M8 in the flesh at last!

[Rob F.]

"Anyone like to translate all that for us? Please."

 

Well. Ahem. I took three semesters of French, and I'm happy to report that after listening five times, I got the following:

 

"Blanche" (white) When he pointed to the white stripe on the shutter.

 

"Aspherique" (fairly self-explanatory)

 

French is tough. Must be his accent.

 

Hope that helps.

[andrew robertson]

Either that guy's really small or the camera's really big!

[vic_.]

It would exude more gravitas and cachet if the button names on the back were in high German, not that I would understand any of it.

[nasmformyzombie]

<i> Vinay Patel , sep 12, 2006; 04:27 p.m.<br>

"On the flip side, you can buy a Nikon d80 with 11 mgpx sensor for $950."<br>

And you can buy an n80 for $350. That's a 170% premium over a comparable film camera. 170% of an M7 is $5950. The M8 is still not priced unreasonably. Maybe you'd like to compare the M8 to the Canon A640 at $375? After all, it's also 10mp, and we all know that's the most important comparison criterion :-)</I><br><br>Vinay, the problem with your M8 price logic is your baseline is too high. The FILM cameras M7/MP are absurdly priced at $3500. If the MP/M7 were more reasonably priced at say $1800-$2000 (still very high IMHO) a $5000 digital M8 would represent a considerable price premium.

[raymond_tai]

I just renewed my vows for film and bought an F6. The M8 might just push me over the digital edge. Got an RD-1 for fun and that almost did it but the M8 has framelines for 24mm!!!! The E-1 w/11-22mm zoom was close to perfection but not quite.

[raymond_tai]

The M8 isn't priced too high but rather the D80 is priced too low due to intense competition which the M8 has none.

[dan flanders]

And all I really want is to be able to use a recordable (& eraseable) sensor instead of film. I could even get along without an LCD display. Why can't someone fit it in a small bundle to replace the M's backdoor, leaving its film capabilities intact? Perhaps Huw could do it -- whereinhell is he anyway?

[raymond_tai]

I personally would like the M8 or any M body to be as small as possible. A digital back like the DMR would be too big as it would not be able to take advantage of space savings for example the removal of a mechanical wind on mechanism an so forth. A LCD screen on a digital camera is too important to eliminate.

[uk]

It fits so well into my hand ! Time to transfer investments, methinks.

[sprouty]

The price of a "thing" is determined as much (if not more) by the volume of "things" expected to be sold, than by the combination of assembly and component costs. A Leica digital will cost more than a Canon (with comparable production costs) because they they expect to sell fewer cameras.

 

This is simple manufacturing cost-estimating.

[vic_.]

IMO I wouldn't be surprised if "New in the Box" or "Mint+" M8's are sold for <b>MORE</b> than the Leica MSRP price, on this forum or Ebay, or elsewhere. Too many obsessive types are lusting for this tool, and didn't get on the waiting list.

[vic_.]

They could have put a movie/video mode into this camera without adding any bulk. Imagine, bokeh-filled Summicron quality movies.

[vinay_patel]

"Vinay, the problem with your M8 price logic is your baseline is too high. The FILM cameras M7/MP are absurdly priced at $3500. If the MP/M7 were more reasonably priced at say $1800-$2000 (still very high IMHO) a $5000 digital M8 would represent a considerable price premium."

 

Gary my original logic compared the $1650 Eos 1V to the $6870 1DS-II wherein the price premium is still more than in your example of a 'reasonably' priced M7 vs the M8.

[neil_parker]

"Nikon, AFAIK, doesn't offer any fast (f2.0 or faster) primes at all that equate to 35mm on

a 1.5 crop. Sad."

 

Kevin, I'll call you on that one, there is the 24mm f2, which equates to 36mm on my D200.

A great, compact lens that makes a nice handholdable setup. It's manual focus (like the

leica lenses) and reasonably-priced used. But to tell the truth, I usually find myself using

the sub-sandwich size 17-55 f2.8, because its convenient and so damn good.

[kevin m.]

"...there is the 24mm f2, which equates to 36mm on my D200. "

 

Thanks, Neil, that's good to know! I didn't see that one in my search.

 

I'm still waiting for any DSLR maker to introduce a fast prime lens with their cropped cameras

instead of the usual slow-as-mollasses f3.5-f5.6 zooms, but the tastes of the masses being

what they are, I might be waiting awhile.

[Brad_]

In the past here, a big point of discussion with respect to mechanical cameras has been

battery dependency. You know, when you're hunkered to the ground in Kosovo, the last

thing you want to sweat when there's bullets whizzing over your head is a dead battery. So

not being dependent on a battery is critical - at least that's what many have said here.

With the M7 you get a couple of non-battery dependent shutter speeds when you have to

get the money shot and your battery craps out.

 

So now we have a new M cam that lives up to the quality tradition of Ms in the past. But

with a battery life that's measured in hours rather than months/years. And a special, larger

battery at that - that will be even more difficult to find/charge in Mogadishu, Mosul, and

Mazar-e.

 

Why hasn't this been discussed? Anyone know if the M8 have a non-battery dependent

mode like the M7?

[Rob F.]

Brad, you're kidding, right? How can an electronic camera not be battery dependent? OK I know: it could have a hand-cranked emergency generator in place of the rewind knob. Not!

[sprouty]

<I>"Brad, you're kidding, right?"</I>

<P>

Yes Brad is kidding. He's just poking a bit is all, however I'm certain it will raise the hackles on a few of the humor impaired 'round here...

[kevin m.]

Hmm...Brad's right. If Leica is introducing a proprietary battery with the M8, then it'll likely

be just as hard to order a spare as it is for the Nikon D200. Maybe those who are putting the

camera right into their silca-gel equipped fish tanks could be sports about it and let those

who intend to use the camera have their batteries. I'll bet the camera's just as much fun to

fondle with a dark screen. ;-)

[vinay_patel]

"Anyone know if the M8 have a non-battery dependent mode"

 

Yes. OFF.

 

It would be nice if it would work on regular disposible batteries in an emergency. My Nikon D70 came with an adaptor for a disposible battery. It's in the box from the camera, I've never had call to use it, but I can see where if I were backpacking for a month it might be useful.

[vinay_patel]

BTW when I ordered my M8 I ordered a second battery, so hopefully they will be available. Nobody knows if it will be a proprietary battery or utilize the same one that Leica's version of the Panasonic 4/3 and therefore several other cameras use, which would make it more readily available as well as from 3rd-party manufacturers.

[kevin m.]

"Ancient?" Sekonic still makes the L-398, B&H has them in stock. :-/

[Brad_]

So let me see if I've got this straight...

 

Leica is expecting me to cover next year's action in the trenches in Pyongyang and Isfahan

with a camera that takes some weird-ass battery? That can't even be charged cuz our

Tomahawks will have already taken out the power grid (as if the PRK had a grid...). No

siree Bob...

 

And the damn camera won't even run iTunes when I come up for air.

 

Get real...

[eliot_rosen1]

"Leica is expecting me to cover next year's action in the trenches in Pyongyang and Isfahan with a camera that takes some weird-ass battery?"

 

Maybe take an extra battery or two?

[squareframe]

Brad, not to worry. my sources inform me that Leica will be offering a 18% gray beanie-cap with a wind-driven propeller for auxillary-powered field-use.