Leica M8 features:
- 10.3 megapixel
- 2.5 inch TFT LCD
- Shutter speed 4 to 1/8000
- ISO range up to 2500
- Microprocessor-controlled metal blade slot shutter with vertical action
- Continuous (2 frames per second up to 10 frames)
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Reviewers Conclusions & Verdicts - (updated 02 September’08)
ThinkCamera
“There are many things about the Leica M8 that are easy to like, but it’s not a ‘fast’ camera, and it’s not always easy to use. Taking pictures with a Leica M8 is a massive culture shock after using a modern DSLR with a zoom lens.”
Rating: 
Photo.net
“The Leica M8 is a very cool camera that despite a few flaws and quirks, performs very well. It is the only digital rangefinder on the market today. If I had an investment in Leica M lenses, I would buy one in a heartbeat.”
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Michael Kamber
“I find the M8 useful in some situations. Naturally it shares the benefits of all rangefinders; it is quieter and smaller than an SLR. It is less noticeable in dangerous situations where this unobtrusiveness may mean the difference between getting the picture or not, or even getting home safely or not. In most situations, usually in bright daylight, it will yield a usable image if one is willing to put in some time with Photoshop.”
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CompleteDigitalPhotography reviews the Leica M8 and writes -
“As much as I wish it were to the contrary, the M8 is not worth the money. For starters, there are the design flaws, chief among them the loose mode switch, the lack of status information in the viewfinder, the unnecessary hassle of changing the card and battery, and the poor boot and wake-from sleep time. All of those will lead to missed shots.
And then there’s the image quality. Simply put, a $5,000 camera should consistently meter properly, have accurate auto white balance, not require me to buy additional filters for my lenses, and should deliver state-of-the art ISO performance.”
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LuminousLandscape - 19 December’07 - reviews the Leica M8 and indicated that if Leica would make this camera autofocus he would buy it in a heartbeat. Here is an excerpt from the review -
“if you want a digital camera that you can pixel peep until your eyes bleed, or can auto focus and shoot 90 frames a second, this isn’t the one.”
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PhotoReview - 04 October’07 - reviews the Leica M8 and noted that if it weren’t for the buttons, LCD and lack of a film advance lever you would never know this is a digital camera. Here is an excerpt from their review concerning the M8’s low light capabilities;
“Despite an apparent increase in the orange/green color shift with long exposures, low light shots taken with the test camera were quite impressive. Little noise was evident right up to ISO 1250 and only a slight increase in visible noise was observed at ISO 2500. The M8 uses dark frame subtraction processing to achieve such good results. It doubles the image processing time but, in this camera, delivered better end results than we’ve seen in most cameras we’ve tested.”
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DPReview tests the Leica M8 and offers the following - With all good things there are bound to be some bad. In the case of the M8 there are two that DPReview did not like. One, it does not have a built in IR/UV filter and two, it does not have a built in image processor. There is big difference between the quality of photos shot in JPEG and RAW. The reviewer noted the image processor created some image “roughness.” This means if you only use the M8 to photograph in JPEG you simply are not getting the quality this camera is capable of.
Bottom Line: The M8 is a pricey piece of photographic gear and will not appeal to everyone. If you can afford it, buy it. Be forewarned however considering it’s JPEG image limitation you should shoot in RAW.
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TheOnlinePhotographer - 5/1/2007 - has reviewed the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and writes, “I enjoyed my brief sortie with the M8. It’s straightforward to use, and like most Leicas (indeed, most rangefinders) encourages you to pay attention to what you’re looking at rather than what you’re looking through. Using the M8 felt like old home week, 21st-century style. A pleasure.”
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PhotographyReview - 4/3/2007 - has reviewed the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and writes, “I love the Leica M8’s high resolution, saturated, colorful images. I also love its portability, and the bright, sharp viewfinder. While I’m considering sending my M8 to the Leica factory to correct the known image quality issues, I’m not as concerned as others have been. The M8 has become my favorite travel camera for trade shows, street photography, portraits, and landscapes. I strongly prefer it to other small digital cameras with interchangeable lenses because the M8 is less obtrusive, takes better photos, has a sophisticated flash exposure system, a wider ISO range, sophisticated noise reduction, faster shutter speeds, a faster flash sync speed, and a brighter, more accurate viewfinder. And there’s also the simple, intuitive purity of the Leica rangefinder experience.”
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Shutterbug - 3/18/2007 - has reviewed the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and writes, “Well then, is the Leica M8 a real Leica M worthy of standing side by side with its illustrious 35mm counterparts, the MP and M7? On balance, we’d have to say, yes. While no digital camera can expect to be pre-eminent for decades at a time like the 35mm M Leicas, and the M8 will inevitably be surpassed in five years by the Leica M9 with more megapixels and even better image quality, the Leica M8 is about as good as it can be given the current state of digital imaging technology.”
Zone-Numerique - 2/4/2007 - has reviewed the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and writes, (Google translated) “The quality of image remains, like always at Leica, excellent. The price tag for entry for beginning photographers is too much, but for Leica lovers, no Leica is too expensive.”
LuminousLandscape - 1/24/2007 - has photographed Marrakech with the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and notes that it’s anecdotes, observations, opinions, and photographs arising from 6 day days of shooting in early January, 2007. They continue to write, “An M Leica is the ideal camera for this type of shooting. It is small, as are its lenses, responsive, and so the new Leica M8 was my camera of choice for this trip, as Leicas have been for my street and documentary photography for the past 30 years. My favourite lens for the M Leica is the 28-35-50 Tri-Elmar, and I used it for probably 80% of the nearly one thousand frames that I took during my week in Morocco. I also had on loan from their manufacturers the new 16-18-21 Tri-Elmar, and the Zeiss 15mm f/2.8 Distagon – an abundance of wide-angle riches. My 50mm Summilux was also along, but mostly for the ride, as I found little use for its wide aperture this trip, preferring instead the versatility of the original Tri-Elmar.”
CNET - 12/21/2006 - has reviewed the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and they write - “The sad part about the problems faced by the Leica M8 is that the company could have avoided them. The decision to go with a thinner-than-normal IR filter was a conscious one, which the company made in an effort to eke all the sharpness they could out of their famously sharp lenses. Now, those same lenses will have to be capped with sharpness-stealing filters anyway, and Leica has had to deal with cleaning the egg off its face. To its credit, the company did step up to the plate and offer a decent solution for their customers.”
PopPhoto - 12/16/2006 - has a new review and photo essay of the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and they write - “Leica built this camera to last and to perform up to the mechanical standards of its famous M series. In that respect it passes with flying colors. Its Extremely High JPEG image quality (and potentially Excellent RAW DNG image quality), stellar low-light performance, low distortion lens selections, and software bundle also make it a top-notch camera worthy of respect.”
Luminous-Landscape - 12/10/2006 - has a new review and photo essay of the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and they write - “Rangefinder cameras are a different thing, for the manufacturer (especially in the digital era), the lens designer and the user. Moreover, the Leica M8 has adopted several compromises. They must to be known, understood and accepted. The recompense is an interesting instrument with strong points and limitations. The potential image quality provided by the M8 camera is at the level of the best cameras actually in the market for moderate prints. You must accept, however, the possible presence of moiré and infrared contamination and a narrower range of focal lengths. To see the world throughout the finder of this camera is a different experience, and the rangefinder user is in fact a different photographer.”
TheOnlinePhotographer - 12/10/2006 - has a new review and photo essay of the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and they write - “This camera begs to be used in all situations, whether rangefinder-appropriate or not. It is simply a pleasure to use, especially for one who has spent any time in the mechanical pre-auto-anything days of yore. There may be a motor and aperture preferred AE on this box, but in use, in the hand and at your eye, this could be any Leica M from the past 50 years.”
Outbackphoto - 11/9/2006 - has an ongoing review of the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and they write - “After reading some comments on the net we thought the noise would be more an issue with this camera. Overall the M8 can produce very sharp and detailed images. The noise levels are not like a Canon 5D but still very reasonable in our opinion. This is the first camera for many years that we really have to learn to use. Actually we only have get used to the rangefinder aspect of the M8. Over the next 2 weeks we will use the M8 as one of our main cameras. We keep you posted.”
LuminousLandscape - 10/31/2006 - has field tested the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and they write - “In the case of the Leica M8 I am pleased to report that overall image quality is second to none. Only the Canon 5D and 1Ds MKII are better at high ISO, and at ISO 400 and lower the M8 is their equal. Then again, right now there are no other cameras producing as clean high ISO images as these two Canons. But when combined with the superior quality of Leica lenses, and the fact that the M8 does not have a resolution reducing AA filter, I would argue that there are no current 35mm format cameras which offer superior image quality to the Leica M8 at ISO 400 and lower.”
DigitalCameraInfo - 9/27/2006 - has previewed the 10 megapixel digital rangefinder Leica M8 and here are thier initial thoughts - “The Leica M8 is built beautifully – both the design and the execution show an attention to detail, a thoughtfulness and a clear vision of utility and elegance. It’s a great example of how remarkable a manufactured object can be.”
Actual Owner Feedback
“Still, the M8 is markedly expensive vs. its features and for this reason alone; I can’t recommend it to most people. However, if you love rangefinder style shooting, then you will love this camera!”
Portion of user comment on Amazon.com
“The Leica M8 paired with a 50mm Summicron lens takes the sharpest photos I have ever seen. It takes a lot of getting used to, but once you do, you can’t shoot with anything else. It can’t capture sports, or moving targets well, but that’s not what it’s for.”
Portion of user comment on Amazon.com
“I’m more than happy about my investment in this camera, have not experienced any of the complaints I’ve read about it, appreciate the added bonus of the IR potential and if I have any complaints it is about the shutter sound that one user likened to a nail driver gun.”
Portion of user comment on Amazon.com
“I just wish I had not waited 10 months to get mine. There is no other digital camera in the world like it and it lets you use the great Leica and other manufactures glass from the last 70 years.”
Portion of user comment on Amazon.com
“Battery and memory card access from a non-hinged baseplate is silly. Multiple frameline display is a poor compromise. I would have liked to have seen a “zoom” finder buit into the body. Ths would allow projection of a dedicated frame line of consistant size regardless of the lens focal length.”
Portion of user comment on Amazon.com
Sample Photos
[Sample Test Photos at PhotoReview]
[Sample Photos at DPReview]
[Sample Photos at PhotographyReview]
[Sample Photos at PopPhoto]
[Sample Photos at Flickr]
Videos
[Video Review at Luminous Landscapes]
Firmware Updates
[Firmware Update Version 1.107]
Specifications & Camera Profile
Owners Manual
Press Excerpt
A camera legend goes digital
Leica Camera AG, Solms is exhibiting the new LEICA M8 at photokina in Cologne (26th September to 1st October 2006). It is the first digital camera to use the Leica viewfinder system. All the key characteristics of the analog Leica reporter’s camera such as the compact design, the exceptional picture quality in conjunction with the Leica M lenses and the unique picture composition using the Leica viewfinder have been seamlessly carried over into the digital world.
This professional-standard digital camera Made in Germany uses an image sensor specially developed for the requirements of the Leica M system. Almost all Leica M system lenses made since 1954 are also suitable for digital photography, thanks to their high performance level. The combination of lenses, sensor and high-performance picture editing generates outstanding picture quality with a resolution of 10.3 million pixels.
The new LEICA M8 has a notably low-noise CCD image sensor with a basic speed of ISO 160. The maximum speed of ISO 2500 means the new camera is ideally suited to available light photography, a typical Leica M feature. The LEICA M8 offers the photographer many useful details such as a tone value histogram which permits qualitative exposure control for even the smallest details of the subject in each enlargement section. Thanks to really simple operation with very few controls and clearly laid-out menus, the new camera also demonstrates typically Leica concentration on the essentials.
The LEICA M8 enriches digital photography with tradition, values and inspiration says Dr. Ralph Nebe, Above all the new LEICA M8 shows that the Leica Camera AG has found its own path straight into the digital world. With enhanced innovative power for digital solutions in both the camera and sport optics product sectors, together with rigorous updating of analog solutions, the company is fit for the future again.
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