Unfortunately, you cannot rely on the Leica M8 camera. I'm not even talking about the faulty shutter, which broke after only 15,000 photos taken. I'm talking about the fact that currently almost every Leica M8 has sensor defects, in the form of lines of dead pixels. I wanted to buy a Leica M8 and I checked over a dozen of them, even those that had only a few thousand photos taken (they looked like new). They all had lines of dead pixels on the sensor. Someone will say, but these are very old cameras. I have a lot of old digital cameras, older than the Leica M8, cheap and amateurish and they all work mechanically and electronically perfectly. Check out your Leica M8, you may be very surprised :). Just take a photo with these parameters: ISO 2500, 1/125, lens covered with a cap, take a photo and then brighten the photo in LR by 2 EV. Good luck.
Wow, thank you for the info. I have checked following your instruction and you are absolutely right, there is a weird line/artifacting in part of the sensor. I have had one or two images (one shown in my blog post) where I have had some strange results but did, as you say, put it down to the age of the camera. However, I have always been very pleased with the quality of the images in 'normal' conditions and just assumed everything was OK. This is a bit of an eye-opener and I will pin the comment for other people to read. Thanks for the info.
@@Millicente Yes. I am absolutely sure, because there is no other camera in the world, apart from the Leica M9, which has dead pixel lines on the matrix in the range of available ISO. With all the digital cameras in the world, you can photograph within the available ISO range and there are no dead pixel lines. If you know such a camera, then give its name.
Nice one. Amazing still alive and kicking in 2024, from launch in 2006. Can think of no other digital camera with such a track record. Goes to illustrate that pixel count doesn’t really matter. Like your presentation and enthusiasm. Love my M240P but still tempted to get an M8.
Thank you for the comment and the kind words. There is definitely a lot of life still left in the M8 (as long as you find a good one!) and although I do really like the output of the Foveon sensors, this CCD sensor has such an amazing feel to it that it's very difficult to ignore! Thanks again :)
Keep away from it. There is nothing the M8 a properly working could do that the M240 couldn't. M240 is in another league to both the M8 and M9. These cameras were stepping stones for Leica to find her feet in the digital world. They have had their time, so let them rest in peace.
Got my M9 back in 2015 for a decent price used at Leica store NYC and it is still my favorite all around camera with the best color depth and sharpness of nearly any digital camera I’ve used aside from an old school 6mp digital back I used in photo school which had incredible color. My M9 is worth more now then when I bought it! Hah Lol Enjoy the M8, never used one but have only heard great thing about it.
Thanks for the comment, I would love to buy an M9 but a little out of my price range and doesn't look like they are coming down any time soon! Take good care of it :)
@@bvaccaro2959 I love shooting my M8 and M9-P. These are my go to travel cameras together with a Rolleicord Model I Art Deco. These CCD Leicas are just amazing in colour reproduction, they perform like tiny Hasselblad H bodies, only with better lenses on the Leica side.
I've had my M8 for a number of years and I would still buy it again today. Despite the few issues, i still think it's an amazing camera. I have over 16k shutter clicks and it's still going strong. I've shot professional work with know problem and managed to print 16x20 images and the sharpness holds up just fine. I think sometimes the M8 get's a bad rap, but maybe it's not the camera but the person using it (lol) Thank you for sharing, great images. I enjoy seeing other M8 shooter who appreciates this amazing camera. Take care.
Thank you for the comment. That certainly sounds like you get the most from your camera which is great to hear. It's a fantastic camera and as i say in the video, I can't imagine I would ever sell it! Thanks again :)
There is no more issues with the 10 megapixels low resolution cameras with printing anymore with ai upscaling like lightrooms enhance ai mode or Topaz Gigapixel AI program and even more current ai uprezing , its pretty badass !
That's a great point, this is something that I have wanted to explore a bit more as it seems to be breathing new life into old, forgotten cameras! Which can only be a good thing!
The Leica M8 was my introduction to the Leica digital world after previously using the M2, M3 and M4 film bodies. Loved the camera and it convinced me to "splurge" on the Leica M9 (with replaced sensor) and also am M Monochrom. The 1/8000 shutter always worried me so i seldom shot beyond 1/4000 and mine escaped the dead pixel lines while in my care. Hopefully its new owner is as pleased with it as I was. BTW, the Bellroy 6L and 10L are my most used bags for Leica gear.
Thanks for the comment, love to hear you had a great experience with the M8 and so glad to find someone else with love for that Belroy sling, it ticks all the boxes! :)
The 10mp CCD Ricoh GRD IV is IMHO an even greater bargain, in particular if you consider you get the equivalent to a 28mm lens as opposed to having to put up with the crop factor on the Leica. Also, greetings from Balsall Heath! I don't know where you are Ross, looks like near the Jewellery Quarter/Lozells/Hockley areas, judging from your images?
Thanks for the question, the M8 is an APS-H sensor and I assume the M11 is full frame so I can't imagine it would work and to be honest, the M11 body would be a much better and more advance body anyway :)
That's great news, would love to know what you think of it! I can't remember where i got my filter but I would imagine eBay or MPB would be your best bet, certainly something on the used market :)
I wish had never sold mine. It’s definitely one of the best cameras I’ve ever used, and I’ve never been able to replicate the look it has; even with other CCD cameras. I’d totally buy one again if the prices ever came back down haha. Several years ago it was pretty reasonably priced for its age. I don’t think it really hit its cult status until a few years ago; at least the prices started climbing across the board. Got mine originally for $800. Now you’d be lucky to find a busted up one under $2000, and they’re just getting older and more prone to mechanical failure.
@@TheJ_G Yeah it's a real shame that the prices go that way but you've hit the nail on the head, the more scarce they get, they're only gonna go up in price!
Had the M9, and I adored the camera. Eventually moved it on due to shutter failed and I miss it so so much. I’ve been eyeing up the M8 as a replacement. I don’t need full frame etc and I’ve kept back the Voigtlander Nokton 35/14 which would make a perfect match. I had the same grip idea on my M9 and it was fantastic. Not intrusive and very comfortable. Contrary to opinion, the M9 was very good at 1600 iso and I used mine often in gig settings. The key is to get exposure correct. The files are not as robust for heavy editing. I have a few M9 videos uploaded btw.
Thanks for the comment. If I could afford it, I would pick an M9 up and give it a go, I'd love to know how it compares to the M8. However, I'm perfectly happy with the M8 for the time being. I will certainly be checking your videos out, thank you :)
Very good. I agree: I wish that the LEICA M engeneurs have added or kept the traditional forwarding lever feature as in the LEICA DMR/R8, R9/ and the EPSON RD1. It also keeps and saves the battery energy, not to mention it keeps the classical design.
If your M8 is still working, then enjoy it for what it is. Shutter problems and sensor problems aside it does produce interesting files. BTW, I recently read a report that was compiled by examining the repair records of the M8s sent to Leica with shutter problems. The average count before failure was about 7000 actuations. Some have survived into their thousands and some gave up the ghost as early as 5000. The M9 is not all that better. There was a reason Leica had a total redesign of the M240 and up.
Thank you, that's great insight on the shutter issues. I think most people would venture into these early digital Leicas with a bit of trepidation and I will certainly be looking into the details of the M240 -though I can't imagine I will be able to afford one any time soon. Thanks again for the info.
@@RossJukesPhotography With regards to M240, this camera was touted as the best value Leica M digital by all the usual armchair officionados not so long ago. Since then the prices have begun to shoot up. I check the availability of the Typ 246 Monochrom for a possible purchase, on weekly basis in all the usual places and online reputable retailers. They have gone up about 25% in the last six months or so for sure, and what is on offer is not of high quality.
@@lensman5762 Over 40k and still rocking, no repairs at all so far. I use several digital cameras. Leica SL (Typ 601), Leica M9-P, Hasselblad H3DII-31, Hasselblad H2 with CFH. If I had to keep just one it would be the M8.
@@Funktrainer I understand your loyalty. But if there were no issues, none would have been reported. I really am glad that your M8 & M9 are issue free.
M8 sensors don't have the corrosion problems that the M9/ME have. The M8 common failures as I understand it is shutter and screen, none of which can be repaired anymore, at least not by Leica. 😂😂😂😂
Both valid points Chris. I would love to try the full frame M9 but a bit too scared of the issues that particular camera has. I certainly agree that you live in fear of the camera just breaking one day! I've not heard about mottling issues with the screen before (new fear unlocked!) but it's a pretty bad screen to start of with so I don't tend to use it anyway! Thanks for the comment :)