|  Leica M8 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 system, have been seamlessly carried over into the digital world.
The new Leica M8 is a rangefinder digital camera and retains the classic Leica M look. In a world full of glossy and shiny cameras, the M8 simple yet smart design comes as a breath of fresh air. The M8 has a resolution of 10 megapixels and Leica are quick to point out that the M8 is a brand new camera and not a successor to the M7. To complement the newly released M8, Leica has also unveiled the Tri Elmar M 16-18-21 mm F4 Aspherical lens which is built to provided optimized results at specific focal lengths. The new lens is compatible with both M8 and the normal M series. When it comes to image formats, the camera supports DNG (RAW), JPEG (Fine / Basic) and DNG + JPEG. The M8 features the Leica M bayonet and accepts all Leica lenses produced from 1954 onwards. The M8 is outfitted with a 2.5 LCD and an electronic viewfinder. Shooting Modes include; Single picture (one shutter button depression, one picture), Continuous (2 frames per second up to 10 frames) and Self-timer (2 or 12 second delay). The camera comes bundled with anti-slip carrying strap, cover for M bayonet, lithium ion rechargeable battery, battery charger incl. car socket adaptor and 3 mains plug adapters (Euro, UK, USA) (14 463), USB connection cable, user manual, software DVD Capture One LE, software CD with LEICA DIGITAL CAPTURE and user manuals in all languages. No word on pricing or availability. Specifications: - Camera name: "Leica M8".
Product code: "#10701" (black) "#10702" (chrome) - 10.3 MPixel Kodak KAF-10500 sensor
- Not full-frame: 18mm x 27mm chip = 1.33x crop factor
- Offset CCD micro-lenses at sensor corners to hardware
compensate for vignetting and CA - No anti-alias filter — Moiré software correction instead
- Firmware developed by Jenoptik AG
- A dedicated magnesium alloy M body, not a clip-on digital back
- Approx. same height & width dimensions as the Leica M7,
however the M8 is @ 14% thicker - Similar metal-blade shutter as the Leica R9:
manual: 4s to 1/8000th, AE: 32s to 1/8000th - Ditto R9 maximum X-sync speed of 1/250th
- Shutter-speed dial has half-stop increments
- Built-in motor to cock shutter
- Not film advance lever or rewind crank (!)
- Like the Leica M7, also has Aperture-Priority AE with a
two-detent shutter button (AE lock then Release) - Single-shot ("s") & burst-rate ("c") settings (2fps for 10 frames)
- No multi-sequence exposure auto-bracketing
- ISO range: 160 — 2500
- 0.68x optical viewfinder with an "ERB" of 47.1mm (69.25mm X 0.68x)
- Mechanical VF frame-lines: 24+35mm; 28+90mm; 50+75mm
- VF display LEDs similar to M7 (shutter speed, exposure indicators etc.)
- Non-swivel 2.5 inch / 230 KPixel LCD, without live preview
- Same "tall plate" design as the Leica M6TTL and M7
- SD/SD-HC memory cards & USB 2.0
- RAW images: DNG format, 16-bit, 3916 x 2634 pixels, 10.2 MBytes each
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