REVIEWS - Leica M8.2 Digital Rangefinder

OVERVIEW

Prior to purchasing this Leica M8.2, I had been shooting the full-frame Leica M9. I had shot with the Leica M8 for several years and expected a smooth transition to the Leica M9. Instead the Leica M9 transition was frustrating -

• The DNG color is quite different - the Leica M9 has a very strong blue / cyan bias. The issue is more than just a white balance tweak. Each picture needs extensive color-grading in Photoshop.
• The Leica M8 B&W conversions are excellent with a great balance of pop and tonality - probably due to the sensor's weak IR filter.
• The Leica M9’s ISO performance is improved, but only 1-stop at best. It is not a significant step forward [compared to the Leica M8].
• The Leica M8 files have better sharpness. The M9 is sharp, but not as crisp as the Leica M8 DNG's.
• The Leica M9 uses the same lousy 2.5” rear display; image review is slow; battery life decreased; and the M9 is notorious for SDHC card issues.

That frustration resulted in selling the Leica M9 and downgrading to the Leica M8.2. The Leica M8.2 is mostly a Leica M8 with some hardware upgrades / improvements:

• A quieter, smoother shutter with shutter modes for discreet shooting and delayed cocking. The trade off is a drop in maximum shutter speed to 1/4000 (compared to the Leica M8's 1/8000).
• The cover for the rear LCD display is sapphire glass instead of plastic; however, it is still the same low-resolution LCD screen.
• The hot shoe and red dot have been blacked-out (on the black version of the M8.2); the Leica M8.2 is black paint instead of the Leica M8's black chrome finish.
• Direct Exposure Compensation (EC) is available at all times via the rear wheel (do not have to go into the menu to change EC).

The Leica M8.2 image quality and files are identical to the Leica M8, so in that regard the Leica M8 reviews are still wholly relevant (DPreview has a nice review).

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

In the past with the Leica M8 and M9, I turned them into complete systems with 3, 4 or 5 lenses. The cost is very high - especially if buying the M ASPH lenses. With the Leica M8.2 I wanted to keep the kit small - and cheap. Part of this new budget-minded philosophy are Voigtlander 50mm F1.5 Nokton ASPH and the Voigtlander 35mm F2.5 Skopar Pancake II. The Voigtlander 35mm F2.5 Skopar Pancake II is sharp, tiny and easy to focus. The Voigtlander 50mm F1.5 Nokton ASPH is another bargain and a really good performer. Both these lens sell for around $300 in the second hand market.

The Leica M8.2’s new shutter is noticeably quieter and smoother. It is not like a film body Leica, but it is clearly quieter than the Leica M8. The new sapphire glass covering over the rear LCD is really nice. The Leica M8.2 feels more solid with the sapphire glass and there is not that cheap plastic feel. The image review on the rear LCD is fast compared to the Leica M9. The Leica M9 also has a bit of shutter lag. I do not know how to measure this other than to say the Leica M9 feels lazy whereas the Leica M8.2 feels snappy and ready to go.

THE PLAN BEGINS TO COME APART

In the past the Leica M8‘s 1.33x crop factor was a non-issue, but after the full-frame Leica M9, going back to the 1.33x crop-factor felt “wrong”. The Voigtlander 50mm F1.5 Nokton has been the workhorse with the Leica M8.2, but its effective field of view is around 67mm - too long for my walk-around shooting. The Voigtlander 35mm F2.5 Skopar is excellent - during the day. At night the lens’ F2.5 aperture is too slow in most cases due to the M8.2's limited high ISO.

After using the Leica M8.2 for about a month, I longed for a faster 35mm lens - the budget minded plan was beginning to unravel. I purchased a Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH and was immediately impressed. At F1.4 it was as sharp as the Leica 50mm Summilux-M ASPH. The color and bokeh were nice too. The Leica M8.2 with a Leica 35mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH was hardly a bargain anymore. Worse yet, were sinful thoughts of the Leica 35mm Lux on a full-frame Leica M9... sigh...

The Leica M8.2 went with us to Sedona, Arizona. There it took some nice pictures, but I came back home with mixed feelings. The cropped files were weighing in at 4 to 6 MP. Some of the colors were not what I wanted. High ISO was lackluster. Had I gone from the Leica M8 to the Leica M8.2 and never owned a Leica M9, I think I would have thoroughly enjoyed the Leica M8.2. Whereas taking a step backwards from the Leica M9’s full-frame sensor to the Leica M8.2 1.33x crop factor was difficult. I had unwittingly stumbled into camera purgatory - the Leica M9 was not as good as hoped, and the Leica M8 was not as good as I remembered...

CONCLUSION

If looking to try a Leica rangefinder and thinking of starting with a Leica M8 or Leica M8.2, I believe these are excellent cameras - I really do, but they are showing their age. As a rangefinder experience, the Leica M8 is a finely made camera - and the Leica M8.2 even more so with its smoother shutter and other refinements. But as a digital camera, they feel dated - such as the now archaic 2.5” rear LCD screen. Likewise, working within the constraints of ISO 640-1250 can be difficult.

Ultimately I went back to the Leica M9-P; though, I never fell in love with its color rendition. The Leica M8’s color was not perfect either, so the end result is probably a tie. The black and white images from the M8 "pop" - bright and contrasty. M9 black & white images exhibit more smoothness and tonality, but I like the M8's B&W images better. Ultimately what drew me back to the M9 was full-frame, 18 MP for better prints and a bit better ISO performance. While I do truly appreciate the Leica M8 and M8.2, if deciding between a Leica M8 or M9 today, the Leica M9 would win. And as of 2017, used Leica M Typ 240's are crazy cheap. And my favorite-favorite-favorite is the Leica M Monochrom Typ 246.