I am on several lists to receive an M8. I have one Leica lens (24mm ASPH uncoded), but I have a lot of Zeiss ZMs and several CVs. Because most of my lenses cannot be coded, and because I plan on shooting mostly outdoor seascapes, I was planning on shooting WITHOUT an IR filter. In fact I will probably shoot a lot with a polarizer. Have any of you shot scenics/landscapes WITHOUT an IR? Can you post an example, and give your thoughts re: image quality? If shooting without IR filter, is the M8 profile in C1 acceptable out of the box?
I will probably get an IR filter to use on my one Leica lens, and get it coded, in case I need to shoot subject matter with black cloth, etc, and possibly I may need to sell one or two ZMs, and buy comparable used Leica lenses which I can get coded. But initally, I intend to shoot with no IR filter, and no coding.
Thanks in advance.
Dave G in NJ
David,
This is not a landscape as such but a sample test of the M8 without any filter and using a non-coded lens. As matter of fact, this one was taken with a Zeiss 16mm f/2.8 ZM (no, it is not mine ) on a sunny Southern California day. The image was processed normally, just like I would with my Canon system, with and with an alternative profile. No real difference in changing the profile there; maybe the color using the M8 profile was a tad more saturated. So far, I haven't seen any ill effect of the IR aspect that bothers me on real life shots
My M8 has been used for portraits or regular people pictures without any filter and processed normally. Similarly, no bothersome images for people pictures that plague real life shots either.
David, the white balance also seems to improve with an IR filter, so it is not just magenta casts which are the issue. It might be possible to use a B+W 489 on the wider lenses instead of the 486. That would give a more uniform cast, and negate the need for coding, but it would still let some IR through.
Joshua: That was EXACTLY the info I was looking for; very encouraging. Carsten: Thanks for the advice. You mentioned white balance may be a problem if an IR was not used. Joshua: did you have any problems? Your posted photo seems to be true color.
Thanks again both.
Dave
I have several pictures where the white balance was incredibly far off, and Guy has reproduced this problem as well. He reports that with the IR filter, the white balance settings are much better. It may be less releant outdoors though. My problem shots were all dim and/or inside.
I had a portrait/group people session at a park yesterday. I used both my Canon 1Ds MklI and Leica M 8 (both using AWB) at the exact same setting/location. While viewing/converting that the files using C1 Pro, I noticed Leica DNG files were consistently warmer than that of the images taken by the Canon. I don't know what the cause of that; it could be a WB issue or lens characteristic issues or just different camera profiles. There are simply too many variables; that's why I always take RAW and/or DNG files.
To answer your question, David, in my limited time using the camera, I didn't notice anything unusual with the M8. Since I am paying less attention to those things, I started realizing that I enjoy the camera more .
Guy Mancuso wrote:
Indoors a whole different set of issues. i have done a lot of tests on this and real shooting
Guy, for all the crap you get from time to time, I have to say that I am glad you are doing all these tests (and giving feedback) BEFORE I get mine.... I just hope I can get filters at the same time (or before) I get delivery of my M8. I want one so bad I can taste it! I just looked back at my M3 slides, and that just made it worse! I have even looked at the M7 & MP, but talked myself out of it. I just don't want to deal with processing film again!
For all those out there who are pi**ed at Leica right now PLEASE cancel your order so I can get mine quicker!!
Keep up the good work Guy.....
Kurt: Yep that's what I am looking for - 3D shots you guys are killing me
Kurt, I love the look of the 75/80 Lux. I am beginning to think that I will start with the 75 Lux, and decide later if I need a really sharp lens at f/2.0 in that space. If so, I could even go with the Apo 90 to avoid duplication.
I am not quite sure about this, but looking at the edges, I think it is possible that the part of the image the M8 uses have better bokeh with the 75 Lux than the 80 Lux has with that kind of background (branches, twigs, leaves). I was wondering about that, because the MTF charts are distinctly different in the sagittal/tangential performance in the field (geez, I am beginning to sound like Puts here).
Edited by carstenw on Nov 27, 2006 at 05:05 AM GMT
Guy, the Lux has been around for quite a while, and it is possible to find perfect copies for around €1500, maybe even less with a little luck. The Noctilux will probably not go below €2000 second-hand.
I would love to see the 75 Cron/80 Lux comparison of portraits, wide-open.
ClubShooter wrote:
Been there, done that. About 16 months ago we compared the 1Ds2 against the DMR in exactly the fashion you outline. There's no question the DMR produces higher quality images in just about every way, except a very marginal difference in resolution. (The 1Ds2 resolves about 10% better at high contrast, about 20% worse at low-contrast.) Over the years Guy, I, and others learned how to get the most out of our Canon cameras using C1, Etc profiles, and careful adjustments. Even then, out of the box using stock settings, the DMR beat the 1Ds2. With just a small amount of PP work or a custom profile there was no catching up.
I don't have an M8 yet, but from what I've seen this camera runs neck to neck with the DMR, which isn't terribly surprising. So for folks like me, the comparison youlook for simply isn't necessary. I don't have a Canon or Nikon to compare against anymore, and no real interest in buying one; I'll be comparing the M8 to the DMR since that's my personal gold standard nowadays. But I don't expect anything big, in fact the closer it is the better. (Some of the default tonal curves and such look a little high contrast, so I'll probably make my own profile set for it just like with all the other cameras I've used in the past.) ...Show more →
Thank You, this is exactly what I have been wanting to know.
Also, good to see the photos, the 3D look, and there are affordable lenses available for this camera.
carstenw wrote:
Guy, the Lux has been around for quite a while, and it is possible to find perfect copies for around €1500, maybe even less with a little luck. The Noctilux will probably not go below €2000 second-hand.
I would love to see the 75 Cron/80 Lux comparison of portraits, wide-open.
There is one lens here that looks a rather nice lens. Usual disclaimers apply.
I just came back from my dealer, and have three pieces of info.
- The 2 free IR filters deal was offered to me.
- The cameras will start coming back real soon. I sent mine in for focus adjustment before the whole IQ issue exploded, and having spoken to Leica about my camera recently, he expects next week.
- The 30% deal is real, and is direct from Leica. He offered it to me, and we discussed using it for the 28/2.0 Asph instead of the 28/2.8 Asph.
The final details are still to be communicated, I suppose, but it sounds like the 30% deal is only for people who bought and had to go through hell, but kept the camera. It may be that Leica is dealing directly with people in this manner to minimise the "me-too; why not me?" people, but that is pure speculation on my part.
carstenw wrote:
The final details are still to be communicated, I suppose, but it sounds like the 30% deal is only for people who bought and had to go through hell, but kept the camera.
Ouch!
So the defective unit I had to return doesn't make me eligible for the 30% discount ?
Too bad... without the camera for two/three weeks and now this...
Tomorrow I'll call my dealer, that new TE 16-18-21 at 2k € was too good to be true..
carstenw wrote:
***
- The 30% deal is real, and is direct from Leica. He offered it to me, and we discussed using it for the 28/2.0 Asph instead of the 28/2.8 Asph.
The final details are still to be communicated, I suppose, but it sounds like the 30% deal is only for people who bought and had to go through hell, but kept the camera. It may be that Leica is dealing directly with people in this manner to minimise the "me-too; why not me?" people, but that is pure speculation on my part.
Thank you for that info, Carsten. I read about it before but it seemed like that part was taken out in the official Leica's response floating around on the net. We just need to figure out 30% off what price, huh? I am just aftraid that even after 30% off the price may still be higher than one can get on-line from dealers in the Far East...
carstenw wrote:
I just came back from my dealer, and have three pieces of info.
- The 2 free IR filters deal was offered to me.
- The cameras will start coming back real soon. I sent mine in for focus adjustment before the whole IQ issue exploded, and having spoken to Leica about my camera recently, he expects next week.
- The 30% deal is real, and is direct from Leica. He offered it to me, and we discussed using it for the 28/2.0 Asph instead of the 28/2.8 Asph.
The final details are still to be communicated, I suppose, but it sounds like the 30% deal is only for people who bought and had to go through hell, but kept the camera. It may be that Leica is dealing directly with people in this manner to minimise the "me-too; why not me?" people, but that is pure speculation on my part.
The website will open for registration on Dec. 6....Show more →
It seems to depend on when you paid for your camera.
I have tried it for some time as well, and then studied the photos using C1.
To be fair, I was highly disappointed by the M8, disliking the body ergonomics,
and the Rangefinder focusing system(I know it's part of the beast).
On the other hand, I have found out the build quality is very high, and the menus were pretty easy and intuitive to navigate. Still, I won't buy one for sure..
) on a sunny Southern California day. The image was processed normally, just like I would with my Canon system, with and with an alternative profile. No real difference in changing the profile there; maybe the color using the M8 profile was a tad more saturated. So far, I haven't seen any ill effect of the IR aspect that bothers me on real life shots
