Leica M8

Last updated
Leica M8 [1]
Leica M8 IMG 0672.JPG
Overview
TypeDigital rangefinder camera
Lens
Lens Leica M-mount
Sensor/medium
Sensor 18 x 27 mm inducing a 1.33 crop factor
Sensor type CCD
Maximum resolution 10.3 effective megapixels (3936 x 2630 pixels)
Film speed 160 to 2500
Focusing
Focus modesManual
Exposure/metering
Exposure modesManual, aperture priority auto exposure
Exposure metering TTL, center weighted averaging
Flash
Flash Fixed hot shoe
Shutter
Shutter Focal plane, metal curtains, vertical travel
Shutter speed range8s to 1/8000
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Reverse Galilean (x0.68) with automatic or manual selection of parallax corrected framelines, additional color LCD display: 2.5", 230,000 pixels
General
BatteryLithium Ion
Dimensions 139 x 80 x 39 mm
Weight 545 g without battery 591 with
Made in Germany
Chronology
Successor Leica M9

The Leica M8 is the first digital camera in the rangefinder M series introduced by Leica Camera AG on 14 September 2006. [2] It uses an APS-H 10.3-megapixel CCD image sensor designed and manufactured by Kodak.

Contents

As of 15 November 2014, the most recent firmware version is 2.024.

Features

The M8 body is slightly thicker than the classic MP and M7 (approximately ~14% thicker). It is an all-metal body made of a high-strength magnesium alloy. The top and base plates are cut from brass billets, before receiving a black or silver chrome finish.

The M8 supports all existing Leica M-mount lenses; however, some older models might not offer all the functions due to mismatching cams. All lenses are multiplied by a 1.33x crop factor, hence a 28mm lens will act approximately like a 35mm when mounted to the M8. [3] Because the infrared filter over the sensor is relatively weak, adding an IR-cut filter in front of the lens is recommended. In addition, Leica chooses to omit the Anti-Alias filter, citing the reason for higher resolution power of the lens. However, the moiré artifacts can occur in scenes with closely spaced geometric patterns, such as fabric or mesh, distant buildings, balcony railings, corrugated roofing etc. [4]

The M8 uses modern metal-blade focal-plane shutter. It can fire flash synchronization at 1/250 second X-sync and has a top shutter speed of 1/8000 sec. The flash system used in the M8 is M-TTL.

The camera uses a 6-bit coding system that identifies the lens in use to the electronics built into M8 body. The code is included on all current Leica lenses. To prevent excessive vignetting due to closer lens mount than in a DSLR and thus higher light rays angle on the sensor periphery, offset micro-lenses are used on the CCD. The 6-bit code on lenses gives information about optic vignetting characteristics, permitting software adjustment. [5] The M8 uses Adobe DNG as its raw data format and the raw converter Capture One LE (included with the camera).

KAF-10500 Sensor

The KAF-10500 is a CCD imaging sensor designed by US photographic company Eastman Kodak. In September 2006 it was announced that the sensor was to be used in the M8 camera, [6] having been specifically designed for this application. Its size is 18x27 mm (APS-H) and it has 10.3 million pixels of size 6.8 μm. Compared to 35mm film, it has a 1.33 crop factor. It is calibrated for an ISO sensitivity range of 160–2500.

The sensor includes indium tin oxide as a constituent material, which Kodak claims leads to low noise, high sensitivity, and wide dynamic range. It is designed for use with lenses with short back focal lengths – such as those common to rangefinder cameras – by including a microlens array to reduce fall off in intensity from the center to corners of the image. Further details and aspects of the sensor were unveiled during the course of photokina 2006. [7]

Reception

The Leica M8 suffered from some controversy on its release due to image quality problems reported by some users, especially an extremely high sensitivity to infrared light, which made black colors appear purple. Leica has since released a statement saying that it will send two free special UV/IR screw-on photographic filters to all future M8 purchasers, and upon request for all current M8 users. Users experiencing other image quality problems can apply to return their M8 for repair. [8]

However, this sensitivity to Infrared light has inspired a niche of photographers who use photographic filters that block the visible spectrum of light to do infrared photography. [9]

Upgrade program

Leica announced a perpetual upgrade program on 31 January 2008. [10] To keep a user's M8 up to date with newer releases, owners can send their M8 to Leica for upgrades. The first upgrade offered under this program is an improved shutter designed for quieter operation, at the cost of a slower maximum shutter speed of 1/4000sec. Leica subsequently announced additional upgrades: [11]

Leica M8.2

Leica announced the Leica M8.2 on 15 September 2008. [12] The Leica M8.2 includes all the upgrades offered in the upgrade program, however the black version is coated with black paint (as opposed to the black chrome finish of the standard Leica M8) and black Leica branding dot. An auto S setting producing only JPEGs was added to the shutter speed dial.

Leica also introduced the M8.2 Safari edition package, [13] limited to a production run of 500. The package includes an olive green painted Leica M8.2, a silver-finished Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH lens and a matching Billingham camera case.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rangefinder camera</span> Camera fitted with a rangefinder

A rangefinder camera is a camera fitted with a rangefinder, typically a split-image rangefinder: a range-finding focusing mechanism allowing the photographer to measure the subject distance and take photographs that are in sharp focus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">135 film</span> 35 mm photographic film format

135 film, more popularly referred to as 35 mm film or 35 mm, is a format of photographic film with a film gauge of 35 mm (1.4 in) loaded into a standardized type of magazine for use in 135 film cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica Camera</span> German optics company

Leica Camera AG is a German company that manufactures cameras, optical lenses, photographic lenses, binoculars, and rifle scopes. The company was founded by Ernst Leitz in 1869, in Wetzlar, Germany. The name Leica is derived from the first three letters of the founder's surname (Leitz) and the first two of the word camera: lei-ca.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Infrared photography</span> Near-infrared imaging

In infrared photography, the photographic film or image sensor used is sensitive to infrared light. The part of the spectrum used is referred to as near-infrared to distinguish it from far-infrared, which is the domain of thermal imaging. Wavelengths used for photography range from about 700 nm to about 900 nm. Film is usually sensitive to visible light too, so an infrared-passing filter is used; this lets infrared (IR) light pass through to the camera, but blocks all or most of the visible light spectrum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digital single-lens reflex camera</span> Digital cameras combining the parts of a single-lens reflex camera and a digital camera back

A digital single-lens reflex camera is a digital camera that combines the optics and mechanisms of a single-lens reflex camera with a solid-state image sensor and digitally records the images from the sensor.

The Leica Digilux 1 is a digital camera developed in partnership with Panasonic, which was released in 2002, roughly the same time as the Canon PowerShot G2 and the Nikon 2000. It is the second of Leica's digital offerings. Where the original Digilux was developed in partnership with Fuji Camera, the Digilux 1 was developed jointly with Panasonic; Leica is responsible for optics, while Panasonic designs the camera electronics. According to Leica, this allows both companies to design cameras that creates a harmonious matching of lens to sensor to produce color and contrast to Leica standards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumix</span> Brand of digital cameras made by Panasonic

Lumix is Panasonic's brand of digital cameras, ranging from pocket point-and-shoot models to digital SLRs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica M mount</span> Lens mount introduced in 1954

The Leica M mount is a camera lens mount introduced in 1954 with the Leica M3, and a range of lenses. It has been used on all the Leica M-series cameras and certain accessories up to the current film Leica M-A and digital Leica M11 cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Konica Hexar</span> 1990s 35 mm autofocus camera

The Konica Hexar is a 35 mm fixed-lens, fixed focal length autofocus camera which was produced through the 1990s. It was introduced to the market in 1993. While styled like a rangefinder camera, and intended for a similar style of photography, in specification it is more like a larger "point and shoot" camera.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kodak DCS</span>

The Kodak Digital Camera System is a series of digital single-lens reflex cameras and digital camera backs that were released by Kodak in the 1990s and 2000s, and discontinued in 2005. They are all based on existing 35mm film SLRs from Nikon, Canon and Sigma. The range includes the original Kodak DCS, the first commercially available digital SLR.

This article discusses the cameras – mainly 35 mm SLRs – manufactured by Pentax Ricoh Imaging Corp. and its predecessors, Pentax Corporation and Asahi Optical Co., Ltd.. Pentax must not be confused with Pentax 6x7 or Pentax 67 which are 120 medium format 6x7cm film cameras.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica S2</span> Camera model

The Leica S2 is a medium format digital SLR camera announced by Leica Camera on September 23, 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica M9</span> Camera model

The Leica M9 is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera from Leica Camera AG. It was introduced in September 2009. It uses an 18.5-megapixel Kodak image sensor and is compatible with almost all M mount lenses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica M Monochrom</span> Camera model

The Leica M Monochrom is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera of Leica Camera AG, and features a monochrome sensor. The camera was announced on May 10, 2012. Delivery started September 2012 in black finish only. A Leica M Monochrom in Silver was announced May 22, 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica M (Typ 240)</span> Camera model

The Leica M is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera of Leica Camera AG. It was introduced in September 2012, and is the successor to the Leica M9 range of cameras. The M uses a 24-megapixel image sensor. The camera is the first M model to feature movie recording, and the first to have Live View, which allows the scene, as viewed through the lens, to be composed. The M can use most M- and R-mount lenses. Leica M cameras are made by hand in Portugal and Germany. There is also a version, the M Monochrom, with a monochrome, rather than colour, sensor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica Digilux 2</span> Camera model

The Digilux 2 is a digital camera model sold by Leica Camera, with the body manufactured in Japan by Matsushita, which sold a variant as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LC1. Its image sensor is a CCD with 5.24 million total pixels. It has a color, transreflective thin-film transistor liquid crystal display with 211,000 pixels, in addition to an electronic viewfinder. It has a near-focus range of 30 centimeters. The camera has a built-in flash. This flash, first of its kind, has the ability to be pointed up, as well as the standard method of pointing straight ahead, in order to "bounce" the light off a ceiling. The camera weighs 630 grams. Its dimensions are 135 millimeters in width, 82 millimeters in height, and 103 millimeters in depth. The camera is fitted with a Leica Vario Summicron lens of f/2 with a zoom function of 28mm - 90mm in 35mm format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica M10</span> Digital camera

The Leica M10 is a full-frame digital rangefinder camera in Leica Camera AG's rangefinder M series. It accepts Leica M-mount lenses. The camera model was introduced on 19 January 2017. It is a successor to the Leica M9; and has similarities with and differences to the Leica M, Leica M, and Leica M Monochrom. There are five variants of the M10 line—the M10,M10-P,M10-D, and M10 Monochrom and M10-R.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leica L-Mount</span> Lens mount

The Leica L-Mount is a bayonet mount developed by Leica Camera AG for interchangeable-lens autofocus digital cameras.

The Leica S-System is a medium format digital single lens reflex camera system introduced by Leica Camera in 1996. Beginning with the Leica S1, a prototype top-end studio digital camera unveiled at Photokina 1996. It went into production at the end of 1997.

References

  1. M8 & M8.2 Technical Data Archived 2012-08-18 at the Wayback Machine , Leica Camera AG
  2. "A camera legend goes digital" (Press release). Leica Camera AG. 2006-09-14.
  3. "The original gone digital: Leica M8".
  4. "Leica's FAQ".
  5. "M8 - the digital M". Leica.
  6. "Kodak Sensor in Leica M8". Dpreview.com. 2006-09-15.
  7. Kodak Sensor for Leica M8 Archived 2017-04-14 at the Wayback Machine , LetsGoDigital Photokina coverage
  8. "Leica announce fixes for M8". Digital Photography Review.
  9. "Inspired by a "Faulty" Sensor. IR Photography and the Leica M8 by Konstantinos Besios | Steve Huff Photo". 15 December 2010.
  10. "FAQ Leica M8 Upgrade Concept" (PDF). Leica Camera AG.
  11. "M8 Upgrade Service". Leica Camera AG.
  12. "Leica announces M8.2 rangefinder update". Digital Photography Review.
  13. "M8.2 Safari edition". Leica Camera AG.