Introduction: My Pre-Digital Era
Analogue photography will always be part of me. An experience that I will never forget. Going backward, it was in March 2019 that I started the analogue photography. I watched a fantastic video on youtube of a review of the Olympus OM-1. I was hooked by the vintage perspective that the reviewers conveyed. The pictures displayed in the video were beautiful. I did some research and the very first camera I bought was a 1959 Canon P. It was a rangefinder that I thought it looked pretty. It was a heavy all metal camera. I had no idea what a rangefinder was. In fact, I didn't even know it was a rangefinder in the first place. I then played with it extensively for a short while. The roll was finished, but I never sent it to the lab for processing even to this day. The reason is that I am too embarrassed to even bother with it. I remember one time I had the lens cap on for a couple of exposures so those pictures would be completely blank. The people who process the films at my local lab would probably laugh their butt off if they had the chance to see my pictures. But that roll will probably sit on my shelf collecting dust for eternity so they will never get the chance.
My Initial Dislike of Rangefinders:
One year later, I sold the Canon P as I never bonded with it. The rangefinder experience didn't convince me at all. I hated the way that you would have to line up the rangefinder patch to focus. Throughout my analogue journey, I used a variety of SLRs instead such as Olympus OM-1, Nikon F3, Pentax K1000, etc. I like the confidence that SLRs provide. What you see through the viewfinder is what you will get. The framing is more accurate. A SLR is also more versatile: marco shots, telephoto works, normal focal length, and wide-angle can all be handled by it at ease. On the other hand, a rangefinder is far more limited. It is not so effective with telephoto photography. It is not so good with marco and perhaps it's pretty much hopeless in this genre. It is rather excellent with wide-angle shots.
Leaving the Analogue Photography Behind:
With almost two years of analogue experience under my belt, I thought I could go on with films forever. Unfortunately, things have changed quite heavily in 2020. The COVID-19 has hit us hard. It affects everyone's livelihood negatively. Before the pandemic, I used to go out a lot to just get the films processed. I was so passionate to do that as it was satisfying to drop off a whole stack of films and awaiting for the results. I had to drive at least 15 to 20 minutes to my camera shop to drop off the rolls and a few days later I would go back to pick them up. The experience has gotten overwhelming. I have grown to hate the drive to the shop and I thought the driving has taken a toll on me. The time I spent going back and forth became longer and longer and I got tired of it. And thanks to the COVID, I thought it would be safer to just stop going to the camera shop. After all, it is just a hobby and they are simply just pictures.
The cost of analogue photography is also now ridiculously high. The prices just keeps on going up. Buying film stock costs money and they are not cheap online. In addition, developing and scanning the films costs money. The price you pay for regular development also does not get you anything better than normal resolution. If you want higher resolution then you need to pay extra dough. Another thing I experienced was that a few times the photo lab messed up my scans. A few times my photos came back with lines on them or the scans would be off. The camera store's manager insisted that it was the problem with my camera and not the problem with their lab. The camera I used was actually just overhauled and thus it was highly unlikely that it was my camera's fault. I understand they want to defend their trusted partner. Unfortunately, I was blamed for mistakes that I didn't make. After being a loyal customer for more than a year, I felt that I should deserve better. The manager's attitude didn't really help and it made me uncomfortable. Frankly, one time I was there just before the COVID hit he and another person, presumably another staff of his or someone from another store made sure I STOOD behind the yellow line and one of my foot just crossed it a bit. I felt like I was a criminal. Regrettably, I have lost some of my faith in them. I did get along with some of the staff there and they treated me very well. Ultimately, I believe that not going back would be the most ideal thing to do. With the COVID in the picture, my fate with the shop was sealed. For the foreseeable future, I will probably take my business elsewhere.
Enters the Digital World and the Leica M8:
I decided that it would probably a good time to begin a new chapter for my photography journey. Financially, analogue photography is no longer feasible. I also didn't want to rely on someone for my pictures. Enters the digital photography ladies and gentlemen. Prior I was into analogue, I actually started out with digital. I bought a entry level Nikon DSLR as I suddenly became interested in photography. Now armed with all the fundamentals that I learned from films, I wanted to restart my hobby in the best possible way. I knew what I wanted. I didn't want to buy a camera that didn't fit my needs. I didn't want another DSLR as I already used many film SLRs extensively and I wanted something different. I used to hate the rangefinder style of shooting, but I have learned to cope with it and I have fallen in love. I wanted a digital rangefinder. Thus, I landed on a Leica M8.
Why The Leica M8?
So what is the deal with the M8? Why not the M9 or even the M10? The simple answer is both are over my budget. To make the switch to a digital M possible, I had to sell a few analogue cameras and lens that I no longer used anymore. The M8 is already expensive. The subsequent Ms are even more so. Another thing I considered was the sensor issue for the M9. I read that the CCD sensor of the M9 is prone to corrosion and if I could afford a M9 I would have to go for the ones that the sensor has already been replaced. The M8 also has a CCD sensor but is not affected by this problem. So with the M9 and M10 out of the picture, I aimed for the M8. Another consideration I had was the M8.2, which is an improved version of the original M8. Unfortunately, I am not a big fan of black paint due to the brassing as I prefer my cameras to stay in black color rather than gold. And I don't like silver camera that much. So the black chrome M8 was my only choice.
After I accumulated enough funds from my gear selling, I pulled the trigger on one of the M8s on eBay. There were quite a few to choose from. I picked the one that looked the best and has the lowest actuations (shutter counts). Of course, pricing was one of the biggest factors in deciding which one to get. The buyer I bought from never told me about how many shots the M8 had taken despite I asked him a few times. All I was told was the camera had low usage. His feedbacks were also mostly positive and his pricing was among the lowest. So my money vanished into the thin air and the Leica M8 arrived to my hands a few days later.
Initial Impression:
I still remember upon opening the box how beautiful the M8 was at first. It was love at first sight. The black chrome finish is stunning. It looks a bit bigger, taller and fatter compared to another analogue M that I used a lot. The fit and finish of the camera is excellent. There are no play and loose parts on the camera. The camera looks quite simple and there are actually even less buttons and switches on the camera compared to a film camera. The biggest difference is that there are no film advance lever and file rewind button. The top plate is relatively empty. The camera is also a bit heavy but not in an excessive way.
I immediately tested out the camera. I realized that the battery the seller provided was not an original Leica product. The battery charger was huge. It's nearly as big as the camera itself. It was quite funny to see the charger side by side with the M8. I plugged in the battery into the camera and I also inserted an 8gb memory card. Initially, I thought the camera didn't work at all as nothing displayed on the LCD screen. After a few clicks I got the hang of the electronic display. Maybe I was out of the digital for too long for the past year and I almost forgot I was using a digital camera and not analogue anymore.
I do not recommend using an aftermarket battery. While it does power the camera through, what it lacks is the the display of the proper battery level. Apparently, the battery indicator on the camera will only show the correct battery level with an original Leica battery. With an aftermarket one, I had an experience when I fully charged the battery, the camera still thought that the battery was exhausted. The camera worked fine but the indicator just would not cooperate. The solution was to use the camera until the indicator kicked back itself to the full position. It sounds like witchcraft but it worked for me. Other users recommended to use the battery until it ran out. Once it's recharged then the indicator would work fine. It is cumbersome and too much guessing work. I have since got an original battery but it was damn expensive. Why the seller gave me a third party battery is just a mystery.
The Shutter Experience:
I pressed down the shutter button and it felt different compared to a film M. The input was quite hard. You would have to press down quite heavily to trip the shutter. The film M in contrast feels feather light and the feeling is definitely better. My concern is that because the shutter is heavier to press down it could cause unnecessary vibration when the camera is hand-held. Another thing I realize is the shutter sound is quite noisy. After the shutter is tripped a robotic sound from the re-cocking of the camera would be audible. The sound is not only robotic, but also quite loud. It sounded like a motor spinning. I much prefer the subtle sound of a film M which is hardly noticeable at all.
The Viewfinder Experience:
The viewfinder is often the make or break of a camera for me. The viewfinder of the M8 is fantastic. It is bright and clear to look through. It is better than the film M that I used which was prone for the rangefinder patch white out. The rangefinder patch is big and easy to see. Manual focusing is pleasure with the M8 most of the time. The only drawback is the magnification of the M8 is 0.68x, which is lower compared to the typical film M's 0.72x. However, it is not bad at all. It is certainly usable in most situations. The frame lines are bright. Though the frame lines are at times not accurate at all and guess work may be required. This should not be a major problem for people who have had experience in shooting a Leica rangefinder. The electronic display of the numbers for the shutter speed are also easy to read and they are perfectly usable. Overall, the viewfinder is a pleasure to use.
The Shutter Speeds:
The shutter speeds are what a digital M such as the M8 shrine. Compared to a film M which the maximum shutter speed goes up to 1/1000 only, the M8 goes all the way to 1/8000! The rubberized cloth horizontal focal plane shutter of the film M has its limitation. A digital M on the other hand uses a metal vertical focal plane shutter which faster speeds can be used but with the drawback of being noisier. There is a good reason why Leica still uses cloth shutter for their film M in production (MP and MA) due to the advantage of being extremely quiet. From what I heard, the newer M10 has improved on the shutter sounds and it is much more silent. I am personally fine with the sound of the M8. The 1/8000 is such a huge improvement. Unfortunately, at such a high speed comes with the expense of reliability. The 1/8000 speed could result in premature wear down on the shutter and thus Leica doesn't recommend an user to use it extensively. The subsequent digital M all now have the slower 1/4000 for this good reason. This means, I will have to avoid the 1/8000 for the sake of the shutter blades and the whole assembly. Another thing I like about the metal shutter is the better protection against bright sunlight when the camera is pointed directly to the sun. On a film M the cloth shutter can be susceptible to shutter burn when the lens is wide open and the sun hits the shutter curtain. The lens may serve as a magnification glass. On the other hand, the M8 has a metal curtain that is far more resilient.
The Rear LCD:
The LCD on the back of the camera is not the best. Firstly, the resolution is relatively low. The pictures show on the screen do not reflect the actual pictures you see on a computer. Secondly, the LCD is made of cheap plastic. Definitely not the nicest screen. The improved M8.2 does come with a sapphire crystal screen for an improvement. It's not a deal breaker. It is just a screen.
There are a few buttons on the back: On the left hand side there are: Play is used to play back the pictures taken. Delete is to eliminate the the unwanted pictures. Protect is to safeguard the pictures to prevent accidental delete. Info is to display the functionality. The most important one is the Set button which is used to set up the ISO, EV (exposure compensation), white balance, compression, resolution, and user profile. Out of all these functions, I only use the ISO and EV only as those have a direct effect on your photos. On the right side there is a menu function, which is used to set up: Lens detection, Save User profile, Self timer, AUTO ISO set up, Sharpening, Color saturation, and contrast. I find the color saturation the only one you probably ever going to need because this is where you switch to black and white mode and to switch back to color mode.
On the far right side you can find the a circle with some triangles which serve for up, down, forward or backward for menu selections. The spinning wheel is used to switch the number of pictures display on the preview screen and also to minimize or enlarge the pictures.
I love how minimalistic the design of the menu is. There are literally just two main screens you will ever going to use and are brought up by the Set and Menu buttons. Easy to use and not much to fidgeting about. The user can just focus on using the camera rather than looking at the menus.
User-friendliness:
The Leica M8 is a temperamental camera. It can be user-friendly sometimes, but very often it can throw a tantrum at you if the camera is used in a way that it doesn't like it. For instance, the camera does not like the continuous shooting style. It means that it can freeze up if you take multiple pictures at all once. The red light on the back the screen would just keep on flashing until the loading is finished or it would choose to just freeze up. The remedy is to remove the battery and restart the camera.
It is also slow. The camera takes its time to be ready for the next shot. It is also slow at loading the picture on the screen. Often it can take 3 to 5 seconds routinely. Despite the camera has the continuous mode it is pretty much useless. I do recommend to just stick with the single mode only. If you don't, then it means you would have to adapt to its slowness.
Another problem I encountered was the annoyance of pictures disappearing for no reason. I have had a few times that I took a few pictures and when the SD card is loaded they would not show up on the inventory. Perhaps the M8 is capable of eating the pictures. Or it can be the issue with the SD card. The camera is also known to be picky with the SD card. You have to use the one that is not the fastest and does not have the largest capacity. From what I have read it's better to avoid a 64GB. My go to is a slower speed 16GB to play it safe. I guess the reason is the camera was made back in 2006 and back then the current SD format did not exist.
In terms of user-friendliness, this camera is easy to shoot with. The aperture priority mode is extremely handy. One less thing to worry about and all you need to concentrate on the aperture and composition. The digital shutter speed display inside the viewfinder is essential. In terms of metering, if you decide to use the manual mode then the light meter is still easy to use. If you overexpose then the right LED triangle would appear. If you underexposure then the left one shows up, the red dot in the middle means the exposure is correct.
The Ergonomics:
The M8 feels comfortable in the hands. The overall size of the camera feels a bit larger compared to a film M. It is taller in height, wider in width, and thicker also. For a person who has bigger hands the increased in size helps a bit. I really like the bigger shutter speed dial. It's easier to turn and the clicks are satisfying. The on/off switch is also easy to use. Somehow, the switch is a bit too easy to move and at times it might be too easy to switch to another functionality such as continuous or the self-timer modes. In reality, all you probably ever going to use is the single function. It's just a minor drawback and it is not a big deal at all. On the right edge of the top plate you will also find the battery indicator and the shot counter, which enhances the camera's ease of use. The shot counter only goes up to 999 shots and with a 8GB or 16GB card it does not display the proper numbers. Some say a 4GB card will at least allow the camera to read the numbers correctly but it is not at all necessary.
One unique feature that was carried over from the film Ms is the ability to remove the bottom plate. One might wonder why on earth he/she needs to remove the bottom plate. Especially if one never handles a film M before. On a film M, to insert film one would need to remove the plate, then once the film is loaded then it's simply the next step to screw the plate back onto the camera. On a digital M, the SD card is equivalent of a roll of film. To insert the SD, you would do the same thing by taking off the bottom plate. This is also where the battery is located. The overall process of installing the battery and SD card is not at all cumbersome. I appreciate that Leica had kept this unique design element on the M8.
The Picture Quality:
In 2020, the Leica M8 is considered to be dated and even ancient by today's standard. It has 10.3 megapixel (MP), which many digital cameras have already surpassed it. To give you a comparison, the latest M10-R has 40 megapixel, which is almost 4 times higher. For many people, including myself, megapixel does not mean everything. What makes the M8 unique is that it has a Kodak KAF-10500 CCD image sensor. The sensor gives the M8 the distinctive image quality that feels and look like analogue photography. However, the pictures are much sharper. The M8 produces stunning color pictures, and it especially excels in black and white pictures. While digital cameras that have higher megapixels might have an advantage in making more detailed pictures, the M8 produces pictures that are a bit rougher looking but still smooth enough for you to see all the amazing details. 10MP is plenty enough of resolution for normal usage. Enlarging the pictures is not a problem at all.
The UV/IR Cut:
One of the biggest criticisms people have for the M8 is the minus of the IR filter built into the camera. Without the filter the M8 would sometimes turn black color into red and green foliage can turn to brown color. I have experienced in this problem and it is an annoying issue. The remedy is to screw in a UV/IR Cut filter onto the lens and it would resolve the majority of color shift most of the time. Leica back in 2006 did give out free filters for new M8 owners rather than changing the CCD sensor. Leica probably didn't have the fix until they introduced the M9.
An UV/IR cut filter is quite expensive these days. The ones made by Leica are ridiculously expensive. My recommendation is to get one made by a third-party such as B+W. Their filters are my go to and they do the job perfectly.
The 1.3x Crop Factor:
The Leica is NOT a full frame camera. It has a 1.3x crop factor. The most important thing to keep in mind is the different focal length of your lenses would be different on the M8. For example, if you use a 35mm lens, it would become almost 50mm. For 50mm, it would become 65mm. I actually don't mind the crop factor and don't see this is a problem at all. I can adapt to it.
A Digitized Analogue Camera:
The Leica M8 for me is not entirely a digital camera. Yes, it does have a digital sensor. There is no where you can insert a roll of film. What I mean by "not entirely a digital camera" is the shooting experience. It has the old school flavour of Leica. Its operation has that raw feeling imbedded. Here are a couple of reasons why I consider the M8 as a digital camera with analogue soul.
One picture at a time please! The M8 is particularly good at shooting one picture at a time, much like a film Leica. There is no options to shoot multiple pictures in a film M. With the M8, trying to shoot a couple of frames at the same time is not a very pleasant experience as the camera would either lag or freeze. The maximum is 2 frames per second anyway on a M8 so it's pretty much pointless. Continuous mode is no go then. Stick with the single mode as it provides the best shooting experience.
No auto-focus, No problem! Same as a film M, there is no auto-focus. It is good that Leica sticks to its heritage. Auto-focusing is out of place in a Leica. Back in the old days, everything is done manually. For anyone who have used a film M before, using a digital M should feel right at home. You look through the viewfinder, and to focus you either have to line up the split images with the rangefinder patch, or you can use zone focusing. There is no automation. It's just you and the camera. Nothing has changed from a film M, you can practically shoot the M8 like it is a film camera.
Best to wait until later! As mentioned before, the LCD on the back of the camera is not very good at displaying the pictures. The resolution is pretty low. With the M8, it's probably best to just ignore the preview and just look at the pictures on your computer afterwards. Should you decide to not look at the pictures first, you essentially get a similar experience with analogue photography that you don't get to see your results until the film is processed.
Not many options for ISO? No problem! I also find the M8 doesn't offer a wide range of useable ISO. What is ISO you ask? It is how you control the amount of light going into your pictures. The higher the ISO is, the more light sensitive the pictures may be. And higher ISO films provide higher shutter speeds you can use and are considered to be more versatile in different situations. A low speed film such as Ektar 100 would be render less useful in a very dim lighting situations and the pictures would not turn out nice. With films, you have a variety of different options to choose from. I have seen the lowest goes from ISO 50. The highest I have ever used is ISO 800. In the M8, the available ISO is from 160 all the way to 2500. Nowadays, a newer M camera such as M10 goes all the way to 50,000. For me, my answer is "So what?" Who cares about ISO 50,000. Higher ISO results in more noises in pictures. The pictures would be grainer which is not my cup of tea. I always stick with lower ISO as I like my pictures to be brighter and have less noise and grain.
I treat the M8 like an analogue camera. I tend to apply what I have learned in analogue photography whenever I am using the camera. if there are lots of natural lights outside or inside, then I will stick with ISO 160, much like what I tend to use for films such as Kodak T-Max 100, Ilford Delta 100, Ektar 100, or Portra 160. On a cloudy day or not much available light? I will turn up the ISO to 320 or 640. Equivalent films would be like Portra 400, Tri-X 400, or T-Max 400. I would say anything higher than ISO 640 with the M8 would be less ideal because the pictures would become grainer and there would be a lot more noises on them. For me, to be able to select the ISO in a similar fashion as I did with analogue photography is a huge plus because it gives me familiarity. I just use the M8 as a film M and it never fails me. Many people dislike the lack of ISO availability on the M8 and I respect that. But your miles may vary compared to mine. Maybe because I came from analogue and thus had no displeasure in this matter. Or I just don't really use high ISO at all. Another reason I thought was because the M8 was Leica's first digital M and the designers incorporated the analogue flavour into it.
What Leica should have done a bit better with the M8:
Is the M8 perfect? No. There are some things which I find that improvements would be nice.
First, as I mentioned before the shutter sound is a bit too loud. The discreet mode introduced with the last firmware update helps a bit but unfortunately once the shutter is pressed down and release the camera would re-cock immediately and that re-cocking sound is too loud and robotic.
The shutter button is also a bit too stiff to press. This is where I think this made the M8 a real Leica. A Leica is a Leica. It should at least take some skills to master. It's a tool that you need to develop a relationship with. If you don't like the shutter then you would have to adapt to it. The camera will not offer any assistance in this factor. Still, it would be better if Leica was to make the shutter easier to press.
The magnification of the viewfinder is also lower compared to a film M such as M6. The old standard back in the film days for a Leica M is 0.72x. The M8 is only at 0.68x, which is a downsize. Focusing is still not too hard, but I feel a bigger magnification would have been nice.
The ISO dial is also in the menu of the LCD. An external ISO dial would be easier to operate without the need to fidgeting the menu. In the case of the M8, maybe sticking with ISO 160 or 320 would be ideal and this way one can avoid the hassle of changing the ISO so frequently.
Lastly, Leica stuff are expensive. A spare battery costs more than $200USD. A charger is also expensive that it costs $150 to $200USD online. Affordability does not exist in a Leica ownership. In return, you get a camera that is built luxuriously. Whether it is worth it or not is really up to you to decide.
There you have it. To sum it up:
What I like:
- The beautiful design and sleek look
- The bright viewfinder. Even better it is anti-reflective coated (AR).
- Aperture priority mode is awesome.
- 1/8000 shutter speed is insanely fast (I don't recommend too much use of it due to possible shutter worn-out)
- Robust metal vertical focal plane shutter means no shutter burn
- The bigger and easier to turn shutter speed dial is a welcome addition
- Simple and easy to use LCD. Less fidgeting with buttons and menu is a huge plus.
- The battery and picture count indicators on the top plate are useful.
- Backward compatibility with most of Leica's vintage M lenses
- The manual focus aspect that Leica sticks with, which I appreciate.
- The analogue flavour combined with the convenience of digital
- It shoots like a film M camera.
- The picture quality provided by the CCD sensor is amazing, especially black and white.
- Humble 10.3 megapixel (MP) which is adequately enough in most situations. Megapixels don't make better pictures. Photographers are more important.
What I don't like:
- Loud shutter sound that is not Leica-like. The discreet mode does not really help at all.
- Stiff shutter button that is hard to press down sometimes.
- Lower 0.68x magnification of the viewfinder compared to the 0.72x standard size of the analogue M
- UV/IR cut annoyance
- Plastic LCD screen combined with low resolution display
- No external ISO dial.
- Expensive still even though it's now 14 years old.
- Expensive accessories such as batteries and charger
- Aftermarket battery is useless on the camera as the battery indicator does not work properly.
- The original battery charger is way too big.
Sample pictures:
Thanks for reading!
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