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worth it to the upgrade shutter on M8?

cam

Active member
here's the deal: i bought my M8 used for a very good price, with every intention of upgrading the shutter... and then the M9 was announced...

as we've just moved, monies need to be spent on furniture and the like, so i don't see myself getting that M9 until, well, the M10 is announced (hopefully sooner but ...). so i will be using the M8 for the foreseeable future.

my camera is at Solms with Shutter Fault. the estimate is €479. for €800 i can get the upgraded shutter. (i'm ignoring the 21% tax on everything here in Belgium even though that does make it worse and makes me a little nauseous.)

i know there were quite a few of you who did the upgrades at the time. do you feel that the shutter upgrade is worth it for €320?

i don't care about losing 1/8000 or flash sync whatever. i shoot more often in low light, intimate places, and have never used a flash in my life. whereas having a shutter that is as silent as it can be has always been a huge thing to me! i was a little disappointed initially to find the M8 not much quieter than the Epson, even with Discreet... and i know some felt that the newer shutter was much smoother, allowing you to hand-hold at slower shutter speeds.

since i need to pay up or have a really stunning paperweight, should i go the extra step and get the upgrade?

would you?
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Given the incremental cost I'd say it would an ideal opportunity to take advantage of the upgraded shutter. The difference under the circumstances you describe is quite significant. It's a lot quieter and smoother and I believe also that it's probably going to last longer as it's less stressed than the original shutter (hence the loss of ultimate shutter speed).

I had the M8, M8 upgrade and M8.2 and the shutter difference to the original was very noticeable.
 

Terry

New member
Is there a difference in overall camera warranty if they replace the shutter vs the upgrade shutter? Upgrades extended the camera warranty.
 
While it's there, consider the viewfinder upgrade too – it's considerably more accurate for normal shooting, & they don't charge as much when they're doing more than one upgrade at a time.

Kirk
 

GrahamWelland

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Is there a difference in overall camera warranty if they replace the shutter vs the upgrade shutter? Upgrades extended the camera warranty.
It's a year, although if your camera is still under warranty I believe it adds a year to the end if I recall correctly. For the fix only I would expect only a year for just the replaced (old) shutter & not the entire camera.

I agree with kirk regarding the framelines - that was a useful upgrade although I primarily did it so that my M8u & M8.2 matched each other.
 

cam

Active member
thank you all, especially Graham, for your input -- truly.

the camera, as you can guess, had no warranty -- so warranty overall would be a really good thing! they mentioned cleaning the sensor and the rangefinder in the mix, something i can assure you was very much needed (i rarely shoot stopped down, but when i did, i saw bunnies i didn't know i had)...

the framelines fix i'm not as sure as sure about. it's more important to me, i think, to get them properly when shooting up close (i like to shoot close and tight at night)... i bitch about them all the time (or so i'm told by my other), mind you, but the only one that truly gets me is the 75mm and i'm told that's no better with the newer set.

besides, with the 21% tax, i am really already over the limit of what i should spend.

out of curiosity, i say that beautiful anti-panda M8.2 someone has up for sale here... i was thinking of asking (no harm in asking, right?) if they'd replace the control button and the new shutter with chrome (i have a black M8)...

does anybody have an opinion on what is easier to see in a darkened bar or alley? that's where i am most likely to go into manual... yes, the eyes are going up close when i have my contacts in -- which is always, as i'm blind as a bat (nearsighted).

i think i've read that people find the black is easier but, to be honest, sometimes i have the damnedest time even finding the wheel :eek:

ETA: to clarify the warranty... does that mean if i get the upgrade rather than the repair, that i am covered if the sensor goes bad???
 

cam

Active member
thank you, Graham, that's huge! even though, honestly, my M8 has been really solid apart from the shutter error and missed shots -- which the firmware is supposed to take care of anyways. but now that something went wrong (whether caused by one to many D&C combos, the fall, or both), i'm a little gun shy that something else might go.

probably silly of me, because he camera has been stellar. but i do shoot the hell out of it and don't plan on slowing down. if anything, i plan to use it more as i educate myself on the new light i am encountering here because i'd like to star shooting a little more film and my metering in daylight sucks. although i'm not normally a chimper, i find the instant feedback of the M8 more valuable than a light meter... just the way my brain works, i'm afraid. i have to see it to make the numbers mean something. i'm not very good with rules ;)
 

Double Negative

Not Available
Personally, I value 1/8000s more than a "quiet" shutter. I shoot fast lenses wide open much more than sneaky street shots. I left my M8 as-is.

I bumped into the 1/4000s limit on the M9 in my first week of owning it. Oh well.
 

cam

Active member
Personally, I value 1/8000s more than a "quiet" shutter. I shoot fast lenses wide open much more than sneaky street shots. I left my M8 as-is.

I bumped into the 1/4000s limit on the M9 in my first week of owning it. Oh well.
good to know because the estimates changed and i'm just going for the repair (which they lowered quite a bit).

i don't shoot "sneaky" street shots, btw -- you make it sound sleazy. i am quite obvious about my shooting. if someone objects, i allow them to move on and/or put my camera down if they are not in a situation to do so. it is the audible afterwards that i am uncomfortable with, especially in very quiet surroundings...

i was asked to shoot a religious service (family) and hated the fact that i had to wait for music or louder oratory. the quieter shutter meant everything to me but, even so, i could not justify the extra expense.

i rarely ever use 1/8000. then again, i don't often shoot a lot in bright sun. i shoot typically in very low light. although i am a sucker for the separation fast lenses bring, i usually shoot wide open out of necessity... if i find myself in sun, i usually stop down. i find 1/4000 fast enough for me.

but i do totally get your point!

i just read a huge thread on another forum that ended up being a slugfest about the Oly E-1 (i'm getting one to play with in the rain) and the E3. E-1 has a quieter shutter but only goes to 1/4000. E-3 is louder and goes to 1/8000. people were bickering about what is more important on a camera -- speed or silence. both sides had perfectly valid points.

it made me wonder, though... why does no one use ND filters? are they really that bad? or is it just too much of a PITA to use them? i'm asking in all earnestness... i own a few but have never been in a situation where i needed to use it.
 

ashwinrao1

Active member
Hi Cam! I do use ND filters for my Noct f/0.95. I find them very useful in bright daylight, if I wish to shoot wide open for that effect. The only issue that I see is vignetting, which is often to my taste


Best,
Ashwin
 

Double Negative

Not Available
@cam; I didn't mean to make it sound sleazy at all, heh. But if you're after a quiet shutter to not arouse the suspicions of your subject, there is a certain amount of sneakiness by definition, no? :D

I can totally understand your need for a quiet shutter in said situation though. Perhaps the discreet mode would suffice? Or perhaps a half case to help muffle the sound somewhat.

In comparing the "classic" M8 and the M9 (with the improved shutter of the M8.2) there is most definitely a difference. It's not a radical difference, but certainly noticeable. Whether or not it's worth the cost or not I can't say.
 

cam

Active member
Ashwin -- thanks! you know my lust for fast lenses!!! i will try the ND filters when my baby gets back, just because... or maybe i'll put it on the Nocti and play with it on the Epson (it only goes to 1/2000 -- and, yes, that *has* made me cranky, with 200 being the lowest ISO). along with torrential rain, there seems to be bursts of brighter sunshine than i am used to here... all this new light is flustering me a bit :eek:


Double Neg -- interrupting what they're doing and arousing suspicions are two very different things! we could argue about the semantics of this forever... but, in my mind, i will always be right :D

and i always shoot in Discreet (hence the original problem) and do use a half case for precisely that reason. to make it as quiet as possible.

but, as i am also saving up for an M9 eventually, i can't justify the cost of the upgrade now, sigh... what i hope for, however, is that the CLA and possible parts replacements will gain me a quieter and smoother shutter than what i originally had (which was honestly the loudest M8 shutter i ever heard -- louder, dare i say, than my R-D1).

perhaps it will encourage me to shoot fast and open, just because i can! and then, i too, may grumble about the lack of 1/8000 when i get my M9 :p
 

Double Negative

Not Available
@cam; No, you're right - I agree. Two different things. :)

Your reasoning makes sense if you plan to get an M9 anyway. Hopefully the CLA will help with the noise...
 

ramosa

Member
i would not upgrade the shutter. first, it seems like you're pining for an M9, so i'd save the money for that. second, one thing i have learned is that if i use a good leather case on the M8 (e.g., luigi), it really dampens the shutter sound, making it less noisy and of a lower pitch. i just wouldn't recommend upgrading a camera that, while still darn good, is a "cycle" behind.
 
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