Some mixed reviews out there on this thing, but I'm really curious. Owners, speak up!
Aside, does the M8 really have a place at that price-point in a post-E-P1 world? gdgt.com/olympus/e-p1/
Discussion about
Owners: so, what do you think of your M8?
Well, I'm not an owner (wish I was...), but since there haven't been any answers yet...
I think there will be the same room for an M8/8.2/9 in the future as there has been until now, the E-P1 doesn't really change anything. There are a few things the Leica can do that the Olympus cannot, and for the few people who are prepared to pay for that, I think it will be enough.
For one thing, the E-P1 is nice (I got one...) but hardly a true luxury item. Some users will require more exclusivity.
For another, a real rangefinder like the M8 has an immediacy to its reactions that put it in a completely different class from the Olymus. Less shutter lag than the best SLRs, and a big, bright viewfinder with (naturally) no more lag than the speed of light will make it well worth the price for photographers whose ability to capture a split-second moment determine if they get paid or not (or if there pictures are fine art or mass-market).
Finally, the E-P1 might play on nostalgia and history quite a lot, but it once again can't compete with the legend of Leica. More than a few photographers have spent decades dreaming of Leica M-series cameras, and some of them get a chans to own one at some point in there lives. It's like the 50-year-old who, when his kids move out, finally can buy a Porsche 911 that he had on posters on his wall when he himself was a teenager.
I think there will be the same room for an M8/8.2/9 in the future as there has been until now, the E-P1 doesn't really change anything. There are a few things the Leica can do that the Olympus cannot, and for the few people who are prepared to pay for that, I think it will be enough.
For one thing, the E-P1 is nice (I got one...) but hardly a true luxury item. Some users will require more exclusivity.
For another, a real rangefinder like the M8 has an immediacy to its reactions that put it in a completely different class from the Olymus. Less shutter lag than the best SLRs, and a big, bright viewfinder with (naturally) no more lag than the speed of light will make it well worth the price for photographers whose ability to capture a split-second moment determine if they get paid or not (or if there pictures are fine art or mass-market).
Finally, the E-P1 might play on nostalgia and history quite a lot, but it once again can't compete with the legend of Leica. More than a few photographers have spent decades dreaming of Leica M-series cameras, and some of them get a chans to own one at some point in there lives. It's like the 50-year-old who, when his kids move out, finally can buy a Porsche 911 that he had on posters on his wall when he himself was a teenager.
I spent a year shooting with the M8 and found it to be a great, precise, instrument. It's not for everyone. It's a very expensive manual camera. Unless you have experience with a manual camera... don't even think about it. For those of you who have had a manual camera... you'll find the low light/hand held experience with the M8 camera amazing. Yes, the camera and lenses are very expensive but quality is very high.
I'm normally a Nikon shooter but I found myself getting sloppy with my D2X. With practically unlimited storage, I was no longer thinking about my shots. I was just snapping away at anything I thought would work. My photos were looking pretty bad (technically good but no composition). The year I spent shooting with the M8 forced me back into the discipline of thinking and composing before I took the shot. Much like it was in the days of film but instead of the limited resource of a roll, it was the limited resource of the manual camera that makes you pause.
I've switched back to Nikon and I'm now shooting mainly with my D90. My photo quality is back up to what it used to now that I think about my shots before snapping away. That said, I still take my M8 for business travel. It's a great way to see and capture new places.
With my M8 I have 3 lenses.
- 50mm f2.0 (most versatile lens)
- 24mm f2.8 (great wide angle)
- 90mm f2.0 (old lens form the 60's... great soft portraits)
I'm normally a Nikon shooter but I found myself getting sloppy with my D2X. With practically unlimited storage, I was no longer thinking about my shots. I was just snapping away at anything I thought would work. My photos were looking pretty bad (technically good but no composition). The year I spent shooting with the M8 forced me back into the discipline of thinking and composing before I took the shot. Much like it was in the days of film but instead of the limited resource of a roll, it was the limited resource of the manual camera that makes you pause.
I've switched back to Nikon and I'm now shooting mainly with my D90. My photo quality is back up to what it used to now that I think about my shots before snapping away. That said, I still take my M8 for business travel. It's a great way to see and capture new places.
With my M8 I have 3 lenses.
- 50mm f2.0 (most versatile lens)
- 24mm f2.8 (great wide angle)
- 90mm f2.0 (old lens form the 60's... great soft portraits)
I think Cronce pretty much sums it up. The M8 is a manual camera, and you need to be okay with that. This isn't a camera for action shots (though with enough practice it's possible), it's for careful composition. I traded in my nikon d200 and about 5 lenses, then added another 1500 for a used M8, and haven't looked back. Can I snap off 11 consecutive shots with my M8? No. Can I zoom in on something close? No. But the process of taking pictures is infinitely more enjoyable, and everytime I use the camera I'm reminded of what drew me to photography in the first place. That's infinitely more valuable than a 24-300 zoom lens or a 16gb capacity card. But it's not for everyone.
