First Published September 2008

WHY PUBLISH THIS REVIEW TWO YEARS - TOO LATE?

Leica announced the M8 digital rangefinder at Photokina 2006. Early adopters endured some bumps and bruises - such as the IR filter, odd colors, poor auto white-balance, ghosting and the list goes on. To address these issues there have been hardware fixes and firmware updates. On September 18, 2008 Leica released the 2.00 firmware update for the M8 which adds a several features found in the subsequently released Leica M8.2. In my opinion this firmware update marks the M8’s transition into a mature, stable and nice-featured product. I am publishing this article now because while the M8 has piqued the interest of many photographers since its introduction, but price scared people away. That is changing today with used M8 prices approaching more sensible levels (around $2000 USD as of September 2010). This quasi-review is intended to help those who are thinking about a M8, but are still undecided.

THINGS TO KNOW FOR NEWBIES

Rangefinder handling is quite different than a SLR camera. I am going to skip past the technical discussion of frame lines, coupled focusing and some of the other basics. These topics have been addressed in the reviews at Luminous-Landscape and DPreview. For people to new rangefinders, the big surprise is that viewfinder is NOT a through-the-lens (TTL) system. The viewfinder is just a window with frame line showing the estimated FOV for different focal lengths. In the center of the viewfinder there is a “focus patch” which is similar to a split-screen focus screen. The key part to grasp here is that the viewfinder does NOT look through the lens.

1. •THE VIEWFINDER - The M8’s viewfinder is large with moderate .68x magnification. With the Leica 1.25x Magnifier or Leica 1.4x Magnifier, the viewfinder can be quite large - even beyond 1x. Since a rangefinder viewfinder is not TTL (through the lens), it is not possible to see the effects of graduated filer or polarizer through the viewfinder with a simple filter. As a work around, Leica does have a unique polarizer system which works well, but it is a funky contraption (click here). Sometimes the edge of the lens may be visible in the the lower right hand corner (depends on how long the lens is). Also, the M-series rangefinder has a fixed -.5 fixed diopter adjustment; optional diopter lenses need to be purchased (click here).
   

2. The information displayed in the LED readout at the bottom of the viewfinder is cryptic with triangles show over / under exposure. For experienced rangefinder users the display probably makes sense, but to me it is almost useless. The red LED read-out also shows shutter speed and a tiny dot to indicate if the exposure compensation (EC) has been changed from zero. I like a simple, clean viewfinder, but the M8’s is a bit too sparse. I would like to see a more traditional layout with numeric representation for EC, the ISO value and maybe some type of metering bar.
   

3. •FOCUSING - Sometimes I “lose” the patch when focusing on busy patterns like foliage, or when the last shot was a close up and the next shot is infinity. Newbie’s need to be careful with hand / finger placement. If the black window next to “M8” logo on the front is covered by a finger, then the frame lines and patch vanish. Trying to change the shutter speed without blocking the window and without moving camera from your eye requires some nimble finger yoga. If focusing towards a brightly lit area, the frame lines and patch are washed out. I have also found shooting in portrait orientation tends to reduce the frame lines & patch brightness. It also is easy to get fingerprints on the viewfinder window, which in turn clouds the view.
   

4. Those are alot of negatives, but after about six months with the M8, I felt very confident with the M8 focusing. Eventually I found more comfortable ways to hold the M8 and the ergonomics began to make sense, or at least feel somewhat familiar. My keeper rate with the M8 (and M9) with a 50mm F1.4 lens is higher than my keeper rate with a 50mm f1.4 lens on the Canon 1Ds Mark III. The patch system works well for me and I almost prefer the rangefinder focus system when focusing with very fast aperture lenses. Almost. The problem is off-center shots because the patch is in the center, and focus-recompose with a fast lens is a big no-no. To work around this, I would focus for the center, recompose and add a small bit of front focus. This is just a guess, but with practice it is not as difficult as it may sound.
   

5. •METERING - The M8 has one metering mode which is a blend of average / spot metering. The metering is always based on the central portion of the frame, so some common sense is required from time to time when shooting off-center images. If the subject is off to right and in a shadowy area, then some +EC will be needed. Or if the subject is in a really bright area (and off-center), then some -EC may be needed. This is old-school photography. There are no matrix metering modes, no focus point with linked metering, etc.
   

6. On the M8 setting the amount of EC in “A-Mode” (same thing as aperture priority or Av mode on a Canon SLR) is done via the LCD menu. The process is:  SET-->DOWN BUTTON-->SET-->UP/DOWN BUTTON to the desired amount-->SET. That can be 5 to 16 button pushes! I do not like having EC buried in a menu. The Leica M8.2 and Leica M9 have their EC adjustment linked to the rear control dial. This is a big improvement in my opinion. If this important for you, you may want to consider a Leica M8.2 over the Leica M8. The Leica M9 has several options for adjusting EC and is the most advanced of the bunch.