Five photographers who still use the M8

<p>This was just published on Steve Huff's site and I think that some of you would appreciate it.</p>

<p>http://www.stevehuffphoto.com/2016/10/05/the-leica-m8-10th-anniversary-a-decade-long-love-affair-by-five-passionate-photographers/</p>

<p>If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, the M8 is relevant today - unlike almost every single digital camera from 2006, except for medium format backs.</p>

<p>I don't know...any good photog can shoot with most cameras and still come up with a good series. What's relevant in 1976, 2006 or today are just great pictures, the camera matters little.</p>

<p>nevertheless great link:)</p>

<p>I love M digital bodies. Not surprised at all the M8 users who still use them. When it's 10 years old, I'll still be using my black paint M9-P and the M262 I bought new this past February, my first ever new Leica M body.</p>

<p>I see it uses a Kodak sensor. Is Kodak just licensing its name at this point? Does Leica still use Kodak sensors?</p>

<p>Not in the current models.</p>

<p>Well, yes. Typical Huff article though.</p>

<p>Kodak spun off the sensor business in 2011 to Platinum Equity, a private equity company, as part of their desperation to avoid bankruptcy.<br>

The business was eventually known as Truesense Imaging.<br>

In 2014, Platinum Equity sold the business to ON Semiconductor. <br>

Can't recall any recent cameras with large (APS-C, full-frame, or medium format) with sensors from them. The semiconductor business is ruthless, takes constant investment and development to stay competitive.</p>

<p>The Kodak sensor is the magic!<br>

I have a Kodak camera with Kodak sensor.<br>

Incredible color and BW if light is good.<br>

Cloudy, makes magenta shadows.<br>

Kodachrome used to do same.<br>

Shot a fashion model with emerald green coat and recv'd Brown coat.<br>

Kodak tested a piece of cloth on spectrometer and stated , "Coat is brown" to Kodachrome.<br>

I used Ektachrome and made green.<br>

10 years is not really a long time.<br>

The M8 and M9 will be in big trouble, if no battery available.</p>

 

<p>The M8 is my go-to camera for just about everything. Straightforward menus, compatibility with every new and vintage Leica M mount or screwmount lens I have, black and white that reminds me of Verichrome Pan, plus handheld IR with a R72 filter. It does the job for me and I guess that's the bottom line.</p>

<p>@Jason: I don't see a serious battery issue. The M9s seem to be not sold off yet. - I guess there are still a few old Monochroms in the shelves. Third parties made somewhat usable battery knock offs. - Why should they suddenly go out of business? And if things turn really bad, I wouldn't mind drilling holes into my baseplates to wire a battery dummy to an external battery of different shape but proper voltage. I like my CCD Ms enough to keep shooting them however!<br>

I was pretty late to jump on the M8 bandwagon but it is an impressive camera doing its job well enough for my taste in a somehow delightful way. - Last studio session was at an M8 : SLR ratio of 7:4. Outdoors the M8 does about 20% of the work at the MM's side.<br>

Maybe I could go MFT to safe weight producing probably the same quality but that would require lens purchases and I really like the MM and wouldn't know how to replace it.</p>

<p>The handheld IR is great with the M8!</p>

<p>I use each week the M8 side by side with the M9. I enjoy very much using the M8. </p>

<p>Even at current pre-owned prices, and coupled to the "<em>parts no longer available</em>" policy from factory service,<br>

buying one of these is a <strong>"paper weight crap-shoot"</strong>... </p>

<p>"a <strong>"paper weight crap-shoot"</strong>..."Gus.</p>

<p>Somewhat harsh, Gus</p>

<p>If it works and does the job for you...what more is there to say. I use a M8, Fuji, and a Mobile Phone....Im happy with all of them. It has never been a concern of mine what gear folk use but I suppose for some folks it matters.</p><div></div>

<p>Every person has an opinion. I am more interested in photography and in enjoying the images that I manage to create. </p>

<p>Yeah whatever Raid, it's not an opinion, it's a fact.<br /> Those of you who own a Leica M8, great that you like it; but if it has a major failure, <strong>you're stuck</strong>.</p>

<p>The way so many of you owners praise this model, you could spark an unsuspecting buyer to hand over $1,500 for a ticking time bomb.<br /> <strong>These folks should know</strong> that a much better alternative exists.<br /> Putting out the same money for a <strong>far superior</strong> pre-owned <em>Sony A7 mark II</em> full-frame camera is much more advisable:</p>

<ul>

<li>24.3MP sensor (No crop factor or IR color issues)</li>

<li>5-axis sensor-based image stabilization for <strong>ANY</strong> lens mounted including 1936 LTM Leica lenses !</li>

<li>Hybrid AF system with 25 contrast-detect and 117 phase-detect points (So its AF lens capable)</li>

<li>E-mount with countless lens adapters available (Name a lens and it will fit on this camera body)</li>

<li>3-inch tilting LCD with 1.23 million dots</li>

<li>2.36M dot OLED viewfinder (Electronic viewfinder for <strong>more accurate</strong> manual lens focusing)</li>

<li>Wi-Fi with NFC capability</li>

<li>Smaller than a Leica M digital etc...</li>

</ul>

Many of us who own Leica digital M's already own a second system with many of those features, like the Olympus E- M1

system I use. When I use my Olympus system, the last thing I'm interested in doing is adapting lenses that do not "speak"

with the body. If I owned a Sony A Series body, I wouldn't be adapting my Leica lenses (I don't believe a lens like my

18mm Super Elmar would perform very well on the Sony sensor anyway due to the thicker glass over the sensor), I would

own 2-3 of their better lenses that used all the available technology.

 

I use Leicas for the rangefinder style of shooting. The Sony......no thanks, BUT, I wouldn't spend on an M8 today either. An M9 fitted with the new sensor is as old as I would go on Leica digital M's. Anyone who's already owned an M8 for 8-10 years has gotten their money's worth.

<p>The A7's are terrific. Some of them work very well with M lenses (you just need to do a bit of research). The A7 is a DSLR replacement (for almost all applications) but if you want a RF camera, you have to use an actual RF camera.</p>

<p>Mirrorless systems will eventually replace DSLRs completely, but the RF is a category that cannot be replaced by either DSLRs or mirrorless.</p>

<p>Leica has discontinued manufacture of M8 and M9 Battery, according to a person involved at Leica.<br>

Out side parties may have battery but seldom work as well as original.<br>

Same person has an older digital Leica for which no batteries are available.<br>

I offered to fit leads and drill small holes, but same person not interested.<br>

If my information wrong, sorry.<br>

If it is true, start getting spares..</p>

<p>This company has a good reputation AFAIK for third party batteries. I am not affiliated, though I did buy a couple of batteries from them:</p>

<p>http://www.betterbatt.com.au/s/digital-camera-battery/leica/m8/</p>

"Yeah whatever Raid..."

 

Really Gus? Who are you to so offhandedly dismiss Raid's or any of us "paperweight" owners photographic tool

choices we make achieve our desired results? We use what we like to use, as long as it works for us. I don't doubt the Sony A7 is wonderful. But M8 owners, that you take a seemingly judgemental tone to,

buy them knowing the risks and are satisfied with its use and the resulting images, in spite of those risks. That's what really matters.

Battery packs can be rebuilt; open them up and you will find standard cells. The M8 is a great camera. My oldest working

Digital SLRs are 22 years and 19 years, respectively.

<p><em><strong>Allan</strong></em>, Raid dismisses the hard truth by calling it an opinion, so he deserves the "whatever" comment.</p>

<p><strong>Nobody</strong> mentioned the "<em>parts no longer available</em>" policy from factory service. <br>

This must be revealed in the middle of all the glowing comments before someone gets overly excited and spends over $1,000 of their hard earned money...</p>

<p>My M8.2 (purchased new in 2008) is a great camera. It has 117,000+ shutter activations and a new sensor (and with that a new body covering that's "leather" look). One thing about the M8 that is generally not mentioned. In the viewfinder for the 35mm frame lines are NOT 135mm frame lines but 24mm framelines. I don't believe any other M has frame lines for the 24mm. Yes, at 1.33 crop it's about 32mm equivalent but still a nice thing if you have a 24. Good luck with your photography.</p>

<p>I met a busy international photojournalist a couple of years ago, he regularly gets published in Report on Business Magazine in Canada, and works a lot around Asia. He has an M8 and one lens. That's it.</p>