Tribute to the M8

[bender]

The M8 at first brought me back to my college days, shooting (really learning to) an old manual everything Nikon.... with only a 35mm lens. I now take my M8 everywhere I go, which carrying a camera regularly never happened when I had DSLR's. I actually feel like a photographer all over again.

 

[etrigan63]

Like others here, my M8 got me back into the joy of photography and by virtue of its simplicity, forced me to be a better photographer. I had to trade mine away for professional/financial reasons, but I am returning to the fold, picking up a used M8.

 

[gallery7]

shot an m8 for a while... meh.

have fallen head over heels for (again) for my m6.

 

[gallery7]

with a serious eye for my mamiya 7 with that sweeeet 43mm!

 

[wbrandsma]

I already dream of all the stories I will capture and people I will meet when I have my M8 within 2 to 3 years, but first I have some serious saving to do!

 

[Reynolds]

It all started with this large bag of wonderful Nikon gear (D2, etc.) on a trip to Kenya. On our photographic "game drives" each day, a fellow traveler kept pulling out from his much smaller bag , a Leica MP. He later shared some images. WOW! Within weeks of the trip, the M8 was introduced and I was "done"! Then, outings with Guy and Jack, encouragement from Mike Hatam, the M8.2, Linda Leslie, a few lenses, LR2 and I was REALLY "done"! I was becoming a real Leica guy..."with miles to go before I sleep" toward producing the quality I search for...but, we are getting there.

The M8 started it all...an experience which continues to produce about as much fun that a man can have with a camera. And, hopefully, the M9 will only add to the fun...on order...can't wait!!

In all likelihood, I won't be around for the M20...but, I can just imagine the thrill of it all!! Can you?

 

[mwalker]

The M8 got me back into photography after a 20 year hiatus and introduced me to web forums and the wonderful people and great photographers here at DPI..........and made me spend obscene amounts of money. :bugeyes:

 

[Bob]

For me the new friendships made the M8 worthwhile.
I really miss the little M8 and its wonderful handling.

 

[Scargos2]

When I purchased my M8 and start using it , I fell in love with a M8 rangefinder and sold most of my Canon lens. Love taking pictures in manual mode, this is real photography, not point and shoot with auto focus and ect.

 

[Ruediger]

When I went shopping for a digital camera, the top priorities on my list were full frame, exceptional high ISO performance and "real" lossless 16 bit RAW files.

I got none of those, but I finally got a camera that actually worked the way I always wanted a camera to work. It was a worth the trade-off. I felt there's more to a camera than the tech specs (at least for what I am really using the camera for).

 

[Guy Mancuso]

BTW Jack sent this on to Leica which was suggested by Terry which she thought they would probably like to see something like this so keep up your thoughts.

 

[pointcolville]

Thanks for starting this thread, Guy

Much better than the "M8 is obsolete, retail value reduced, model discontinued" laments in other forums.

Contemplating a switch to the M9 the hardest part for me is parting with my M8.2. Normally I'm not sentimental about gear (except my Nikon F3HP and Olympus 35RC, neither of which see much use). The first Digital M was (and continues to be) an exciting camera to use because for the first time in the digital age I can focus on photography rather than programming the camera.

.

 

[nboyer]

Re: My Love Affair...

Excellent thread Guy. While I'm a newbie to this forum, I've been shooting for almost three decades. I remember when the M8 first came out, I marveled at its unrelinquishing beauty and admired its simplicity from electronic gadgetry. But, it was the initial green blob, IR issues, banding, etc. that put me off not to mention the price tag. Several years later, I've come full circle back to the M8, but this time in the form of an M8.2. I recently bought a new one from Ken Hansen, all the high praises about this dealer is indeed very true. It was overnighted and as I opened the box (Leica and Apple must have attended the same packaging academy ) I felt a rush of endorphins. Finally, I got to handle a real "M". My only experience with rangefinders is with the Contax G1 and many do not consider it to be a true rangefinder. I've been using an Olympus E-P1 with my Leica-M glass, which is not a bad setup, but now I have the real thing. I'm still in the 'new love' stage with the M and am hoping for nice weather this weekend, so I can spend some quality time out and about. Cheers. -Norm

Well it's sounds like it's bigger brother might be moving in but I spent a lot of time with those M8's with warts and all. I did happen to love shooting it. So what's your love story.

 

[Peter Klein]

I've been a Leica shooter since the 1970s, so I eagerly anticipated a digital M.

I bought my M8 new, six months after the initial release, once its issues were pretty well understood. No regrets. If I'd waited until it was a "bargain," I'd have missed two years of digital photography with my M lenses. I just don't have time for scanning film anymore, as much as I love the rendition of slide film and "real" B&W. The consolation was that while the M8 had a different look than film, the image quality was actually objectively better.

I preferred 50mm with film. I didn't find the M8 crop factor an issue. In fact, I kind of like the slightly wider "normal" that a 35mm lens provides on the M8. If I were a wide shooter, I might have a different perspective.

I needed a moderate wide for the M8. Since I don't usually shoot 28mm with a full-frame camera, I decided to forgo a Leica lens and picked up two used CV lenses: the Ultron 28/1.9 and the Skopar 28/3.5.

The M8 has been with me on all my vacation trips, and documented my friends and family, and done some "street," available light and classical concerts. Since I rarely shot above ISO 800 with film, I found that I could do everything with the M8 that I could with film, and a bit more.

Yes, I'd like better high ISO, and eventually I'll probably get an M9. But there are plenty of good pictures left in the M8. I've got the lenses I need, I've got the IR filters. There are a few 50mm lenses in my closet that keep whispering to me, Wouldn't you like to use me more? I can be a normal lens again." I'm telling them to be patient, and I'm not selling them.

Like many, I initially came to this forum looking for M8 information, and am happy to have met such nice, knowlegeable and helpful people here. Unlike on some forums, I suspect that the M8 and M9 folks will stay friends!