Any news of M9 / improved M8

Hi guys,

 

Recently I realized that I really need a digital, to either finish some shooting

not need films or do some work for some websites.... anyway, I want to have a

digital leica.

 

But I don't have so much money, I need to save money, then buy one use a long time.

So I don't want to buy a M8, then, bang!!!! M9 come out :) he he

 

so did anyone have any news of the M9? or upgrade version of M8 (full-frame /

improved sensor)?

 

or anyone can have a reasonable estimation? ;)

 

Then I can make my plan!!!

 

Thank you so much!!

 

Jinbo

Don't hold your breath!! Leica is not known for coming out with new models every year.

Maybe in 4-5 years. And they will not be any less expensive, but maybe cheaper.

If you are shooting for websites, you don't need a Leica M8 and Leica lenses. Any 10 MP entry level DSLR with a consumer-grade 'kit' zoom lens will be just fine.

 

Over the last year, Leica made less than 12,000 M8 bodies. Canon made 3,280,000 DSLRs and Nikon made just under 3,000,000. That's 500 times as many DSLRs as M8 bodies.

 

The inescapable conclusion is that very, very few photographers need an M8, and I don't think you are one of them.

Hi Gary, 4-5 years.... I see

 

seems cannot wait, right? :)

 

Thank you!!!

Hi Tony!

 

You are very right! I know I don't NEED it actually.

But I just WANT a digital M, maybe only 5% of shots are for my un-professional work. :) 95% for pleasure combining digital with rangefinder.

It's small, light, and beautiful.

 

So my concern is just, when will M9 / full-frame M8 possiblly come out?

should I wait

Any one know a little news?

 

Thank you!

Leica does not announce such things, company policy

Leica does not have the financial where-withall to play the game where they bring out a new camera every 18 months. The only thing that allow Nikon/Canon to do so with their pro cameras is the fact that they are making 25% profit on the 75 million P&S cameras they sold in 2007 (for example).

Though I would expect to see further updates like the new shutter and LCD screen of late, I wouldn't hold my breath for an M9...unless you can hold your breath a very long time.

Ronald Moravec wrote:

 

>

> Leica does not announce such things, company policy

 

 

The Leica CEO announced the full frame Leica rangefinder a few months ago.

 

However, he got fired.

If you have a film based Leica just have the film scanned. Bingo, digital M.

yes, I am using M2 & M5 :) also enjoying scanning...

 

I can still hold my breath for a while, coz havn't saved enough money yet.

 

someone told me, new CEO said, they are doing research on full frame, but will not announce until it's really ready...

Want one, can afford one, whether you need one, just get one! You could get hit by a bus tomorrow. I hear they don't export them to the other side.:-)

I just want to share this

 

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/ND-m8-aa.shtml

 

an M8 in Antartica, its just amazing

you can see detail in a 100%

its a wonderfull machine

 

take care

Marcelo G

Some nice shots from Antarctica, Marcelo, but who is to say they could not have been achieved equally well with a DSLR?

 

Anyone who is considering purchase of a Leica M8 should scroll down that page to the section headed 'Problems'. The author (Nick Devlin) writes:

 

"On three occasions, my M8 simply stopped working when I turned it on. The battery was reasonably fresh on each occasion, but the camera would come to life when my fully-charged backup battery was substituted. The battery which had been in the camera at the time of the crash required a full re-charging to function again. It is unclear whether this was a phenomenon is a battery, charger or camera problem, but I couldn't care less since it cost me a shot on each occasion.

 

"The higher cost, however, was the loss of confidence these failures engendered. The M8 largely lost its shore-privileges after the second incident of ﾑnarcolepsyﾒ. A camera only gets to die and fail to capture a really nice image once or twice before you stop trusting it. I really expect more from Leica. Itﾒs a testament to the cameraﾒs other excellent qualities that I remain willing to put-up with this sub-standard nonsense."

 

Under 'Conclusions', the author goes on to say:

 

"Would I take the M8 back to Antarctica? The answer is: only as a compliment to a full DSLR system."

 

I think that tells you all you need to know.

the original poster should note that leica is an exclusive club and the owners are intent upon keeping it that way. this is particularly true of the owners of the newer kit more than perhaps the older! there always seems to be a degree of exclusivity when advising a relative newcommer to leica, especially over the purchase of newer gear. what must be said is that those who have grown to appreciate the german company made bodies and glass don't seem to mind this supposed snobbery so much. i know that i don't!

 

there is no doubt that the lenses are perhaps the best alongside zeiss (not made in former eastern germany). however, i read somewhere that when you pay so much for leica or zeiss optics, you should expect it to be the very best glass. there does not appear to be any entry level leitz glass. i dare say that would ever be the case unless there are serious financial upheavals in the future. the nikkor and canon made lenses for the professional bodies, especially the high end kit should be equally as good. however, because the japanese companies also make rather poor quality kit lenses for their entry level dslr models, i suspect, there isn't that much of a badge factor.

 

as for me, i could not possibly afford the newer gear. anything beyond the fifties simply prices me out! still searching for a 50mm f2 ltm useable summaron or something akin to that for uk price seventy or eighty. tough chance it would come down to that!

 

jinbo, if you ever manage to save the money to acquire the m8, or m9 when that comes along, i know you will appreciate it, and perhaps join this exclusive club of snobbery?!?

I don't care such club :)

 

I just simply like Leica, like small and light thing,

that's why I always carry my Leica CM, and left my M2 home.

 

I know Leica is expensive and more expensive than it should be....

 

But I still want a digital M, now or future.

 

So my question :) any news for M9?

 

Thank you!!!! guys

You could buy the little P&S 10mp Leica and use that till something comes out. It's a nice camera, takes great shots and is pocketable. The Nikon 10mp is just as good and the same size.

"The inescapable conclusion is that very, very few photographers need an M8, and I don't think you are one of them"

 

...actually there are other also inescapable conclusions:

 

1. Very, very few photographers want an M8

 

2. Out of the minority who do want one, the majority cannot afford one...

Get an M8, if you like its concept. The M9 will not likely represent a great enough improvement to be worthwhile.

 

 

If you need absolute top qualiity, forget DSLRs and M digitals, even Hassy digitals, and get a P45 back, top quality digitally corrected German lenses and a small view camera.

 

 

Or use film with a high quality 6x9 (my Fuji plug...) and a MF Nikon scanner...

 

 

Otherwise, you probably cannot go wrong with the M8.

The already "improved" the M8 by offering to fix the IR issues if you send your camera in, I

believe.

 

Is 10MP not enough, or what?

I would closely watch what Leica delivers at the upcoming Photokina show this September.

 

If they able to produce an exciting R10 DSLR you might be able to find some clues as to what they have in store for a M9.

well im not sure about the "fix the ir issue by sending it in" part andrew i am QUITE

sure that the current vs of the m8 is "enough" for me. 10 megapixels and all...

beyond the issue's brad has mentioned (and yes the lengthy turnaround time for repairs

is an issue i agree on) my vs of the m8 has turned out to be an OUTSTANDING piece

of gear!

Hi,

 

"Unless you have a good signal/noise filter, photo.net is not a good forum for asking about Leica, especially Leica digital. This site is infested with jackals and hyenas howling about sour grapes"

 

and.....

 

"Indeed, it's best to suppress posted adverse information (reliability, and lengthy repair turnaround times) and just talk about the good"

 

....the internet is supposed to be for all the people, to share and use information. This is both a blessing and a curse.

 

As we all should know, because any old Tom, Dick or Harry can post any info they like on the WWW, much of it is utter tosh, mainly because many web contributors, both here on PN and all over the web, just re-use info they have already found....yes you guessed it....on the web.

 

There are piles of mis-information here on PN purely from posters who fail to (or cannot) speak from their own experience, so Instead they repeat nonsense from somwhere else on the web, which is often false, incorrect or plain lies.

 

However, I would not have it any other way. I want both the bad and the good as I am perfectly capable of filtering rubbish, I do not want anyone else using their own sensor on my behalf.

 

I want to hear the horror stories, as some are quite true and others provide much amusement. The real issue is that manufacturers, ebay sellers, dealers and others now have to tread very carefully to avoid being slandered (or caught out) on the web. They also have to take web forums very seriously and personally I think they should respond when they can.

 

There was an instance of this just last week here on PN. Adorama and B&H were getting a pasting and amazingly, an Adorama manager posted a reply here on PN...and very professional it was too and made the OP look a little silly...perhaps Leica (and others) should learn from Adorama, or maybe they cannot be bothered? either way, I believe those attacked should respond...

 

cheers Steve.M.

I think it is worth remembering that the number of pixels is only part of the story (dynamic range, lens quality, etc., are some others).

 

 

(A 600 hp muscle car is no match for a formula race car of smaller size).

 

 

Be happy. Live today with what you have.

As an actual M8 user -- not a non-user or internet reviewer -- I have found the

camera to be a seamless extension of the M system. I have not encountered any

of the problems I have read about on the web.

 

In fact, the files produced by the M8 go a long way to overcoming the objections I

have voiced over the years to digital photography, particular the "wax dummy" look

that some other digital cameras produce when the subject is human skin. Maybe

it's the absence of an AA filter, or maybe it's something in the M8 firmware, but

whatever the reason, the M8 makes it possible to take natural-looking people

pictures with a digital camera.

 

Despite the need for an IR cut filter in certain critical situations, I have shot without

such a filter and found the results to be problem-free. I'm sure I could produce the

dreaded magenta cast under the right conditions, but it is hardly the problem I had

thought it would be based on the discussions on this forum.

 

I understand that there are some people who just don't like the M-style approach to

photography. If you want autofocus and ground-glass viewing, this camera is not for

you. But if you like shooting with a film M and want the convenience of digital

capture, get your hands on an M8 and you won't let go.

 

From now on, I will probably be using my MP for slow-speed b&w and, perhaps, for

color under conditions where the need to record a broad range of tones trumps other

considerations. I will use the M8 for everything else.

Brad, on the <A HREF="http://leica-users.org" target="_blank">Leica Users Group </A> there are over 60 M8 owners using nearly 70 M8 bodies (<A HREF="http://leica-users.org/v37/msg01032.html" target="_blank">click here</A>). This is a much bigger sample size than a single Luminous Landscape review. Many are hobbyists, many others are working photographers who rely on their cameras for their living. There are occasional complaints and problems with the M8 reported on this list but nowhere near what you'd expect if the experience reported on Luminous Landscape were typical. Among the working photographers are those who are replacing their Canon 1D-series cameras with the M8 (supplemented with Visoflex). Do you think they'd do this if the M8 were as unreliable as you seem to believe?