Interesting M8 & Canon 1DSMkII Studio Comparison

[dave_chadderton]

Sorry if this link has been posted before, but I'd just got my head around

probably giving the M8 a miss on a cost basis and was going to probably opt for

the new Fuji S5Pro - apples & pears, I know, but I haven't got bottomless

pockets and the added versatility of an SLR (for kids soccer matches etc) would

be a bonus.

 

That said, I came across this article on the Leica Users Forum;

http://www.leica-camera-user.com/digital-forum/16678-m8-1dsmarkii-comparison-test-studio.html

 

Unscientific, I know, but it seems to offer a very good 'user' perspective on

two very different cameras with their top end lenses. For me, the Leica beats

the Canon by some margin.

 

 

Comparable costs;

 

 

1DSMkII + 50/1.2 = 5807 ukp

 

M8 + 50/1.4 = 4634 ukp

 

 

 

The Fuji S5Pro, for comaprison can get you,

 

 

S5Pro Body - 1050 ykp

 

Zeiss AIS 25/2.8 - 585

 

Zeiss AIS 85/1.4 - 760

 

Nikon 70-200/2.8 - 995

 

TOTAL - 3570 ukp

[sk_szekiat]

why not compare the price of a m8 with a noct or the 1dsmk2 with a 50 1.4. The cost

comparison is kinda skewed isn't it. With a 50 1.4, i think the 1dsmk2 will be slightly

cheaper.

[vivek iyer]

Please check with Ray as to how many D40 and kit zooms can an M8 combo or a Canon 1DsMkII combo will fetch. :-)

 

IMHO, the comparison between an M8 and a 39mp Digiback cannot be beat.

Using both the machines to shoot test charts is the icing on the cake.

 

Studio work? Actual use? You canon be serious!

[elmarfudd]

I was particularly angry when I found out I could have bought 35 Olympus Stylus Epics for what my MP cost.

[stuart_richardson]

35 Stylus Epics? Don't be silly James...don't you know that you can get 350,000 perfectly

good pennies for an MP these days?

[Brad_]

>>> why not compare the price of a m8 with a noct or the 1dsmk2 with a 50 1.4.

 

Or a 5D and a 50/1.4 for a fraction of the cost and far better ISO capability...

[david k.]

"Or a 5D and a 50/1.4 for a fraction of the cost and far better ISO capability..."

 

Not sure that that "far better ISO capability" will make up for the mechanical problems that are far too common with the EOS 50 1.4USM.

[ray .]

James, my calculations indicate that you have grossly underestimated the number of Stylus

Epics you could have had- best check your math.

 

Anybody wishing for a 5D better start doing arm curls, because you're gonna need 'em. I've

heard the body alone weighs in at around 5 lbs. That's why they called it 5D. And for the

same price, 45 pixies could be taking snaps with Epics..

[roger_smith4]

5D's small compared to the 1ds mkII. Rangefinders are smaller.

[fernando monreal]

absoluty stupid comparisons.

[Brad_]

>>> Actual use? You canon be serious!<P>

 

Twenty years ago there was a popular slogan in the defense industry: <i> So many Commies,

so little time...</i><P>

 

Maybe that can be resurected for M-shooting to: <i> So many statues, so little time...</I>

[elmarfudd]

"M-shooting"? Is that taking pictures of M's?

[dave_chadderton]

I'm not sure any of these comparisons are actually ridiculous .... after all, it's the final image that matters, no?

 

Discuss!

[nels]

<i>"Unscientific, I know, but it seems to offer a very good 'user' perspective..."</i><p>

 

Shouldn't a "user perspective" on 1DsII also include the fact that it can take a wide variety of zoom lenses, auto-focus, produce stellar high ISO output, and keep on clicking in real-world tough and foul conditions where the delicate M8 and its lenses ought to be relegated to a water-proof bag?

<p>

People conducting these so-called "user reviews" need to tune into a new reality TV show - called "Get Real".

[dave_chadderton]

Has anyone commenting here ACTUALLY looked at the shots?

[carbon_dragon]

You have to do some fancy justification here to come up with any conclusion other than that Leicas are very premium priced. That's not the end of the world and it won't keep Leicafiles from buying them, but Leica isn't trying to compete on price with Canon. When I did MY comparison prior to buying one, I compared the M8 with a 24mm lens (so I'd have the 35 focal length back) with the 5D with it's 24-105f4L and the 50/1.4 and went with the 5D. It was something like a third the price and the camera is a great machine. Now if I can just get Canon to send me the d&^%$% rebate.

 

Seriously my 5D isn't that much heavier than my M2 (though it is a little bigger) and the 50/1.4 is a great lens. But man that 24-105 is a brute.

[nels]

<i>"Has anyone commenting here ACTUALLY looked at the shots?</i><p>

 

It's immaterial when you consider the context of your argument. If actual image quality matters, and you're working in a studio, why not use an MF digi such as H3D? Don't say cost is an issue, because that argument doesn't apply to Leica owners. You only want the best image quality, correct? And you're working in a studio, so a tripod is always handy.

[elmarfudd]

I didn't get a chance to look at the pictures. I was too busy writing an article about how my 4x5 field camera blows the 5D out of the water. I can get several wooden field cameras for the price of a 5D, and if things really go south I can always break them up for firewood. : )

[dave_chadderton]

I see I'm wasting my time here.

 

I was making no particular argument for one over the other, ONLY commenting on the subjectively better image from the m8+50/1.4 combo, which as you can see from my original post is cheaper in the UK than the 1DsMkII + 50/1.2 (5800ukp).

 

NOT ONE PERSON COMMENTING ABOVE HAS ACTUALLY PASSED COMMENT ON THE IMAGES ...

 

I guess this forum is full of opinionated who ALL KNOW BEST. I give up.

[vivek iyer]

"Twenty years ago there was a popular slogan in the defense industry: So many Commies, so little time..."

 

Interesting.. the reality is that Canon has made >30 billion EOS mount plastic zooms since the introduction of that mount! Golden arches aren't exactly a health-food outfit either. :)

 

Dave, I did not see any comparison images from the Fuji S5, and the ZF lenses.

 

Incidentally, the hottest topic at the moment there (LUF) appears to be on the 1DMkIII! Now, that is an impressive action camera! Don't know how heavy that would be in Ray-speak though.

[ray .]

<i>keep on clicking in real-world tough and foul conditions</i><p>What? You were planning on getting into the mud and sand and dust and blood spilled sewers of Iraq? <i>real-world</i> is walking to a street corner wearing freshly laundered clothes for most of us, some sporting a tie, afraid to get their fingernails dirty.

[vivek iyer]

Horses for courses! WMDs or pet snaps?

[larry_kincaid1]

Dave, you're not wasting your time with those of us who are interested and use Leica RF cameras. A few of the participants are wasting their time and ours with irrelevant worn out arguments about costs and advantages of DSLR's. Why they don't just stay on the Canon and Nikon threads is beyond me. I appreciated the link you shared with us very much. The hands-on personal evaluation of a professional photographer who normally uses other equipment is quite interesting and useful for all of us. And eventually Leica. It makes a difference to everyone here if any number of professional photographers who normally use other cameras also want to buy a M8 to complement their other equipment and use it for the limited purposes for which it was designed. If they flat out reject it as a useless, too late contribution to photography, that would also make a difference. What some of the people here are saying makes no difference to anyone. You should not have bothered responding to some of them.

[dave_chadderton]

Vivek,

 

Perhaps the last part of my initial post was a little misleading (unintentional!).

 

It was merely showing that the 1DsMkII plus lens was 1000 ukp more than the M8 plus lens, and that for 1000 less again, you could get the S5Pro with TWO zeiss prines and a decent 70-200 zoom. I know there is no image comparison there, but for someone with limited funds, we have to decide where our bucks (pounds) are best spent.

 

Most DSLRs and even compacts will take shots good enough for personal use. Most DSLRs will take shot good enough for publication - my Pentax ist DL2 being a good example.

 

The images in the LUG forum posting were interesting from the viewpoint that in my opinion, the 10MP M8 (with ALL it's problems) out performed the 16.7MP Canon wonder camera. I know full well that the Canon will win hands down at a sports event etc etc etc, but the test does show that for Leicaphiles and wanabees, the M8 perhaps isn't so expensive after all.

[vivek iyer]

"the M8 perhaps isn't so expensive after all."

 

Agreed, Dave. No, problems with that at all. Incidentally, some of the EOS folks are doing the RF users (or potential RF users) a big favour.

 

More power to their vocal chords! :-)