[Update 10th September, see below]
I have written before about Leica rangefinder cameras - I used to have one and loved it, but for the type of photography I do it just wasn’t the right tool for the job. The M8 digital rangefinder was a lovely camera and using it was a pleasure as the handling was just sublime. Even though I have spent time getting to know my Canon cameras intimately and love using them, they just do not come close to the ‘feel’ of using a Leica M. Now, I know there is much snobbery, hype and drivel written about the M8 (and other M-series rangefinders), but if you like the way it works, can afford the purchase and ongoing costs (lenses and accessories are mighty expensive), it’s a wonderful camera system to use. The lenses are quite something and I can still marvel over some of my images taken with them. It’s difficult to describe, but they have a sparkle, a contrast and clarity that is difficult to see with almost any other lens I have ever used. Clearly it is not just the lens but the system that contributes to the look of the image and the Leica lenses are a good match for any M-series camera, film or digital. Trouble was, the digital M8 had a sensor smaller than 35mm film and, just like many DSLRs, lenses did not behave the way they should. A 50mm standard lens, for instance, performed as a 66mm lens (a 1.3x factor). The M8 was also plagued by teething troubles that took some time to clear up, is expensive and it got some poor press in its early days as a consequence. An upgraded model was released in 2008, the M8.2. This had a new shutter, different flash sync speed, a sapphire glass LCD cover and a significantly higher price tag than its predecessor. But there are many people out there, myself included, who bought an M8 or M8.2 and loved it. It had problems and workarounds, it was expensive, slow, noisy at times, ‘only’ 10 million pixels, no auto focus capability, but still people are quite fanatical about them. Many critics suggest that the passion people appear to develop over their Leica is an excuse or justification for the cost, and for some it may be. One of the greatest features of an M8 is its lack of features; it's just a camera, a sophisticated one, but remains a camera rather than a computer with a camera attachment that many DSLRs are. It remains true to the original M design and puts the photographer in control, not the camera, which in turn makes it much easier to connect with the subject. And if you like the way they work, the passion is real and the cost incidental.