Would you buy an M8 or not?

Hello!

As second hand M8`s are getting their prices down, (maybe 3700 dollars on

ebay), I think that maybe in a near future I could buy one of them...or at

least i really would love to.

but this decrease of price makes me wonder if is a good idea, or, to put it in

another way, does this camera is going to work ok?, am I going to have a lot of

problems?, why people is selling this cameras and mostly in the cases with low

actuations? what would you do?, wait a 1 more year to see waht happens? (whit

other brands like zeiss or voigtlander?)

thanks you all.

sergio

Sergio, I had problems with my M8 (shutter, which isn't even made by Leica) and Leica

finally changed it for a new one. Maybe my case is rare. Whatever, I would not

hesitate to buy one again if i had to, if it has been well treated. What is important is

to have an agreement with the seller that if something happens you (or he) can return

it to Leica if it is still within the two year warranty period. If you have some Leica

lenses the reason for going for the M8 (or an Epson/VC) is evident, unless you want

to stay with film.

I would not buy a second hand M8. If it came with a warranty, yes, if not, no. My M8's shutter

failed after 4200 exposures.

no, never

No

Sergio, It's hard to gauge the scope of the M8's reliability problems from internet discussions. But I visit this forum, RFF, and LUF enough to know there really are many reported problems, especially with shutter failure and electrical issues that appear to be related to the battery.

 

I had one for a year without a single incident. It was wonderful. But I would not buy another without a warranty.

 

Have you considered a demo with warranty? To me the warranty would definitely be worth the extra few hundred in cost. But now that I think about it, for me this would not apply to just the M8. I'm not sure I would buy any digital body without a warranty.

Hello Sergio,

I have had two M8's since November 2006 and have not had one bit of difficulty with either

body. Having a warranty is cetainly wise but Arthur Plumpton's suggestion is very workable.

The value of this camera is the magnificent files which it produces. They are unlike any

other digital files. Rent or borrow one and experience the quality.

g.

Sergio, The real question to ask is "Would you buy TWO M8s?" because it will inevitably fail at some point, probably when you need that shot. A backup seems to be a must.

Sergio, my advice would be it depends. I would not buy one off ebay as there is no way to

ensure the camera does not have a problem. However, I would (and did) buy used from a

dealer. My dealer will take care of me, if I have a problem. (Within reason, of course.)

 

In my case, my dealer had sold it to the initial buyer who was trading it in because it did

not met his needs. (Fast moving grandchildren.) I love mine nad have had no problems,

but it has only been 2 weeks!

 

BTW, a film body always makes a good back-up.

 

Good luck.

I have had no problems with 2 M8s - except for the original banding/blob problem with

one from the very first batch made.

 

But I wouldn't buy an M8 or any other digital device without warranty coverage - they

operate in the quantum realm where God is rolling the dice, and occasionally he rolls

snake-eyes.

 

Some M8s get sold after low use because they are problematic - but I know some also get

sold after low use because the owners discover that the M8 is NOT just a cute little

substitute for an SLR - with some really nice lenses. They are a whole different kind of

camera - as distinct as a view camera or a twin-lens - and not everyone is happy with the

things one must give up (accurate framing, close-up capability, focusing accuracy with

long, fast lenses (even those that fit) - let alone AF and stabilization etc. - to use an RF.

No way. My 1963 M3 and 1984 M4-P are still running strong as is my 1953 IIIf. For $250 I got a Panasonic 7 mega pixel digital with a "Leica" lens.

 

My bet is the M9 will shoot film.

I'd buy a new one in a New York minute if I could afford it.

Yes, but like anything this expensive a warranty is a good idea. I have had mine over a year, no problems. When I think of how many pictures I have taken with this, it paid for itself in film/processing costs let alone labor to scan. I now use my M3 and MP only rarely.

 

Jan

I'm with Jan (JW). For the opposite reason. I'm afraid if I got an M8 the film M's wouldn't

get any use. I still like shooting Tri-X but I think the M8 would be very tempting for my

"black & white" / personal work. I have Canon dslrs for "work". <br>

To answer your question I would hesitate to buy an M8 used - especially if there's no

warranty. I've bought a couple of used M cameras plus some used M lenses with no

problems. I'm not sure I'd have enuff faith in the M8 to buy without a warranty. <br>

Keith G's failure at 4200 exposures is not good. It should not fail until 420,000

exposures.<br>

Best of luck.

NO would not buy a new or used M8. I think if I had the money to spend in the direction of a Digital camera that used interchangeable lenses I would go a very different route to maximize my abilities the M8 and the M lens system is to limiting for me to invest that much money into it.

I would love an M8 at a reasonable price. I do not think the current level represents a reasonable price. So I'll stick with my M4, M6, SL2, R8, Nikon DSLR and f100, T-90, and medium format cameras. I just don't need it!

I'm thinking about buying one.

 

If you're a pro and have backup systems, already have some M lenses, and if your work

could be done better or more pleasureably with a digital M (This is my situation), then yes,

get one.

 

If you're a pro and thinking of this as your one and only camera, you're crazy. You need

three of 'em. One to use, one for backup and one will be in the shop. If you can't afford

three, then get one plus a few canons or nikons for long lenses and backup.

 

If you shoot for fun and you really enjoy shooting with rangefinders, and already have M

glass, and you have other cameras to use while your M8 is in for repairs, then go for it.

 

If you shoot for fun and this represents a major expenditure for you (if you have to

struggle to afford it), and if it will be your only or main camera, then no, I would stick with

a leica film camera or a canon or nikon dslr if you must have digital.

 

Just my opinions. I have a ton of M glass and just found out I'm getting a decent tax

refund, so I might go for it. I'd love to be able to shoot with a digital RF and use my M

lenses. I know it's not a perfect camera and has some reliability problems. But I've had my

share of canon gear go bad too, so this is not exclusively a leica problem.

 

I wouldn't buy a used M8. A demo would be good if it has a warranty. But when you're

talking about such an expensive camera, is the difference between $4000 and $5400 all

that large, really? Don't get me wrong, I know it is a lot of money, but if the price is an

issue maybe a cheaper camera would be a better choice. If you buy without a warranty,

repair costs could build up and you might not save money in the long run.

 

My main fear is that my film bodies will collect dust if I get one.

I would buy one. I actually set out to do just that on Monday: phoned to give the Leica dealer a heads up, packed my trade in gear -some lenses that I have duplicates of and an M body that I don't have much use for - and headed into town. I was offered a pretty good, I thought, on the used equipment, but before rushing into it I decided to visit another shop.

To cut the story short I came home with a Nikon D3 because I was given a deal on the trade in equipment that I couldn't refuse.

 

I'd agonised about this for some weeks. (There are forum threads to attest to this.)

 

Anyway I now have an enormous brick of a camera (and very limited lens options to go with it.)

 

It's a delight to use. Good white balance and great high ISO performance etc.

 

I'm also extremely impressed with little things, like being able to read the viewfinder information perfectly - there's a dioptre correction button on the prism - and the lovely monitor etc.

 

And frankly I have more faith in the Nikon's reliability.

 

I'm the perfect candidate for a digital Leica as I have 30 different lenses from a 3.5 35 elmar to the 75 apo summicron. But I'd need literally 10 different ir filter sizes and an array of adaptors that are no longer made in order to use all the lenses. There's also the back-focus problem, ie some of the lenses don't focus properly, and the reliability issue, not to mention the 6 bit modification (Oh, I do seem to have mentioned it!)

 

Having said all this I fully intend to buy a digital Leica some time in the near future. It may even be an M8, but at the moment the whole business is a little fraught.

Stephen, with your list of Leica film equipment, as a opposed to your Nikon DSLR, do you actually use any of the Leica equipment? I went through the same sequence as you, I think---from M2, M3, CL, R3, R4, R7, most of which I have bought and sold over the last 40 years. But all I use now is a Canon DSLR. I still have a Leica enlarger in the basement, gathering dust. I just wonder how you use all those cameras.

 

Thanks, Tom

No.

used one.. would not buy one unless I had a disposable income.

 

wait to see what happens.

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I have one and would buy one again. The Nikon D3 is probably more advanced but I

prefer rangefinders like I prefer the M6 over the F6.

My M3 and M4-P (also IIIf, Similar kit as Anthony Oresteen !) occasionally get some service and lots of film, so a clear NO. I had an Epson RD-1s before but sold it. Digital is maybe convenient for color film (no waiting for the lab) but B&W ... Tri-X in D-76 (or XTOL) is still the best ...

I am a b/w shooter and agree traditional film is best but only if you have a wet darkroom.

Shooting b/w film and scanning is not ideal. Shooting color film, scanning, converting to

b/w is not much better than just shoot digital.