The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

The MAGIC & ALLURE of the M8.....Is it For REAL

helenhill

Senior Member
I FEEL Quite SHY in saying this (and Jack suggested I start this Thread /after a Question I posted to him)
but I am Not Thrilled as an M8 owner
and I FEEL quite Guilty about it...

I have loved sooo many posts & pix with this cam
by so many of YOU here @GETDPI

When I shoot B&W Film the pics are soooo 'Atmospheric' & Alluring
something I don't see :eek: when I shoot w/the M8
I'm always abit Flat or Disappointed....

color w' the M8 is charming, True to Life & Brilliant but my Hearts in B&W

so I guess I need to Understand the World of PP
and Perhaps some of Your Secrets

This is NOT a Thread / Digital VERSUS Film Bashing
just Wondering how I may Fall under the M8 Spell....:)
 
Last edited:

cmb_

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Were you "thrilled" with the RD1 files?

Which RAW conversion software are you using?
 

helenhill

Senior Member
Were you "thrilled" with the RD1 files?

Which RAW conversion software are you using?
Touche' Charles, :) ....You are Good :)

IGNORANCE IS BLISS....:ROTFL:
You see its the damn B&W Film that ruined my Eyes or rather heightened my Vision
and YES the M8 files are far more expandable & Superior
but RD1 rocks at Night

At present I just have Aperture /where I do a tweak ,here & there
 
Last edited:

kevinparis

Member
i get the impression that an M8 is due to join our household soon ... in the meantime we have been shooting and developing film this weekend... well I have been developing film... and fighting the scanner and all that stuff... and i am sorry but digital wins big time for me at this point.

to me the jury is out to whether the M8 is a better digital camera than the rest. To me its only redeeming feature is that you get to use leica lenses

with my photography the actual camera seem less important..... my top five most interesting on flickr were taken on Powershot(ixus) 100, Canon 10D, OLy510 iphone, Canon 10d and canon g9
 

johnastovall

Deceased, but remembered fondly here...
I use Alien Skin Exposure 2 for b&w also a very important item in my digital work flow is Pixel Genius PhotoKit Sharpener. For sharpening theory get and read the late Bruce Fraser "Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2" Once you understand the process you can put it to the side and just use photokit sharpener. All digital images need to be sharpened twice, once on capture and once on output for the targeted device.

You can get the magic back...

 
M

matmcdermott

Guest
I'd also recommend Alien Skin Exposure. I use it for both B&W (which I rarely shoot) and for color on every image. Love it. Though running it on a MacBook requires a good deal of RAM to make it speedy. Record your favorite film settings as actions in Photoshop to further speed things up a bit.
 

helenhill

Senior Member
i get the impression that an M8 is due to join our household soon ... in the meantime we have been shooting and developing film this weekend... well I have been developing film... and fighting the scanner and all that stuff... and i am sorry but digital wins big time for me at this point.

to me the jury is out to whether the M8 is a better digital camera than the rest. To me its only redeeming feature is that you get to use leica lenses

with my photography the actual camera seem less important..... my top five most interesting on flickr were taken on Powershot(ixus) 100, Canon 10D, OLy510 iphone, Canon 10d and canon g9
Yes Cam is just like Eric
sitting on the Bleachers while I develop the Film and then crowing Film is Better....
Though I immensly enjoy Developing... its Fun & relaxing

Its the Damn sitting on the Floor with the Changing Bag trying to open the film with a can opener and winding the plastic reels :cussing::cussing::cussing:

The M8 is Special ,
I just haven't wrapped my head around it in the World of B&W

i agree its not the Camera but certainly One has Groove w/the Medium
 
Last edited:

helenhill

Senior Member
Erik, Simon, HiredArm, Mat
John (you changed your Avatar-Lovely)

I only have Aperture / mac desktop 10.5.6
Is Alien or Niks compatible or do i need something else w/it ?

THANX ALL...LOVE YA
 

cmb_

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Perhaps you have C1 as well, depending on if the seller of your camera activated the version that ships with the camera under their name or not - and, if not, did they send you the CD?
 

TRSmith

Subscriber Member
Dearest Helen, you know I love you right?

But I must say that many of the most worthwhile experiences in life take work. There are simply no shortcuts to excellence or even good-enence. It seems to me that everyone who takes up photography must pay their dues and earn their chops. It's frustrating, disappointing at times, and often humiliating, but there's just no way to get better without putting in the time to learn and grow. No camera, no film/developer combination, no scanner or lens will suddenly give you what you seek (which by the way, is a very personal goal and you are the sole judge of its definition.)

There's just no getting around the facts that you have to learn the basics like focus, exposure and processing. The M8 does not go out of its way to make any of those things easy for you. It's a demanding camera in some ways. But if you are willing to put in the time, it can yield some wonderful results.

My own personal opinion (and I know others will disagree) is that no digital photographer should be operating without a solid understanding of Photoshop. And if you're shooting the M8, C1 is also a must have. Both programs are entire fields of study unto themselves. Together they can make M8 files really shine. Silver Efex Pro as a plugin to Photoshop can make your B&W dreams come true.

My advice is not to give up on the M8 but instead to take it as a wake up call. Time to get busy!

With the best of intentions,
Tim
 

jlm

Workshop Member
last time i developed 35mm was a year ago...i couldn't find a can opener! times, they are a changing
 

kevinparis

Member
helen

little trick - when winding the film back in the camera dont wind all the way back... when you feel it loose and making crinkle noise stop... and take the film out.. If you still have the leader you dont have to destroy the canister...just trim the ends and feed into the spiral as needed but you do have to operate scissors in the black bag... so beware of fingers... oh and remember to put the scissors in the bag :)


K
 

helenhill

Senior Member
Perhaps you have C1 as well, depending on if the seller of your camera activated the version that ships with the camera under their name or not - and, if not, did they send you the CD?
Do have the CD ...will try:D


and THANK YOU TIM for your paternal advice

This Neophyte of the M8 will await his Awakening as a Zealot
but I certainly am not shy of Hard Work & Discipline
as i have gone through in this Learning Experience
compact P&S, to rangefinder digital /rd1
to analog M4/M2 to starting developing and now an M8 ..ALL IN ONE YEAR and 3 months
:grin:
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Helen, let me put it this way:
1) Preparing your canvas:
We are not using linen canvas with rabbit hide glue sizing followed by gesso,
Instead we begin with a raw file and develop it into a working tiff.
This step cannot gain, but can only lose image quality.
After many trials, I decided to use c1 for this conversion for he best initial conditions, the sharpest files (not over-sharpened turn town the default adjustments by half), and the lowest noise. Leave your file color at this point, unless your are tottally enamored with one of the c1 "styles"
2) Select your media:
B&W, Color, split toned? decide now, use PS to get you there. The B&W conversion allows good color weighting opportunities plus your own choice of custom curves.
3) Pick your brushes:
Gosh there are a lot of them in PS. Brushes (on masks) that subdue texture or enhance it. Brush color or contrast or brightness or darkness. make emphasis subdue distractions.
4) Varnish:
an optional step. Wait until your image is thoroughly dry, or you have looked at it over several days. Are there any final adjustments you would like to make? Now is the time to make sure your highlights are just about white and your darkest darks are just about black but with just a hint of detail. Adjust accordingly.
Size and convert to finished format and you are done.
Almost all of the features that one can get in a plug-in can be had with basic PS functionality albeit with maybe a few more steps.

What I love above all with the M8 is that it gives you the BEST canvas cum grisaille underpainting bar none.
-bob
 
Top