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09/15/2006 09:56:15 AM · #1 |
Man, I'd love to play with one of these just to discover for myself the "cult of Leica."
//www.dpreview.com/articles/leicam8/
-Chad
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09/15/2006 10:00:22 AM · #2 |
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09/15/2006 10:34:29 AM · #3 |
5000 bucks for a digital rangefinder camera with no lens. This has got to be the funniest thing I've seen all week. What a tremendous joke. Is today April fools????
I can assure you it's a cult. About like those people who offed themselves to join the comet. Sheeeeshhh.
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09/15/2006 10:40:31 AM · #4 |
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09/15/2006 10:46:18 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by fir3bird:
5000 bucks for a digital rangefinder camera with no lens. This has got to be the funniest thing I've seen all week. What a tremendous joke. Is today April fools????
I can assure you it's a cult. About like those people who offed themselves to join the comet. Sheeeeshhh. |
You've obviously never held or used an M3 or M5. Hands down the finest cameras ever made. Leitz Sumicron optics can not be beat either.
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09/15/2006 10:55:23 AM · #6 |
I read a glowing review of one of the Leica rangefinders by a photojournalist who switched from an F5 and a bunch of Nikon's top lenses to the Leica with a set of 4 primes. He loved the size, the quietness, the lack of mirror slap, and the focusing, but that simple all-manual camera and 4 simple primes cost more than the F5 and all his fast zooms...
I'd love to get a Leica and a 50mm Noctilux, but... $$$ |
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09/15/2006 11:30:55 AM · #7 |
I was at an estate auction last fall for this old guy that had a barn full of antiques that he has pack ratted over the years. I seen a Leica M3 sell for $11,000 I almost crapped my pants because I thought it was just an old camera, The opening bid was 2G. However it was Chump Change compared to this old electric fan, One of the first ever made had solid brass blades cast iron body and still worked it sold for $21,000 probably worth more.
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09/15/2006 11:38:51 AM · #8 |
I have an old Ziess Leica camera. Around a 50's model. It still works to this day and is one of the quietest cameras I've ever used. The optics on leica are by far the best in the world. So for 5G with no lens, thats cheap considering that you are getting a camera that is coming from the best camera maker in the world. Hell some of their lenes aren't that cheap.
Message edited by author 2006-09-15 11:39:11.
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09/15/2006 12:19:34 PM · #9 |
| yeah, im seriously considering selling the limited amount of stuff I have and using the $$ i am saving for a d200, and waiting for awhile and getting this. Having this would be awesome..... finacial prudence is good too though...man I dunno. |
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09/15/2006 04:23:35 PM · #10 |
The fact that it's a rangefinder kind of rules out macros, doesn't it? And they don't make any fast telephotos like Canon or Nikon...
Although if you shoot from a tripod or focusing rail, the fact that it's digital would help, and if you shot sports you'd probably want AF anyway. |
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09/15/2006 04:39:30 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by MadMan2k:
it's a rangefinder ... Although if you shoot from a tripod or focusing rail, the fact that it's digital would help |
Why would you buy a rangefinder and put it on a tripod?
Isn't the main point of a rangefinder cam the small size for the high quality images as well as being so inconspicuous?
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09/15/2006 04:57:29 PM · #12 |
| i know the name implies an explaination; whats a rangefinder only camera.. |
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09/15/2006 05:11:49 PM · #13 |
Originally posted by rami:
i know the name implies an explaination; whats a rangefinder only camera.. |
On an SLR you are in essence looking throughthe lens via a mirror that moves out of the way when the shutter is activated.
Rangefinder your looking through a seperate lens (ie rangefinder) and not through the cameras lens. |
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09/15/2006 05:48:14 PM · #14 |
Originally posted by rswank:
Originally posted by MadMan2k:
it's a rangefinder ... Although if you shoot from a tripod or focusing rail, the fact that it's digital would help |
Why would you buy a rangefinder and put it on a tripod?
Isn't the main point of a rangefinder cam the small size for the high quality images as well as being so inconspicuous? |
Maybe it's just me, but if I had a camera with a $3400 wide-angle lens, I would definitely want to see what it could do on landscapes, which usually means shooting stopped down and on a tripod
Their lenses are pretty ridiculous... the cheapest M lens they have, the 50 2.8, is $900.. that's three times as much as the Canon 50 1.4, which is two stops faster. Even if the optics are that much better, I doubt mirror slap eats up two extra stops of shutter speed, plus you get the more shallow DOF and can stop the subject motion better. |
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09/15/2006 06:30:46 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by rami:
i know the name implies an explaination; whats a rangefinder only camera.. |
It is actually very well explained in the dpreview link. |
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09/15/2006 06:33:36 PM · #16 |
It's ridiculous to compare it to an slr, or an slr lens system or anything like that. Rangefinders (of the leica type, there are bigger ones designed for landscapes)are made for a completely different purpose. Trust me, once you pick one up and use one for a couple of days you'll understand. It's beautiful for street photography, the manual focus on a wide angle on a rangefinder is sublime. I've just got my D50 and manual focus, through the viewfinder is tough in comparison. The viewfinder on a rangefinder itself is huge compared to any slr. (I'm speaking about rangefinders in general, I have no experience of leicas).
What a leica gives you (as I've heard) on top of the normal rangefinder, is indestructible build quality, sublime ergonomics and great lenses.
Now it is despite all this, incredibly expensive, but have you seen what manual film leica's go for? It's a cult thing, the market of leica fanatics will support the price, so it sells at that price. However at the same time, this high price does allow them to create a tool of great quality.
So what we have here is both a specialist camera for a particular kind of photographer, and a fetish object. |
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09/15/2006 06:48:01 PM · #17 |
The M8 is actually my dream camera, but it is friggin expensive. I'd pay it without hesitation and trade in my full Nikon system if I were not 33% dependent on the 200mm (in Leica crop I'd need 225mm) tele of my 70-200 VR.
My youth background is a relatively cheap Agfa rangefinder with a 40mm f/2.8 prime. Manual focus, aperture priority exposure, huge, really huge , viewfinder-.......
I'd love to do things manual, to be rid of the noise of mirror slap -imagine a church service, a moment of silence, perfect emotion on the faces and there's a CLICKCLACK mirror slap = killer noise -, to use those awesome Leica, Zeiss and Voightlander primes, Leica quality body and back to a huge bright unblocked unmirrorblacked kickass viewfinder.
Sure there is also a part Leica heritage psychological thing going on, but hey, that does not only work for me, but also on the person being photographed = positive.
From what I read Leica also put some good thinking into this. The avoidance of vignetting by using 1.33x crop (the lens back is so close to the sensor that ff would not work), offset microlenses on the edges of the Kodak developed sensor, digital correction by lens recognition.
Sharpness should be A++, without the anti-aliasaing filter and world class lenses, plus classic Leica micro-contrast for kick-ass b&w.
The body also seems very nice to work with, simple, to the point, functional.
I'm very interested in real world performance aka resolution, noise, moiré tests etc. Could be worth the money, but you got to be able to work with it else you're better off with a dSLR.
If only I didn't use tele so much....
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09/15/2006 06:55:10 PM · #18 |
very ignorant comment man...no offence.
its kinda of a cult camera yes, Brasson used a film leica rangefinder and many other greats have slected leicas as their camera of choice...but this is for good reason 2. they are the tip top highest grade of everything and opticaly which is what its all about in the end they are the finest. so while this may seem foolish and over priced to you. i would say that is only b/c you have not yet worked with a film version of the M8 when you have i'm sure you will change your mind. if you want to see the leica quolity just look up verious different photogs till you find one like Brasson who has only ever shot with a leica and a 50mm fixed lens....then you'll see.
Originally posted by fir3bird:
5000 bucks for a digital rangefinder camera with no lens. This has got to be the funniest thing I've seen all week. What a tremendous joke. Is today April fools????
I can assure you it's a cult. About like those people who offed themselves to join the comet. Sheeeeshhh. |
bran(always remember though, it's not what you have between your hands that counts, it's what's between your ears)do_
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09/16/2006 11:01:43 AM · #19 |
| Way cool! I have been waiting for Leica to get into the digital market with a real camera. I seriously want one but I can´t see myself affording one for the next 10 years or so, or rather wanting to spend that much money on that camera but there will come a day I will own a Leica M-something, possibly the next generation of the M8 or the one after that. I have sworn never again to own a crop factor camera as I simply love bigger formats and I think I´ll get into medium format before I get into the rangefinder but my ideal setup would be a 35mm camera setup like I own now for all around work, a medium format system for more fashion and studio work and then a rangefinder too for traveling and walk around photography. |
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09/16/2006 11:27:52 AM · #20 |
| has anyone yet seen any review of the pictures it takes? |
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09/16/2006 07:59:53 PM · #21 |
Sure its a cult camera of sorts but for good reason. Leica is the equivalent to rolls royce in photography. These are the finest cameras in terms of construction (with the finest lenses) built by hand in germany. Also this is a rangefinder camera as opposed to SLR or other kinds of cameras. Now sure rangefinders haven't been the most popular format since the 60s when SLRs took over but its good to see them still around and going digital (film up until epson released the RD1 this year) this is the second digital rangefinder on the market.
It does have some special things going for it besides history and its manufacturer and quality. 1.33 crop and the best damn lenses in the world, its a rangefinder. And it uses adobe's new DNG instead of just RAW which is a nice feature for longevity. pricing is actually inline when you consider the average markup on new cameras vs the previous model this costs about 170% more than an M7. I've been hearing the performance could be comparable to cameras selling for 6-7k in which case its a bargain. Also I should point out the 3yr passport warranty (covers accidental damage and such for 3yrs!) and I belive it ships with some version of photoshop not to mention many dealers are including 2gig memory cards and card readers as well. I'd buy one if I had the money.
For the record I own a few leicas. Leica 3f with 50mm lens and a Fed1g leica rip off (russian model stalin commisioned) with 90mm lense. I also have owned a Z2X and Minilux point and shoots from leica.
M3 is a great camera-most popular leica ever (so not really much of a collectible) the queen of england had one specially made and given to her by leica-she loved it. they can be had for 1k max and then lenses. |
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09/16/2006 10:51:30 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by mouten:
has anyone yet seen any review of the pictures it takes? |
If you do find one at his moment (there is one, but I am not going to link to it) the conclusions were based on a pre-production unit. Leica has, just like many companies do, forbidden publication of pre-production samples because the software part of processing and stuff like hat isn't completely ready. So do not make any judgements if you do find some at this moment. It's just that announcing before Photokina is important.
Edit: The samples have been removed.
Message edited by author 2006-09-16 23:21:30.
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09/17/2006 02:53:17 AM · #23 |
If I had the funds to indulge myself, I'd own one of these in a heartbeat. I seriously love the Leica camera, always have. We had one at the studio, but the wife ended up with it; I got the Hasselblad, she got the Leica. It may seem anachronistic to pop out a rangefinder camera in this day and age, but I don't buy that; Leica was still enormously popular among working photojournalists long after Nikon had entered their heyday, and with good reason; small, light comapred to an SLR, quiet, unobtrusive, built like a fine Swiss watch, incredible optics.
What's NOT to like?
R.
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09/17/2006 06:13:16 AM · #24 |
Originally posted by Bear_Music:
What's NOT to like?
R. |
uhm..the price..maybe |
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09/17/2006 06:16:27 AM · #25 |
does it really produce that gooda picture ???
c'mon for that price you would get a Canon mark 1d markII with L glasses
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