Woody,
tis about the same I feel:
Using the d2x is a joy, the fast AF, the fast shutter , the ergonomics. Images are good but not better than the 5d.
I like the d2x overall better than the 5d but the 5d-size and weight advantage and the flexibility of the 24-105 make me use the 5 d more than the d2x.
The Canon 24-105 (which I use as a 28-105 because of vignetting at 24mm) is more flexible than the Nikon 17-55 because its a little longer reach, which I sometimes can use.
Thats hard. I sol a 1d+ mayn Canon lenses some years ago when I jumped on Nikon (like the d2h/x size better than the 1d and the user interface).
Now I have many Nikon lenses sitting here and should sell again? on the other side for the money I could add 2 or 3 nice lenses for the 5d. (maybe a 24 or 35prime, a 85 prime, the 135/2.0 beloved lens, and a 300 or 400mm lens)
Also as you said I can use some of my Leica lenses on the 5d (however I dont do this much because if I shoot Leica lenses and MF I usually take the R9+DMR.)
sorry everybody for the non-M8-related post
zaknat wrote:
Marco,
Don't know which version of Capture One you are using but I just downloaded the latest which has improved color profiles for the M8.
The streaks are "almost" gone.
You can still see them, but maybe they don't show up in print (didn't try though).
Other similar images but without many street lights didn't show any horizontal or vertical streaks, although shot at even longer shutter speed, so I assume it is not banding but a kind of sensor blooming with strange reading response, if that makes any sense..
Maybe it could be adressed via firmware, at least I hope...
carstenw wrote:
This sweater is normally very black:
I can handle the noise, I can tolerate some banding at high ISO settings but this is too much. Filter? Why would I have to worry about that after spending almost $4,800 for a camera.... Mine is going back with the notion that I will get another one after and only after they have fixed these issues. In the meantime, I will use my R-D1 to get my RF fixes .
Andi, that is no joke :( The chair is also black, and has a lesser magenta-cast. I went down to the store and we did a test on their demo camera too. Set white balance manually, shoot my sweater next to the window. Same strong magenta. Apparently this is not uncommon for digital cameras (D2H, and some other Nikons also had it, as well as some other cameras which I forget; there was even a thread on photo.net about the R-D1 having the same problem in some lighting situations), although the M8 has it stronger. I have ordered an IR filter to fix it. I don't normally use filters, but here I will, until Leica finds a solution. They are apparently working on something. Their newsletter will make a statement, I have heard.
Since this problem has occurred with some other cameras and manufacturers, I wonder why Leica could not avoid it.
Ideally you would want to allow all visible light and block all infrared light. But filters that I have seen do not have a very sharp cutoff - if you want to eliminate all infrared light you have to filter part of the visible light as well. I imagine this affects the quality of the image, particularly the reds.
Does anyone know the design choices and tradeoffs? That may help explain why this particular choice was made.
It does seem that Leica is having to solve problems that have been previously solved by other manufacturers. Almost everything in photography is a tradeoff.
The reason the M8 has it so strong has to do with the very thin filter. A thicker filter would have caused more internal reflections due to the sharp angle of incidence with some of the lenses. It had to be this thin. I wonder if they can improve it. On the other hand, Victor said that even his P25 had shown such things, and that filters cured it.
I think that Leica should have noticed it. I think that the reviewers should have noticed it. On the other hand, I work in software, and I know how fallible such processes can be, so I am not angry, just disappointed. Leica is a good company. They will fix it. The M is their cornerstone.
My M8, though maybe not so badly, does the same thing with blacks in artificial light.
Weird and not very nice...
Although I don't know if I will send back my camera...
I'm sure at Leica they are working hard to find a solution.
And some shots I made in outdoor light DID impress me... detail and dynamic range are amazing.
I forgot about the sharp angle to reach the edge of the sensor. Having a thin filter would definitely help in that reguard.
If that is the reason, when they knew what the curve was for the filter and how much IR they were letting through, you would think it would be well tested for that problem because they were vulnerable to the problem to begin with.
I am not being critical of Leica, I look at these things from a product management or organizational behavior point of view. From what I see so far Leica was way way way behind in their software development. They clearly felt the need to make their Photokina date and once it is shown to the public and reviewers the pressure builds to ship the final product.
Software development is one of the most difficult things in any product development. You can only hurry it so much by longer hours and more people. After a while all those tactics are counter productive.
I agree the reviewers should have noticed this. It is surprising how many problems turned up almost immediately with spotty use by public. The early adopters test in more extreme light conditions than professional reviewers.
carstenw wrote:
I think that the reviewers should have noticed it.
Yes, indeed.
Maybe they received perfect samples, or maybe they are blind.
These issues are so evident even from the first few shots that it's impossible not to see them and report in reviews.
I'm sure they'll fix them, but maybe there is a not-so-tight QC.
Marco, I think perhaps more to the point is that there were many things to watch out for, such as resolution and vignetting with the wide angle lenses, that in the rush, even pictures which did show the purple slipped through. The colour doesn't look unnatural; if you don't know that something should look black, you might easily not notice. It would be bad for weddings though. It is also only some materials. Many black things stay black.
Interesting. I presume that there would be some desaturation effect on areas that are supposed to be purple, but that would be a relatively unusual situation. I'm thinking of a grapefruit and plum sitting on black velvet. (Now don't ask me why I would put a grapefruit on black velvet, just trying to cause trouble I guess. )
with the notion that I will get another one 
after and only after they have fixed these issues. In the meantime, I will use my R-D1 to get my RF fixes 
)