Is the M8 a good addition to the 1ds mark 2

Hello,

 

I have been gone from the boards for a while, but I do enjoy the threads.

Anyway, I have a Canon Eos 1ds mark 2 which is great. However, I have been

in the market for a smaller camera that I can take almost anywhere. When I

had my leica M7, I really enjoyed taking it with me to all places. I find

that I take my camera with me a lot less because the setup is huge, and a pain

in the neck to drag around especially when I have to help carry the diaper bag

as well. We have some young children.

 

I was considering the M8 as a second camera system for the times that I would

not have my 1ds Mark2 with me.

 

Any suggestion, comment, or alternatives.

 

Regards

Steve<div></div>

Hello Stephen I dare say the M8 would be an excellent choice for catching pics of your baby and perfectly suitable for inclusion in the used diaper bag

With all due respect, why do you need a M8 or 1ds for kiddo pics? Save the 5k and buy a p&s.

Is your reference to the used diaper bag a subtle hint that the M8 is crap? I understand if was released with some troubles etc that should be resolved.

 

Also, I have considered just getting a nice Point and Shoot digital camera and saving the 5k. I am just pondering my options.

 

thanks

Steve

it is just an excuse to buy the M8, right?

Well, I need another camera for many purposes. I dread having to travel with the 1ds Mark 2. I would be extremely happy with a much lighter high quality digital alternative.

 

Thanks

Funny, I think that you'd want the best quality for shots of your kids. Those will mean a lot more to you than a shot of some trees and rocks. I also think that the M8 would be a great light-weight set-up that provides high quality. I have a Nikon D2X and find that I don't take it along as much as I used to take an M6. Size and weight just too much. So I too, am considering an M8 and a 28 or 35 summicron as a setup to always take along.

Not the same thing, but you could consider a small dslr, such as the Canon Rebel xti (which can mount your lenses), or a Pentax K100D, which has body-based i.s., a better viewfinder than other small dslr's, and seems to be getting some <a href=http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pentaxk100d/>favorable reviews</a>. Either of those would offer the advantage of autofocus, but that may not be significant to you. Huge cost savings vs. an M8, obviously.

"Save the 5k and buy a p&s"

 

1. Stephen obviously appreciates depth of field - his photo shows that. With p&s options

are limited on that front.

 

2. I sense he also appreciates interchangeable lenses.

 

3. As he already has a 1Ds MkII, it seems that cost is not a big issue, even though he has

'some young children'.

 

I have sold my 5D and the Canon lenses are on the way out, partly for the reason Stephen

mentions - bulk and weight. It's also a huge benefit being able to use Leica lenses with the

immediacy that digital brings. Despite the teething troubles, the M8 is a magnificent

camera that is a joy to use.

Paul,

 

You are pretty accurate in your observations. BTW, I do use very expensive Equipment in photos of my children. I feel they are worth it.

 

Regards

Stephen, It may be my imagination or my monitor, but I see some magenta streaks in the background of that photo of your baby. Maybe the Canon ds Mark II isn't all that perfect either. :-)

 

I agree with the point about portability. Leica Ms are smaller, lighter, and, to me at least, more of a pleasure to use than bulky SLR equipment. But that's just my opinion.

Dear Stephen,

 

I had my name down for an M8 (was due the next one in the shop) but then went along to

an In-store demonstration and changed my mind.

 

I came into an inheritance (3000 pounds) just at the time the Leica M8 was announced and

thought Fate was trying to tell me something - I have a large amount of Canon Digital

(including 1D MkII and 5D) and lenses from 14mm to 500mm as well as Leica (2 M6TTLs

and 35mm 1.4 Asph, 50 (Noctilux and f2), and 90 f2 Apo) and it seemed right to buy the

M8. However, when I tried it out I was disappointed - the Canon 5D is so good at low light

that the Leica didn't seem to have any advantage - the shutter of he 5D is quite quiet

(certainly compared to the 1D) and the M8 seems a little noisier than the M6 so I wasn't

gaining any advantage for the orchestral work I do - and finally the crop factor of the M8

would mean that I wuld have to buy a wider angle lens (my favourite on the M6 being the

35 1.4) which would most likely be the 28 f2 and that would cost a further 1500 pounds.

 

In the end I have decided to save for the 1Ds MkIII - I've since added 750 pounds to the

kitty. Maybe I will bail out earlier and get a MkII if the prices drop.

 

Your message seems to imply that you have sold all your Leica gear, you don't say what

lenses you have for you 1Ds but the 5D is more compact and lighter and is the way I would

go.

 

If you want to get a compact I can recommend the C-lux. I recently bought my 19-year

old daughter one and she is thrilled with the results. It is very compact and has a wider

angle lens than most compacts.

 

Yours

 

Ian

I have a Mk2 and i can perfectly understand your thoughs, i do think that image quality of the M8 can?t approach the Mk2 ones, the Mk2 is the better slr camera in the market but has you said for travel weight is an issue, so me too i go for a little leica but i prefer the MP film camera in the Leica world in my opinion film is at thousand year ago more perfect then the digital M8, a too imperfect and overprieced camera.

f.

As long as you don't do any comparative "tests" the M8 is a nice second camera for you (as any film M-Leica!)

I have only tried it in the store. But I am on the waiting list and hopefully will get one for

Xmas...<br>

I also had Canon DSLRs, but have abandoned them already for all my "light traveling" It is

great gear, just to bulky. It seems we have to choose between the hassle of scanning, or

that of carrying. The M8 just seems to be the ideal solution.<br>

Price is not an issue to talk about. You either can pay or not. That is anybody's choice /

possibility...<br>

The most important is the pleasure of taking pictures of the kids !<br>

So YES is my answer ;-)<br>

<br>

Lenny

Question for Stephen: are you planning to shoot anything other than static portraits of your little one, and if so, how are you at focusing manually quickly on a subject moving unpredictably, at close range, and wide lens opening? If you're using AF on that 1Ds now, something to think about.

Hello,

 

I have had trouble in the past when I owned my M7 taking any moving subjects. Prefocus is helpfull but tough when you want a nice shallow DOF. I have needed and will always need a DSLR for those hard to slow down children.

 

I appreciate all of the input here today. I did enjoy RF photography the past and was very happy with the results.

 

I guess my options are as I see it:

 

1) Get a leica M8 with 1-2 lenses for travel and anywhere else I want to take it, and just prefocus when needed.

 

2) Add a canon 5d with a few small prime lenses for travel etc. (should be a relatively small setup)

 

I am kinda bummed out on the amount of shots I miss in all occasions because I do not feel like bringing my 10+ pounds of gear along. Afterall, isn't the whole point of this photography thing to take pictures.

 

Thanks

Yes Stephen, the M8 would be a wonderful addition to your gear bag.

 

I have the 1DsMKII, 5D, and a wide range of Canon L lenses that I use to shot weddings

with. I have also always taken a M camera with me on those shooting assignments. The M8

is a recent addition which has proven to be more than up to the job.

 

I just this hour returned from NYC where I was supervising the filming of a TV commercial,

and I most certainly did not want to carry the 1DsMKII and the larger L lenses on that trip.

Instead, I carried a small shoulder bag with a M8 & M7 and 5 M lenses.

 

Part of shooting spontaneously is having a camera with you in the first place. The little M8

and 2 or 3 lenses makes it easy to do that.

 

Best of luck.

An M8 would be an excellent buy. I favour M cameras for travel and walk'about

photography and can understand your wanting to add a smaller camera.

 

I shoot weddings and very recently bought a 1D MkII N which is a fantastic user camera.

It's bulk can be overwhelming though and I wouldn't want to carry a kit around a city. I

can say that with a prime lens it is not too big and heavy. Adding the 24-70 lens makes it

quite uncomfortable, but with smaller lenses no problem.

 

For portraits of small children I would favour the autofocus and tracking features of the

Canon. There is definitely room in the cupboard for those that can afford both.

Why not get a 5D? It's certainly small - not as small as an M8, but not $5K either. Try it first though to see if you like it - for me it didn't work out, but it may for you. If you like it, I don't see why you'd get an M8, unless you really wanted a rangefinder or already had Leica lenses lying around.

 

Bogdan

The convenience of the M8 certainly meets your "new" requirements for a camera. The question that I would want answered, however, is how good the photographs from the M8 would be compared to your digital SLR or M7. The pose of your son (?) in the image you posted is great but the photo itself is quite flat and uninteresting (lacks the pop and 3-D quality of Leica M phototgraphs). The question for me always is, "Would a M7 or now a M8 photograph of the same picture have been better?" in some way or by some amount. The answer for my M6 is always, "Yes, the M6 50mm Lux photograph will almost always be better than the same one taken with my Nikon lenses and SLR gear." So, if I'm going spend my time and money to take any photograph at all, then I should use the M6. So, we need to see some comparisons of photo's you've taken of your son with your digital SLR and with your M7. So, to me it boils down to "Can I get the same quality photos from the M8 in digital capture as I expect to get from my M6?" In not, then you might as well get $300 digital P&S as a carry around camera that's always available when the "kid is performing again." Actually, a P&S camera is so cheap you can buy it and the M8.

"The pose of your son (?) in the image you posted is great but the photo itself is quite flat and uninteresting (lacks the pop and 3-D quality of Leica M phototgraphs)."

 

Maybe that is because the picture is flat. I think that was the choice of the photographer.<div></div>

I agree that web post realy does not shine when compared to the 11x14 B&W that I printed for the wall. I would say that the print turned out very good, I think I shold have been more critical before posting it on the web because the web shot does not do it justice.

 

I am very critical of all of my photography, whether it is portraits of kids or nature shots. I think that is why I gravitate towards the "high end gear" instead of the simple P&S that I was considering.

 

Btw, I do not have any leica M lenses. I sold then all. I had a 50mm lux and a 90mm cron. If I do plan to get into the lecia M system again, I think I would get the 28mm 2.8 or 35mm cron and the 75 summilux lens considering the crop factor.

 

Regards,

Steve

An eight second curves adjustment makes it look quite different. This isn't about web vs print, it's about understanding and using the tools. As the histogram above shows, it can be easily fixed. It also has nothing to do with what camera was used, given the need for post-processing.

I fixed the digital image. The final print looked great because I was experimenting with the new epson photo R2400 with advanced B&W printing and used some of the printer drivers to get a pretty good image. However, I took some advice and readjusted the levels and reprinted without manipulating the printer drivers, and I do like the new image.

 

Thanks for the input<div></div>