Leica M8
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Leica M8 | |
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| Type | Digital rangefinder camera |
|---|---|
| Sensor | 18 x 27 mm inducing a 1.33 crop factor |
| Maximum resolution | 10.3 Mpixels |
| Lens type | Leica M mount |
| Shutter | focal plane, metal curtains, vertical travel |
| Shutter speed range | 8s to 1/8000 |
| Exposure Metering | TTL |
| Exposure Modes | manual, aperture priority auto exposure |
| Focus modes | manual |
| Viewfinder | Reverse Galilean (x0.68) with automatic or manual selection of parallax corrected framelines, additional color LCD display: 2.5", 230,000 pixels |
| ASA/ISO range | 160 to 2500 |
| Flash | fixed hot shoe |
| Battery | Lithium Ion |
| Weight | 545 g without battery |
The M8 is the first digital camera in the rangefinder M series introduced by Leica Camera AG on 14 September 2006.[1] It uses a Kodak KAF-10500 CCD image sensor. The sensor has 10.3 million 6.8 μm pixels and is 18 x 27 mm inducing a 1.33 crop factor, with an ISO 160-2500 sensitivity range. An electronically controlled metal focal plane shutter replaces the previous cloth shutter of all previous Leica rangefinders permitting 1/8000s exposures and 1/250s X-sync.
To prevent excessive vignetting due to closer lens mount than in a DSLR and thus higher light rays angle on the sensor periphery, a correction is applied by an offset on the micro-lens array on the concerned areas. A code on newer lenses gives information about optic vignetting characteristics permitting software adjustment.[2]
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.[3] Leica has since released a statement saying that it will send two special screw-on photographic filters to all future M8 purchasers. Users experiencing other image quality problems can apply to return their M8 for repair.[4]
On January 31st 2008 Leica announced their M8 upgrade concept. [5]Under this program, Leica will investigate and make hardware and software improvements available to existing M8 owners. Leica has said that they're investigating the possibility of full frame sensors. The first upgrade offered under this program is an improved shutter designed for quieter operation, it has a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000sec and a flash sync speed of 1/180sec. The upgrade also includes a scratch resistant LCD cover made of sapphire glass. Upgraded cameras will receive a new 2 year warranty.
[edit] References
- ^ Leica Camera AG (2006-09-14). "A camera legend goes digital". Press release.
- ^ M8 - the digital M. Leica.
- ^ Leica M8 News Articles. Blompo.
- ^ Leica announce fixes for M8. Digital Photography Review.
- ^ FAQ Leica M8 Upgrade Concept. Leica Camera AG.
[edit] External links
- Leica M8 initial review at luminous-landscape.com
- Leica M8 hands-on preview at dpreview.com
- Leica M8 Forum at l-camera-forum.com
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