Leica M8 - a user's view

I'll start with what this article is not, then once most of that is exhausted we'll move to whatever is left! This is not a product review as that has been done many times elsewhere. It is not the opinion of a professional photographer, as I'm not a professional. It is not a detailed manual to take specific types of photographs, as there is no single answer. And this is not a product guide. What this is, then, is a short article that describes my own views and opinions of the Leica M8, somewhat over a year since it was first introduced, and about 8 months after I bought one. A user's view.

For years I have wanted a Leica M-series camera. My grandfather and I had talked about Leica and I have ever since been convinced that the M-series was the pinnacle of 35mm camera design and the Leica lenses were the best that money can buy. But sadly he never realised his ambition to own and use an M. Nearly two decades after he died my interest in the Leica M-series was rekindled by the launch of the digital M8.

Let's be very clear. The Leica M-series have never been inexpensive. But they have a huge tradition of high quality, precision manufacturing that is difficult to even compare with other manufacturers' products. For a start, the M-series are rangefinder cameras, whereas the single lens reflex has become the norm since the 1960s. The introduction of the Leica M8 in 2006 marks a watershed in Leica's history. The M-series has evolved since the 1950s yet has stayed remarkably close to the original design and design philosophy. The M8, being digital, is the next step on that journey and marks no break in tradition apart from the digital sensor rather than film. That is why it awoke my interest in Leica. I had, from time to time, looked at adverts for the M6, M7 and MP. I had looked at the internet forums. I had even looked in camera shop windows in a way reminiscent of small children looking into the sweet shop window! But now the M8 was there, I went a little further and into the shop, in this case The Classic Camera in London one lunchtime and asked if I could have a look. I was really disappointed! I struggled to see what the fuss was about. The whole thing was manual - imagine having to focus manually before taking a picture! But at least there is aperture priority exposure on the dial. The camera felt OK in my hands, but still not as light or as small as I expected. I said thanks and walked off.

Given this article's title that was obviously not the end of this story!

So I continued to use my Canon 5D and small armoury of lenses. I like this camera and it produces superb images. But I still had a niggle or two eating away and kept looking at the forums and various articles and reviews of the M8. Whilst I cannot now look back and say there was just one thing that made me look again I did read the Luminous Landscape articles on the M8 (e.g. a Hands on Field Review) and Sean Reid's reviews (subscription required) several times. What became clear from the various articles and forums was that whilst the M8 was a remarkable device and users tended to love it, there were a number of issues with it - colour (IR) sensitivity, reliability, focus adjustments and so on. But what was also clear was that despite the issues, people still loved the camera and defended it with a passion that was not normal for a product with apparent design flaws! It was also clear that Leica were trying to address those flaws as quickly as they could.

I kept reading and eventually decided to just "pop in" to The Classic Camera, given it is not far from my offices in London. Having thought about the nature of the M8 and its use I spent quite a while with it in the shop. I left this time with an M8 and a 50mm f2 lens! When I got to my hotel in the evening I spent several hours studying it. First I read the manual (that's a first!) while waiting for the battery to charge. Then I simply handled the camera and played with the focussing and other controls. I don't want to overdo it, but this time the handling of the camera felt sublime. A difficult thing to describe, but it just feels right and its controls are all in just the right place. The whole thing feels like it is designed and built with care (it is) as a precision instrument (it is). I took many pictures in the hotel that night to get a better feel for the camera - none of which passes muster as art, but helped me feel comfortable using the camera. But time to pack it away and wait until I got back home to Derbyshire to try it out.

Before continuing, a few additional thoughts from day 1 of owning an M8:

I first had a real chance to use the camera a few days later when travelling back to Derbyshire from a client in the north-west. This took me through the Derbyshire Peak District near Sheffield and so I stopped to take few pictures. My initial views about handling were confirmed. The camera is just great to use and the focussing, once you've got over the hurdle of remembering to do so, is very quick and precise. The level of control that you have over the image is wonderful - it feels like you are taking the picture rather than the camera doing so. I took a number of pictures of individual trees, broad landscapes and everything in between.

Barbrook Reservoir
(2007-1000023) One of the first day's shots with the M8. Near Barbrook Reservoir, Derbyshire Peak District

Later that evening I loaded the files onto my computer. WOW! The quality of the images was simply stunning, or was for those I had actually managed to focus properly! The detail and contrast in the images was unlike anything I had ever seen from the Canon gear. I was blown away by the detail, clarity, sharpness and general look of the images. Again, a very difficult thing to put into words, but there was a look or feel to the images which made them look like anything I had ever produced before.

One issue I was facing immediately was that the M8 was unsupported by Apple's Aperture and I did not want to maintain different methods of storing and managing photographs. Whilst I was able to use Capture One or PhotoShop (with the DNG converter) the M8's RAW files were not supported by Aperture. A search online found a "hack" to I tried this. It works to the extent that once images are run through the Adobe DNG converter they can then be imported into Aperture, so that was the way to go to fix that issue. It is a bit of a performance, but one I found worthwhile to use Aperture for all images. Worth noting that Aperture now fully supports M8 RAW files so this is no longer an issue, and I had to breathe a big sigh of relief when the update became available, but at the time a proverbial pain in the unmentionables.

Given what I had read I was very concerned about the reported issues with the M8. I did not find any real issues once I had received the IR filters that came free with the camera (I ordered the 2 - one for the 50mm lens and another for a planned future purchase, but read on). I did however find that the supplied neck strap was rubbish, so quickly replaced it with a Lowepro version that is much more comfortable.

My photography is generally landscapes and for the next few weeks I took the M8 alongside the Canon. Increasingly I found myself wanting a wider lens on the M8 - the 50mm effectively becomes 67mm on the M8 and not really suitable for some of the locations and pictures I wanted. The next step was to buy a 28mm f2 Summicron lens, which very rapidly became the lens cap on the camera!

But with the 28mm lens came a real issue that made quite a difference in how I used the M8. In most of my photography I have used a small aperture to ensure there is focus from front to back. I am used to stopping down a long way with the Canon 5D and regularly use apertures as small as f16 and f22. I took several pictures of bluebells at f11 and found there was an area in the middle of the picture that was much redder than elsewhere. What I wanted was focus from near to far, yet what I got was a mess. Worried that the 28mm lens I had bought at vast expense was faulty I posted the images on-line. Very quickly it emerged that stopping down so far was simply not necessary. Two days later I tried to reproduce the problem (successfully) but also establish just how much I really needed to stop down. The end result was that stopping down to f8 is enough for most purposes and going further with this lens is just not necessary. I have since added an IR filter to that lens and have not managed to reproduce the original problem. More to the point, the 28mm f2 lens is simply wonderful in many situations (and equivalent to a 35mm lens).

The "realisation" that stopping down to get everything in focus taught me to think again about more creative focussing effects. Nothing will excuse something that is badly focussed, but having parts of the image blurred can help enormously with the composition. Clearly many broad landscape views need to be sharp, but those of smaller vistas or details can benefit from the wonderful smoothness of the Leica lens' bokeh. I started to play rather more and this has changed much of my photography. You could say it has helped me "see" a photograph (doesn't always work though - its managed to help me take some real rubbish!)

The M8 has made a massive difference to the way I approach photography. By massive in this context I mean weight! I used to carry a rucksack containing the Canon 5D, three lenses (17-40, 24 - 105, 70 - 200 and often the 100mm macro just in case), filters and various bits and pieces. Then I started to take the M8 and one or two lenses along too. However I found that quite quickly I was using the 5D less and less once I became more comfortable with the M8. I very soon realised that carrying that amount of equipment was simply bonkers and so dumped the bag full of bits and now pack it with the M8, a couple of lenses and that's it. No filters, no macro lenses, no cable release, no anything else except one spare battery and two spare memory cards. The weight has dropped significantly, my back feels better for it and there's more room in the rucksack for water and food to keep me going on the walks across the Peak District!

The M8 is, however, not so good for long lenses. Nor is it particularly suited to macro. Of course it can "do" both, but to me that is stretching the design. So if I know I am going to need the macro capability or a longer lens, I'll still take the Canon. But now I tend to take the Canon and one lens (e.g. the 100mm macro or 70 - 200mm) and a 28mm and 35mm lens for the M8. That way I've still got most bases covered AND I'm still carrying less weight than before. The temptation to take everything just in case its needed is so strong with many people and I believe I've managed to cut down a lot, and feel much better for it!

To sum up after some 8 months of owning the M8.

The good:

The not so good (to poor):

So there it is, a user's view. I really enjoy using the camera and simply love the image quality. It doesn't completely replace my Canon DSLR but it makes a great alternative for most of my photography. Clearly you may have very different views - and that's absolutely fine. As I stated up front, I am not a professional and what I have said above is purely my own view. Nothing more.

Update: 1st June 2008 - Selling off the Leica M8

Despite what I wrote above back in November 2007, I'm selling the M8 and small collection of lenses. There are several reasons for this, but the main ones being that I have not used the camera for several months now and the cost of future upgrades is getting out of hand. I have been delighted with the Canon 1Ds and have picked up the 5D on several occasions to use in low light with a wide lens. I am now really struggling to see how the benefits of the Leica are better, overall, than the Canons can deliver for the sort of photography I enjoy. The deal breaker though is the cost. Leica have recently increased the price of the M8 and lenses. They were expensive to start with and I cannot see how paying such exhorbitant sums for Leica glass can be justified any longer, so I'm getting out.

There have been all sorts of rumours about the future of the Leica M series cameras including an upgrade programme that would preserve the investment. The cost of the upgrade to the shutter mechanism and protective glass on the back of the camera is nearly the same as a brand new Canon 5D, itself a superb, albeit very different, camera. And now Leica have backtracked on their announcements about future upgrades, something I felt was highly dubious anyway. So, with escalating costs of the Leica M-series camera and lenses, the issues in reliability that others have faced, the current performance of my Canon kit and the fact that I have not used the equipment for months, it's going.

That said, I am still delighted with the image quality of the images I have taken with the M8. The lens quality is simply amazing and I just love the draw of the Summicron lenses I had. I was torn about just selling the M8 and keeping the lenses in the event that one day I might buy another M-series camera. In the end, though, I decided that getting rid of the lot was the better option even though at some point I might walk back into a Leica store with my tail between my legs and want to buy it all back again!

Please do not misunderstand this personal decision. The Leica M and Leica glass are superb. The handling is fantastic and image quality sublime. I have some great images from the M8, some I am really proud of. It is expensive to purchase and maintain, but if it works for you then it is probably a great investment. For me, I'm obviously more comfortable with a more traditional SLR style camera, so that is what I intend to concentrate on for the photography I like to do.

Am I disappointed with this? Yes, I am. The view that my grandfather had about Leica M-series was certainly valid at the time, but technology has moved on a long way since then. If I was just into street photography and portraiture (like he was) I would probably be very happy to continue with the M8, but my photography is about landscapes and natural history. I often use medium and longer telephoto lenses, which are just impractical with the Leica. I do use wide angle, the sweet spot of the Leica, but I also want very high resolution for large format prints. I sometimes want really fast autofocus and often macro capabilities - the M8 just cannot deliver. It is these capabilities that I use on a day to day basis and drive which camera I pick up and use, and this choice just is not the M8. So that's it, it's going and the dream is over.

In conclusion then, it was great fun to own and use the M8. I'm still blown away by the image quality and love the large prints I have made. I've even sold quite a few of them! But it just does not work on its own for the sort of photography I want to do.

A quick note on selling the kit:
There are several options in selling - eBay, private sale, commission sale, outright purchase. I looked at each but eventually asked Ivor Cooper at Red Dot Cameras to take the lot. He was very helpful, very fair and gave me a good deal that works for us both. Thanks Ivor. I'm sure I will return to his shop once a digital R-series is available... Check out his website!