M8 pix, in full res, and a thought on technology…
Posted on February 13, 2007
Filed Under All, Photos, Technology |
So, we put a bunch of full-res M8 pix up on Picasaweb, so photo fans can take a look see. I just grabbed a bunch of different things off the chip: I took the camera to work yesterday, and just shot things that caught my eye, like the scene above, snapped on the 4:25 ‘baby bullet’ train from San Jose Diridon station to Menlo Park (we had a 21mm lens mounted - equivalent to a 24mm on a 35mm film camera). I think there is a lesson in technology brewing here - stay tuned. We’re taking the M8 with a 35 f2 Summicron today…
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7 Responses to “M8 pix, in full res, and a thought on technology…”
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Man, that’s some camera. Those images are so sharp. I guess it’s really true, you get what you pay for!
Yeah, when everything works (which isn’t every time you push the button), the pix can be amazing… I still can’t believe I did this, but then, my perspective has changed somewhat in the past few months…
I think if anything good has come out of all of this, it is your having rediscovered the fact that you are still a great photojournalist!
$5000 for a subframe sensor is ridiculous when you can get an EOS 5D for only $3000. Leicas are for people who collect cameras with the intention of selling them for a profit 10 years later.
A friend has the 5D and it is an arguably superior camera in almost every respect. Won’t argue the (over)pricing of Leica stuff either. It still remains that I have never been able to get the look - the balance of contrast and sharpness of Leica - from a Nikon or Canon.
So I guess it comes down to what do you value in the photos you make (and what are you willing to pay to get that capability)? Not that I haven’t taken pictures with my Nikon (or Pentax for that matter) that I didn’t like… but I am very happy to be working with my ancient - these lenses must be 20 years old now - and much loved Leica M glass again.. as odd a duck as the (admittedly pricey) M8 may be… those silvery and subtle, long tone ramps are suddenly back as a tool in my photo bag… I love it…
[…] So here it is, my new Leica M8. It was outrageously expensive (a gulker.com reader left a comment pointing out that a Canon EOS 5D is some $1700 cheaper), and this camera is a hack. True it’s a Leica hack, with German engineering and sensibilities, but, oh man, what a piece of work. […]
[…] Scott points out that my newly-arrived New Yorker subscription (addressed to ‘Chranda Gulkard’ - a blend of Linda and my names) features an article about the Leica. I’ve used Leicas for almost 25 years: the M8 has resurrected the use of my Leica gear - the picture of Scott, below, was taken with a 20-year-old 21mm on a new M8 body. […]