The D3 is hardly boring ... unless you deem actually working every time you need to take a photo to be boring. So, yes the D3 lacks the spine tingling suspense of going dead at the most inopportune moment ... and who can argue with the titillation of sending a M lens in 3 times to be calibrated ... or my favorite initial thrilling moment ... magenta Tuxedos with M8s that also that came replete with inaccurate focusing calibration right from the factory. Life needs adversity to make you stronger, and the M8 experience has made me a virtual "He-Man."Perhaps I am a member of the меньшинство.
Do I miss the display of shutter speed in the M8 in manual mode- NO I just set it on the dial. Seems a lot like the MP. I love my M8...but
Sure, The issues are there, and the M8 has more than its share of them, but the images Oh La La! really more to do with weak AA and 72lp/mm resolution along with some lenses that are not half bad.
My D3 is relegated to limited roles that the M8 cannot handle. It is a boring camera with an over-active paparazzi mode.
Oh, and no, the M8 is not the be-all-and-end-all, it is not an all-weather-night-fighter-bomber-reconnaissance drone. It is a decent camera with a few problems.
What I hope that Leica hears, is that I don't give a rat's gluteus maximus if there is 1.5 stories behind an M8 and I loath the Hermes/Montblanc marketing image, what I hope is that we finally get rid of the mad hatter display, the need to occasionally re-boot by removing the battery, and for GOD'S sake please fix service and figure out how to calibrate your lenses and rangefinders. Buy out DAG for whatever it takes and just do IT or give IT UP.
The line that divides love and hate is fine indeed. Pleasure and pain and not strangers either.
Please save me from this whining and show me some pictures that you bothered to focus.
-bob
For decades, my primary back-up to any SLR/DSLR while shooting weddings, or any other "one chance" assignment, was a demure M6 or M7 slung over my shoulder. I could always count on it if the primary camera hiccuped. Alas, that time has pasted.
As of late, a little D300 with a nice array of Zeiss optics has crawled up the M8's backside as a small alternative for travel and walkabouts. If Zeiss ever delivers the legendary 21 and a 135/1.8 ... oh, oh.:clap:
The real final "excitement" will come after all this sorting out is complete, and the problems that were made my problems have been dealt with, the M9 will appear and turn a $10,000 investment and almost 2 years of frustration into a lame duck ... all because I foolishly associated my previous M experience and trust in Leica with this camera. :banghead:
One should NEVER bring emotional baggage from an old relationship into a new one.