ron_breeze2 Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 After one year of ownership, over 8,000 images taken, falling over once on a tripod, being constantly bounced around from hiking in all types of terrain I have the following thoughts on the M8.Superb image quality in black and white, infrared and color. I do not use UV IR filters since most of my work is done in B&W and B&W IR. The color images I've taken have not exhibited any maroon color cast in the blacks except once with a lampshade covered with synthetic black fabric. All images are exposed in RAW mode. Before the last firmware upgrade I did have two occurrences of the red bands appearing on the screen when the image review came on immediately after the image was taken. The image did appear fine once in the review mode. That has not occurred since the upgrade.Superb build quality. When it went over on a tripod I thought it was all over and fully expected to pick it up and hear parts rattling around inside, but not a scratch was on it and after three months of constant use it still works as new and I have not experience any battery failure, start up failure, sudden failure or any other type of failure issues with it.When it comes to menus I enjoy simplicity in the field so I can make my selections quickly and efficiently and continue taking pictures. The Leica menu meets my criteria with one exception. The selection for image type needs to be in the working menu and not in the set up menu. Leica please change this in a future firmware upgrade, if possible.I've used Leicas for years and really enjoy the compactness of the M series of cameras. The M8 is a little more chunky than the film M's but the extra dimensions give it a little more girth to grip and after a year I have to admit I like the feel now better than the film M's.Shutter sound is an issue that really hit home the other day when I was photographing a grove of trees in a wilderness area. It was so quiet that the noise from the shutter practically echoed and was the first time I had really noticed it. I understand Leica is offering an upgrade to a quieter shutter for around $800 but I can't hear that much difference between the current one and the new one to justify the expense. An extra years warranty with the upgrade may change my opinion.Another issue is the debris on the sensor that seems to come with every M8 from the factory. Mine cleaned off easily enough but please Leica a little better quality control, or offer a free sensor clean in the first six months.Over all I'm very satisfied with the M8 and looking forward to many years of use. Happy Birthday to my M8! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbg32 Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Good for you Ron. My M8 just came back from Leitz with repair to the shutter and shutter transport mechanism. My M8 died after 15 months of continuous use. Was out photographing, and then....nothing. Camera works like a charm. I hope it stays that way for me, and you never experience camera failure. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbg32 Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Good for you Ron. My M8 just came back from Leitz with repair to the shutter and shutter transport mechanism. My M8 died after 15 months of continuous use. Was out photographing, and then....nothing. Camera works like a charm. I hope it stays that way for me, and you never experience camera failure. Cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex_Es Posted March 30, 2008 Share Posted March 30, 2008 Good to hear the good news. My M8 is in Germany right now having is sensor treated. I got a red horizontal line on the right side in all my pictures suddenly. Leica Tokyo lent me a silver demo M8 until mine is fixed. It works very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
len_smith Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 The shutter upgrade, together with a new sapphire glass cover for the rear LCD costs Euro 1120.00. That includes German VAT of 19%, which is payable by all Leica customers resident in the European Union, but obviously not by customers resident outside the EU. Net of tax, this will cost Euro 941.18, which translates to US $1487.25 at today's exchange rate. That might seem a lot of money, and you also lose the valuable 1/8000 sec fastest shutter speed, but you do get an additional two year warranty from the time of the upgrade as compensation. You can choose to have either the shutter upgrade or the sapphire glass cover separately. Leica charges Euro 750.00 for the sapphire glass cover or Euro 800.00 for the shutter only. I'm not sure if you get the two year warranty, but the price of that glass LCD cover on its own (after deducting German VAT) is a staggering US $995.92. I wonder how many self-adhesive LCD screen protectors you could buy for a thousand bucks? Details here: http://en.leica-camera.com/service/service_and_repair/m8upgrade/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torben_daltoft Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Amazing that adults who spend USD 5000 on a camera are surprised that it works! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_neuthaler Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Amen! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_breeze2 Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 "Amazing that adults who spend USD 5000 on a camera are surprised that it works!" Torben-not sure what you mean by that but I fully expected mine to work and it lives up to my expectations. FYI I didn't pay anywhere near $5,000 USD for mine, I get a discount because I stand behind a retail counter all day and have to listen to sarcasm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torben_daltoft Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Nice to learn that SOME of them are working! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_breeze2 Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Tony you can purchase the Giotti Schott glass, coated, adhesive LCD covers for around $30. Probably not as strong as sapphire but mine has held up very well in a year with no scratches showing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_r._fulton_jr. Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 Good report. Thanks, Ron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vic_. Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 <i>Torben Daltoft: "Amazing that adults who spend USD 5000 on a camera are surprised that it works!"</i> <p>Where have you been? It's currently USD 5500. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan_peck Posted March 31, 2008 Share Posted March 31, 2008 I couldn't agree more, Torben. I've had my M8 for almost a year now and am constantly amazed at hearing M8 owners proudly bragging about not having any problems, etc. Honestly, as much as I love it (and I really do) I wish I felt about it they way i've felt about every M i've ever owned; completely confident. Or even my Nikon D70. I've had that for over 3 years without any issue, at all. Hopefully, all this will be worked out on the M9. Especially the backfocusing issues on all the lenses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_breeze2 Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 Keith, sorry to hear about your M8, did Leica install the new shutter or repair the existing one? What do you think of the new shutter upgrade? I'm on the fence right now. I wouldn't miss 1/8000 sec. because I take long exposures and rarely, if ever, use 1/1000 sec. Alex also sorry to hear about your M8 problems I know you were really enjoying your camera the last time I posted some months ago. I'm glad to hear the Tokyo store came through for you. The store I work at just purchased an M8 outfit with the new 35 and 75 so we can offer a test drive, or use it as a loaner for M8 owners who need one while theirs is in repair, but so far none of the M8's I've sold have any reported problems. What do you think of the shutter replacement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ron_breeze2 Posted March 31, 2008 Author Share Posted March 31, 2008 "I couldn't agree more, Torben. I've had my M8 for almost a year now and am constantly amazed at hearing M8 owners proudly bragging about not having any problems, etc." Sorry you see this as "bragging" Ryan, it really is not, as John said it was just a report and an interchange of data between M8 users. There seems to be a lot of negativity regarding the M8 on this forum and LRF. I thought it might be refreshing for M8 users to hear that there are SOME M8's that are working fine. I do hope you learn to love your M8 in time because it is an upgradable camera and will not be replaced by an M9 soon. If your having backfocusing issues perhaps you should send it in for calibration because at the risk of "bragging" again I don't and neither does anyone else I know. I wouldn't fall too in love with your Nikon as we are experiencing a rash of them coming in for repair or just dead. It's as if a little timer has been placed in them and has struck midnight. Ah, but I digress, such is the fleeting love affair between man and machine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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