High quality camera maker Leica finally introduced their first digital rangefinder, the M8 in September. Perhaps we should think of the M8 as a digitalized M7 instead of a brand new product. The camera body still looks pretty much the same from the front but it is around 14% thicker than the M7, you probably wouldn’t notice it’s a digital camera before seeing the LCD monitor at the back.
Leica M8 is equiped with Kodak KAF-10500, a 10.3-megapixel CCD sensor. Instead of full frame and implementing anti-alias filter, it has a 1.33x crop factor and uses software alias correction. It supports sensitivities ranging from ISO 160 to ISO 2500
Other than the body design, the Leica M8 operates pretty much like the M7. Like the M7, it also has Aperture-Priority AE with a two-detent shutter button (AE lock then Release). And if you are thinking of using the 2.5-inch 230 kilopixel TFT LCD screen as view finder, this camera is probably not for you. The LCD screen doesn’t have live preview function, it’s meant for after shooting display and photo management.
For complete specifications and reviews, please visit dpreview. The M8’s retail price is around £2990 in the UK and $4795.00 in the USA.
2006-11-01 21:26
The Leica M8 is almost perfect. It doesn’t have a full frame sensor. Also, the Leica M8 is a digital rangefinder and not a digital SLR. It is not a single lens reflex.