THAT WAS THEN, THIS IS NOW

My first try with the Leica M8 was in August 2007 and it did not go well. White balance was dreadful, the IR filter debacle unfolded, the M8 price was absurd, and there were firmware gremlins. Probably most important factor was this being my first rangefinder experience. I approached the M8 expecting it to operate like a Canon dSLR. There were surprises such as exposure compensation being in a menu and the sparse information in the viewfinder. Other things felt completely foreign, such as the frame-line concept and no through-the-lens focusing. From the moment the viewfinder meets you eye, everything is different. When I did manage to get some well composed pictures, the planet Volton colors were really out there. In a nutshell the M8 was weird, really weird. It was sold quickly.

A year later used Leica M8 prices were dropping quickly. I still was not a fan of the M8, but I fondly remembered the sharp files. The 1Ds Mark III was producing the typical Canon AA blur, and four years of carrying 1Ds bodies was getting old too. I tried the 40D and XSi, but the 1.6x crop was not for me. The second try at the Leica M8 was with mixed feelings. I was tired of Canon and wanted something different - and if the M8 is one thing - it definitely qualities as “different”.

WHAT IS MAKING THE DIFFERENCE

On this second go-around I knew what to expect, so it was easier to move past the differences and focus on using the camera. I was actually enjoying the experience. Leica has continued to update the M8’s firmware and auto white balance is significantly improved. The firmware 2.00 adds auto-ISO. Auto-ISO reduces my menu button pushing, and for the most part there is no more need to change ISO manually. Somewhere along the way Leica and / or Phase One C1 managed to improve the ISO performance too, so now ISO 640 is pretty decent. ISO 1250 is usable, but requires added post processing techniques to look good. Firmware 2.04 added the “Discreet” shutter mode - essentially a delayed cocking of the shutter. This is more of a novelty, but I like it.

Gone are the viewfinder magnifiers because they lowered the viewfinder contrast, thus making the “patch” more difficult to see. The Thumbs-Up (Model #1) is a “must-have”. The Artist & Artisan Half-Case adds girth which results in better grip. With the half-case and Thumbs-Up the M8 feels secure and comfortable. The M8’s robust build quality and the smooth of the controls makes handling a M8 a gratifying old-school experience. For people who remember film and were a bit of a gear buff back in the day, the M8 oozes nostalgia. Ultimately, if I like a camera, I tend to use it more - and I am liking the Leica M8 these days.

Even my wife likes the M8. With the Canon gear her role is that of an unpaid sherpa. Usually I ask if she will carry a lens or flash in her purse. Or sometimes to “guard” the bag while I hurried off to take a picture. With the M8 those duties are gone. She’s free! I pushed things a bit too far a couple years ago and asked her to mule the 200L F1.8. She was a good sport about it, but I know she still remembers. Joking aside, when we go to restaurant or whatever, no longer is there a Crumpler 7-Million bag to fuss with. Now it is just the M8 with the Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH. The camera is still “there”, but it is so much easier to carry around than the Canon 1Ds Mark III.

LEICA M8 VERSUS THE dSLR

Every picture on this page could have been taken with a dSLR, but my mindset with a rangefinder is different. I agree that a rangefinder draws less attention. I took pictures in a casino without security scrambling their troops. I am taking pictures in settings where I normally would not. This also reveals some of the M8’s shortcomings - a super clean ISO 3200 would be wonderful. Or if it was full-frame with 14 to 18 MP, then I could crop and “recompose” during the editing process. Most likely these improvements will happen with a Leica M9 or M10.

Probably the most fun (and most frustrating) aspect of the M8 is - you never know what you are going to get. The M8 has its own way of interpreting reality. With the M8 there is no way to see F1.4 vs F8 through the viewfinder. We can guess, but until the picture is taken, there is no way to know for sure. And in a world full of evaluative or matrix metered dSLRs, the M8 is using a spot meter, so the subject will be metered correctly, but the rest of the frame may be dark or over-exposed - and sometimes that results in some very interesting pictures - you just never know. The M8 is the proverbial box of chocolates.