Don't Buy The Leica M8
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- Опубліковано 7 лип 2024
- I am always getting asked for my thoughts on the Leica M8, & can I recommend it as a camera purchase? So here's a video that will answer some of the questions.
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Cheers Tom
Hey Paul, so good to see you again. I still have my M8, as other cameras have come and gone it remains to still put a smile on my face when using it. I think part of the attraction is it is actually nice to use despite the clunky shutter, heaviness in your hands, the less than great screen and menu system. My camera also has some of the dreaded sensor spots but most can be carefully cleaned. I don't think it will ever be sold even if it has to end its days sitting on a shelf.
Keep clickin!
I just recently purchased an m8 actually I’ve had it for about a month and a half and the conclusion I’ve come to on it is that the color images that it produced (ir filter or not) don’t chock up to the cameras of today not even close. They’re strange looking and well pixelated to say the least. Not to mention a lot of the things just said in this video.... and then some.
However if one can remain in the confines of black and white then I think the m8 is a perfect choice. It’s almost like a monochrom from Leica without the 7,000 dollar price tag. It’s tones are beautiful I’m often blown away by how glossy the blacks and beautiful highlights, also impressive is the amount of texture you can pull out with a little bit of post processing. All in all it’s a wonderful camera if you’re only shooting it in black and white and it’s a great first digital Leica for those of us who love the M system but may not have the means to aim for an m10 or m11.
I think the camera can be used professionally in that medium but aside from that it’s just kind of a mess.
I still love my M8 and use it most of the time with the 21mm 1:4 Super-Angulon which actually works a lot better on this sensor than on my M9 and the 75mm 1:2.4 Summarit.
You had me wondering at first, just got M8, 85 years old gentleman had just paid $800 for M8 to be service by Leica. Could not pass up deal. Thank for being here. South Carolina US.
Love the way in the middle you soften and clearly love the camera. I still have one, along with an M10 and M10M, an Sl and an S.
I love my Nikon D300 cameras plus all my film cameras. I quit the rat race and live going back to film to supplement my digital shooting. No more new cameras. I'm only buying the classics.
You simply can’t go wrong with the classics.
Thank you for the sharing of your beautiful images with e-book and I really enjoyed them. I recently got M8.2 with the help of your video. I appreciate that!
I have an M8.2. It does really great monochrome in addition to color, and can do them simultaneously. It works very well with a Canon 28 mm f/2.8. The CCD sensor is good in it and the M9.
Great to see you back on UA-cam… thankfully my M8 is still going strong, it was my M9 that gradually died…. Have an M10p which is superior but I miss the M8 colours
The M8 colours are hard to beat. Cinematic, filmic, M8. A M4 loaded with E100 will also do the job.
Welcome back Paul. Good assessment of M8.
Summed it up perfectly for 2022. I have to say I love my m8 even within it being temperamental and having to take a back up camera with me, just in case. But for my own use its just magic. I had similar sensor issues and your video on sensor cleaning the m8 was a massive help. Cheers bud !
Cheers Keith
Totally agree with every point you made in this video Paul; BUT, knowing even though it doesn't make any sense to buy this camera in 2022, I went ahead and bought it before I even watched this great video. Now, I must say, I absolutely LOVE my M8 and I can't be happier with my purchase. The images out of this old camera, when it all comes together and actually works, it blows the mind how "filmic" it looks. I LOVE it!!! Oh BTW, the B&W pics also turn out amazing with the M8.
Good on you Bah
Great to hear you, I have the M6 TTL😀
I had the Leica M8 for some years and sold it again. Nothing wrong with the camera in my opinion. So simple - just a camera for shooting pictures and nothing else. with the IR filter the pictures almost look like film. I just had to try the "magic". Now I use Canon professionally and for personal projects. I use a Konica rangefinder film camera and that actually gives me the same vibes as with the Leica M8. Thanks for sharing Paul :-)
Good and honest assessment. Buying ANY 10+ year old digital camera is a crap shoot. The M8 was released 16 years ago! With most brands, you are purchasing a cheap camera (you can buy a 5D for $250), so who cares if it breaks? Not so with a Leica. Really want a Leica? For the same money (more or less) pick up an M2-M3-M4 and the 'sensor' will never die. Or for a third of the price pick up a screw mount Leica and enjoy photography at its most basic.
Great Video Paul! When the M8 photos hit they HIT! I constantly read and heard stories of the M8 shutters failing and being impossible to repair. I looked into this myself, the only place I found that could repair the M8 shutters were Leica themselves but the cost would have been more then the camera it self! (parts are also limited) . Being that this was my main camera, This lead me to selling my M8 and moving to an M6. For those of you that have a main camera and also own an M8 as a secondary fun camera, keep it and ride it till the wheels fall off!
Go to local camera repairers, they are cheap
The shutters only fail if you have the camera sitting on a shelf for a long time because the grease dries out. There are otherwise absolutely no issues with the shutters.
The shutter of the original M8 is the best shutter Leica has put in any camera they ever produced.
Hello Paul. Good to see you again. Enjoy your honest opinions on camera gear. I haven't got any digital cameras. Still enjoyed your video though. 🏴👍
Nice to see you back! And Nz looking so sunny and beaut! I love my m8 for infrared and b&w. It IS fun to shoot! Not the best quality hi res super sharp photos but they certainly have a unique character!! the m9 is now a go to for ‘serious’ photos or just a modern Fuji. But there is a special something in the Leica files that works especially in good light!!!
Thanks for the video. To me, “Pure basic photography” is the selling point.
I am a Leica fan - if you can afford one then get one ! I first got into digital M’s with an M9 with replaced sensor - loved it but it is hyped I believe - it was very slow and clunky but fun. I now have an M240p - love it to bits with big enough sensor, live view and built to last and so quiet. Yes it costs more but better value for money than an 8 or 9 imo. No need to go to the 10 I don’t think - but if you can, then why not? Voightlander lenses nowadays are great too.
Yes buy it, it's a lot about design and feeling, also about slowing down the process of photography.
I really like to use my M8, fantastic BW and analog-like output. I would buy it again now…
Agreed! Bought a m8 last year and love it….
@@pggrootde6726 There’s simply nothing to hate about it. That’s what makes this camera stand out and timeless.
I sprung for an M8 last year and that shutter sounded/felt like a Ferrari that was about to throw a piston. Gorgeous, fun, amazing feel in the hands, but also like it was going to head to the Leica shop with a $$$ bill at any minute. I backed out and got the M240 for only another $500 which is sorts everything out (even though I do miss the black chrome finish).
I think if you have owned an M8 for a long time it's totally worth sticking with. It does have wonderful output in good conditions. But investing in one at current prices? Not so much.
The current price should be around 800,-€, realistically speaking. I bought mine in excellent condition with the box and all accessories for thousand bucks five years ago. It served me very well and still does with excellent results that will last a lifetime.
The M8 is fab! For me.
Aging digital is real leveller across the brands - sensors or other electronics are unlikely to be able to be replaced if they fail after 5-6 years and that's the end of the line! OTOH I sent off an old Canon Powershot A630 (circa 2006!) to a friend to use. It runs on 4x AA batteries and it still produces lovely colourful images. You can pick similar older digital up for $20-$30 and they are so much more enjoyable than a cell phone!
I liked my M8 till the shutter failed. It's limitations were always present, but it does have a unique look.
Great Video, nice to to see another Paul Smith Video, thanks for sharing! I'm a 100% digital!, I have kicked silver nitrate to the curb! I do have some film cameras but life is too short at my age!, thanks for sharing
My M8.2 is still going strong but I also wouldn't recommend getting one now. Even the last 8.2s are now more than 13 years old.
I use mine a lot for IR pic taking via an old Voigtländer 28/1.9. At ISO 320 and f/5.6 on a sunny day (ISO 640 when cloudy) I can handhold the camera with good results.
I had one and i loved it because you Slow down you think More before you press the shutter. Put a 7Artisans 28mm 1.4 on it and shoot BW jpegs
I own and shoot a wide verity of cameras both film and digital keen as chilli laced mustard to get a Leica but the cost puts me off for now…..would love fuji to release a stripped down camera no video no frills or menu full of options just a bare bones photo maker. Great vid paul thanks for your thoughts and advise
“i believe that what you say is the undisputed truth . . .” Both positive and negative. Still I love my M8 and I will continue to use it as long as I can.
Glad to see you back mate! Good perspective on a modern classic! It's ok to fan boy!! 🤣🤣
Hey, thanks!
I can recommend! This is a fabulous object made for the beginner the advanced and the accomplished photographer. Ps: Love your chair in the forest picture…. Gorgeous!
Thank you
bought the ebook so good!! worth every penny 👍
Thanks Richard really appreciate it!
You know you love it really 🥰
after watching a lot of reviews to me the color looks a lot better than on cmos sensors, more subtle, less contrasty, less darkness in darker areas... probably still not as good as chemical film which has more organic color and texture and it kind of does some very natural HDR while digital can't balance light and dark that well and it requires a lot of work in post to get at least close but I believe the m8 is a bit closer my default so I bought a m8 with a broken shutter and currently get it repaired and overhauled by leica for 700€ then it will have a fresh 12 month warranty too. If I don't like it I can still sell it. Looking forward to get it back and to also check out some b&w with my 21mm super angulon.
The price of m8 actually higher than few years ago,it’s very unique and I want to buy one these day, I think it’s a good way to change your mindset, and I can sell it after that because the price is very stable now
biggest problem is the BANDING issue. You WILL get horizontal lines in this camera eventually. All have been affected. There is no fix.
You just saved me a couple of hundred bucks, Buddy! This helps for me to decide if I will get one! T!hanks
Any time!
I feel your pain. I’ll be happy to take the camera and give it a good home. Jeesh.
What a lovely & beautiful vid on the M8, all the way from the other side of the world. Thanks mate. Did I say ‘ lovely images’ ? Yeah, some lovely n beautiful images; can I say ‘very film-like’ ? haha !! Yeah, I am thinking about the M8, although I appreciate your warnings. I picked up one in camera shop the other day; I think I’ve been bitten…
I am considering buying this Leica.
However, old age discourages me.
I am afraid that you are an expensive camera that will serve me for half a year and then break.
How is the Leica M8 doing with reliability even after so many years?
Still going
If you slap some vintage lens on a Fuji camera, you'll also get kinda "organic" photograph out of it. Leica lenses included. Just saying...
I’ve owned mines since 2009
44000 clicks
For 1500 I'd get a Lumix S5 and 20-60. However if I owned an M8 I'd be in no hurry to get rid of it, but wouldn't pay the current asking price.
I have both. Got the s5 with the 20-60 and a free additional battery and 50 1.8 thrown in. It was bought mostly for video. Lovely, capable camera but it feels so bulky compared to the Leica and in terms of enjoyability to use it’s fantastic.
Used at base ISO it’s still more than capable for prints.
Wow. Not what I expected. Just bought one. Oops.
Good to see you mate ... howz the fam & farm going ... yer' to many options on cameras these days for sure & owning different brands with settings in different places can muck you up from time to time. I personally have stuck to one brand Lumix for' i guess over 15 years now ...apart from a few Go Pros .. not that i'm a photographer by any means of the word, but i do find Lumix has not changed it's places of settings over the years which i think is great !! ... Loved ya bacon vid you did with James last week ... you be putting on the weight with all those tasty cuts 😁!
you must treat your cameras as paint brushes. Its no the idea of i can get better colors or larger sensor for cropping my images. Its not about sharp images, look at cartier bressons images. the look is half of what its all about. the photos you get from the m8 have a look. just like my M2 or my Nikon d7000 or my Nikon F or F3 or my contax G1. they are all abit different along with the difference in the lenses. I have 5 50mm lens all with their own characteristics that make my work mine. I advise you get it if that is your vision.
finally another video lol, 1 per quarter?
I don't want more features, I want less
Hi Paul ... I knew you wouldn't totally blow out the M8 because it has become an extension of you as a photographer. Mattias Burling and would certainly say that restrictions and restraints that challenge you are all part of the fun, and that's why I love watching videos by you, Mattias and Adrian @aows ... It's about getting the image in any way possible, whether that be with old gear or new gear. I've taken to shooting with gear with restrictions and I'm enjoying it so much more.
The secret of the M8 and M9 is the CCD sensor, made by Kodak. Kodak managed the sensor to emulate Kodachrome film. Maybe a good thing, maybe not. Colors are never accurate! Nice but wrong. Ektachrome way better. The fact it cannot be repaired is the last nail in the coffin. Leica pushes simplicity, a good thing, but cameras are not old thinking film cameras, anymore! They are portable computers making images.
Sadly, the phone camera is bypassing even the digital camera. Yes, not as fast or as quick, but billions of images a day. I love my M6, M3, used for film. I am in no hurry to finish a roll! In 6x6 I am terrible. Took 18 months to finish a 220 roll.! 23 images were good for big prints! What is sad the designed obsolesce. All new cameras are same. If one loves the look of CCD hunt down small compacts who have Kodak or Sony sensors that are CCD. I think Nikon D-200 may also have it. All the best! Look more carefully at your canon DSLR. Sure, it was not as sharp as M6. You also focused a heck of a lot better with your M6. When it jammed. Bravo!
I'm sorry, but if this camera didn't say "Leica" on it, we wouldn't be having this conversation. The M8 was contemporary (and equal specs-wise) with the Nikon D200, which is currently going for around $75. I truly wish you well in being a fan boy, but I think only a fan boy would even consider this purchase. But if it suits you, enjoy!
Gribley it suits many people and that may be the reason why the price for a good M8 is going stronger. Your comparison to the D200 is nice cause the D200 had one of the nicest sensors (CCD) of all Nikons and produces great great colours. If shooting the M8 would just include its shortcomings nobody would like it anymore, but it is a great experience because of its haptic and its purity AND the pictures coming out of it, both bnw and colours. I also do kind of recommend the M8 ..... in good company ... like Paul, and Hugo (MyLeicaM8) and Mathias Burling
@@ansgarbook712 I can certainly respect that. To me, digital cameras are tools. It's the film cameras I get all misty eyes about. I went from D80/D200 to the D7000 to the D7200, shooting pairs of each with big f2.8 zooms. I was glad to switch to mirrorless when the A7 came out, and I sold the zooms and bought a bunch of old Nikkor glass because of exactly what you're talking about. The feel of using actual manual focus lenses and the simplicity of letting go of most of a camera's features. But since I took up large format film for my personal work, I've noticed I care a lot less about the "feel" of my digital cameras. They pay the bills and as such must undergo a cost/benefit analysis. The M8 just doesn't work in that sense. For me.
Don't be sorry, your probably right.
ρяσмσѕм 👍
Just stupid , Sorry,
M8 best Camera ever Made !!!
Leica is supposed to last forever!
They lied
What a load of nonsense BS. there are millions of reasons to use the M8. and the results are gorgeous.
My Nikon D7200 blows the M8 and 9 out of the water. No comparison.
You shoot LEICA M8, but you do NOT and YES recommand this camera, ... I am confused. No optical system can you provide with better images than that of the LEICA SYSTEM. That is the reason you shoot with the LEICA Optics, .... common! Be sincere!
Did you watch the video properly?
Getting a Leica is pretentious
Of course it is!
I like to shoot a camera with a mechanical rangefinder. Sadly Leica is the only camera maker that offers digital rangefinder cameras, so you have to pay the price. Only for film cameras there are used alternatives available. Of course there are also people who buy it only for the brand name but that is not the majority of users.
@@tomw0815 Modern high pixel sensors are pushing the limits of mechanical rangefinder focusing and older lenses. 35mm camera output was never seen at the sizes we expect of a modern digital camera. Whether we need that capability is another question.
I just think kust tje opposite: Het the LEICA M8 or M9 and enjoy photography to your full capacities. Just be careful which lens is well suiter for particular type of photography.
That is it.