Jump to content

M8 sighting


Recommended Posts

I saw a photographer out shooting today with an M8. They're real, they must be

at the "field test" stage.

 

Looked very "M", needless to say. Understated all around. Black. Not

festooned with buttons. No wind lever. Sutter button in the normal place.

Some control concentric with it. Shutter speed dial pre-TTL size, I think.

Looks like everything (battery, storage) must load in the bottom, no doors on

the sides.

 

Shutter made a "snick" sound. I don't have a Leica M, but it sounded a lot like

my Canon 7s, which also has a metal shutter. Probably quieter than my Leica

IIIa (which has no curtain brakes), but I'm not sure. it certainly did not

strike me as "noisy" or "obtrusive".

 

No "whirring" after the shot, so the electric shutter cocking must be very quiet.

 

I spoke to him a bit, I said "I presume you're under non-disclosure", and the

answer was "yup".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If there is no wind lever, how do you advance the frame? What field was he testing it in? I prefer the "snuck" sound in a shutter. Can I change the defaults on that? Can the M8 be purchased as a download?

 

ok, ok...it's an NDA thing, huh?

 

I'm waiting for the Dali edition so I can fold it over a tree branch.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dear John,

 

I am very interested in the Leica M8.

 

Please, could you give me a more complete description of what you have seen?

 

Did you see the back of the camera? How is the LCD and how the buttons are placed at the

back?

 

What is the function of the wheel below the shutter button?

 

How is designed the top-left corner where the rewind wheel was (near the finder window)?

 

What was the attached lens?

 

Thanks

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll decline to answer the location of the sighting question, just to protect the photographer from Leica's ire if using the camera in public was a violation of the non-disclosure agreement. Well, it was in the United States, near where I live.

 

The shutter button and the control around it were chrome. The buttons were black, on a black bezel around the LCD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

John, I understand your concerns about non disclosure, but maybe you can answer the following questions:

 

1) Does it have a metal bodice?

 

2) Can you make HUGE prints with it?

 

3) Will Daido Moriyama be using it?

 

4) Is digital better than film after all?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Beta testing of the M8 has finished - I know someone who was involved in the test program but did not get to see the camera, let alone touch it :-(

 

The M8 you saw will probably have been a pre-production sample for magazine review. Leica are serious about meeting the launch date.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...