mostly, the DMR with its
frameline groundglass -- I *really* hope they don't "improve" that
feature out of any future Leica digital R) feels to me like having a bad
case of tunnel vision, and the damn' things make many people in front of
the lens cower.  But they're competent enough image makers, the current
mainstream if you just need to get the job done and the tool doesn't bug
you too much.

I don't think I'm being too much of an M8 apologist -- I freely admit
that it's a quirky camera (got to use that silly filter, especially
indoors, if you care about color; stay at 640, preferably 320 and above,
to avoid fist-sized noise, but you can underexpose and pull back up with
great success; all the special little oddities) but -- once you learn
the ways of it, internalize this stuff, and do your part the camera
stays out of your way and produces excellent pictures.

And yes -- I had to send my early-production M8 back for the
green-blob-and-line problem.  Finally came back from Germany, now I can
work with two bodies the way I did with film.  A big pain in the ass,
and two bodies are a big pain in the wallet.  But the camera is
transparent enough to use -- just doesn't need to be thought about once
you get the hang of it -- that it's a completely workable replacement
for my film Ms, and all those little inconveniences will be forgotten as
I just go out and take pictures.

I also freely admit that the three grand I spent on an Epson R-D1 a few
years ago, trying desperately to find a camera which did what the M8 now
finally does, didn't get me what I wanted.  So it's not just the need to
justify an expenditure.

The M8 just works -- if what you want is what the M8 is.  If not, I just
kind of wish people who've never worked with one would consider shutting
up.  Not because there's a giant plot to suppress M8 negativity, but
because much of this theoretical blather from people who've never taken
pictures with an M8 is just so much verbal wanking.

Oh, yeah -- another red herring: people who *are* rangefinder folk, but
just haven't made up their minds about the M8 (I just spoke with one
last night) keep obsessing over the "full-frame" issue.  Yes, I think I
did too, before I'd worked with the M8 some and realized it wasn't worth
thinking about.  Not an issue, unless you live and die by your...  I
dunno, name some really wide lens which nonetheless still works with the
framelines in your 0.58-mag M.  Otherwise, if you're a 50mm guy, you
break out the 35.  If you always used your 35/1.4 ASPH wide open, you're
a little screwed if you try to find that speed in a 28 or 24, but you'll
probably still live.

[Note to Leica: to hell with these Summarits -- they're for those people
who go outside in the sunshine a lot to take pictures, which I avoid
whenever I can.  For my slinking about indoors, I want a 24mm or 28mm
Summilux, either of which I'd expect to be a hard but worthwhile
project, and (here's an easy one): a 1.33-crop-specific alternate lens
hood for the 35mm Summilux ASPH.  I'd expect that to protrude less,
making for a less-bulky package, and shade the darned UV filter better.]

> Now I feel better.

Me too.

Hey, if you (LZ) are in the NYC area or likely to pass through, we
should just arrange for you to spend a few hours shooting with an M8
body -- just bring your 80s lenses and a 2G SD card.  Rabiner, too -- I
know he's lurking somewhere nearby.

 -Jeff