carstenw Offline Dedicated FM Upload & Sell: On
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p.4 #12 · canon DSLR vs Leica M8 for extended traveling | |
I am another guy who switched from 5D to M8. In the beginning I had both, although I was almost immediately committed to selling the 5D. My main problem was the size and weight of the 5D, combined with the fact that I did most of my shooting with just a few focal lengths, and that the options for the M8 in this range were better (albeit much more expensive). I also prefer the results I get from the M8 by a noticeable margin, although if I fiddle enough with the 5D images, I could almost always get similar results, and it does hold a slight resolution advantage, which, as Brainiac's example shows, on the edge can make a big difference. My conclusions are as follows:
- Euro for Euro, the 5D cannot be beat by the M8. You must be willing to invest significantly more in the M8 to get similar results. Getting Voigtlaender lenses can offset this somewhat, but the camera itself is just so damn expensive.
- Overall, the results are quite close. There are some specific differences, and if your preferences or needs match one of these differences, it can swing your decision. In Brainiac's case, resolution is very important, so the small real difference to me is a large difference to him.
- At low ISO, I much prefer the M8's colours. They are not necessarily more accurate, but I get the WOW factor much more often with the images straight out of the camera or slightly tweaked, than with the 5D. With some more time invested, the 5D can pull close, but for me it could almost never pass the M8's results. All very much IMO, but I see this opinion echoed in many other 5D->M8 switchers. This is at least partly due to the lenses.
- Above ISO 640, I don't like the colour results of the M8 that much, so I either don't do that and just accept slightly soft images, or I convert to B&W, where I prefer the M8's grain quality to the 5D's grain quality.
- The M lenses are awesome. Imagine an entire stable of L lenses, all about as good as the 85L, and you are on the right track. Many of Leica's M lenses are just awe-inspiring. The 50 Lux Asph is my very favorite lens, and probably one of the best lenses ever made. The results take my breath away, again and again. Of course, it costs about 3000 Euro.
- I don't use features such as live view and long telephoto lenses, so the M system's focus on wide-to-short tele lenses is perfect for my uses. I occasionally miss a more serious macro setup, or tilt-shift lenses, and may buy a D300 or D700 one day for such uses.
- I don't miss the Canon system at all, and would never buy into one again. This is very personal, but somehow it never really clicked for me. Even before I sold the 5D system, I was down to 1 Canon lens (17-40/4) and the rest were all Leica R lenses. If I were to buy into a DSLR system again, it would almost certainly be either Leica or Nikon. At the time I bought the 5D, I had too little money to consider the Leica R system, and Nikon's system was not to my liking. Things have changed on both those fronts now. Anyway, it won't happen soon.
Some of my results with the M8 can be found here: http://throughthelensdarkly.com/blog/
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