If anyone doubted that Leica has fully embraced the digital world, think again. The successor to the M8 rangefinder is named with a software-like point update: M8.2. This is, of course, because the original M8 was a beta release in everything but name.
The biggest news about the 8.2: It gets a full auto-mode. Ridiculous as this seems in 2008, the M series has never had a full program exposure mode. Like any other full-auto mode, the camera selects aperture, shutter speed, ISO and white balance. There is also an exposure-compensation mode: Press the shutter halfway and use the command dial to adjust up or down in 1.3 stop increments.
Leica has addressed the complaints of M8 users with this update. First, the on/off switch (which previously slipped easily into the last position -- the self timer). Imagine using a camera designed for photojournalists and missing the shot because the switch has slipped and started a 10-second countdown. The switch now has much more positive click-stops.
Another complaint was the viewfinder. The M series cameras use "brightline" frames to show the section of the viewfinder that will be captured in the image. Troubles with lens crop factors made these rather inaccurate in the M8, but that, too, has been fixed.
The new shutter on the M8.2 is still metal, but Leica says it has made it quieter. The metal shutter on the M8 replaced the cloth shutter used in all M
series cameras until then. The cloth shutter was the main reason for the M's legendary quiet operation (the other is the lack of a flip-up mirror). Because the new model shutter doesn't automatically re-cock, the photographer can choose a prudent moment to do so (while coughing, perhaps).
The LCD screen sports a welcome addition: a sapphire crystal cover. This is the same scratch-resistant material found on high-end watches (and tacky phones). The cover detail shows that Leica is still committed to making cameras that will last for years. The M8.2 is actually an addition to the M8, not a replacement, and M8 owners can upgrade their existing bodies with some of the new features. Leica hasn't yet said which, although we assume that all of the above-mentioned tweaks will be available. Two additions that are unlikely upgrades are the black logo on the black model, a more discrete version of the famous Leica red dot, and a vulcanized "easy grip" finish, which goes some way toward mitigating the lack of a finger-grip.
The price? Please, sit down first. The body will cost £4,000. That converts to around $7,200, although it's likely that the official U.S. price will be lower. If you want to trade in your old M8, Leica will give you £400 ($720, or 10 percent) for it.
Most interesting of all is that none of Leica's information on the new model mentions the electronics. Neither the press release or the product page tells us, for instance, how many pixels it has. The answer is 10.8. The M8.2 uses the exact same sensor as the M8, a 10.3 megapixel CCD on an 18×27mm sensor. But given that most of the complaints from users focused on the actual body, that's not necessarily a bad thing.
Product page [Leica M8]
Press release [DP Review]
Leica M8.2 digital rangefinder camera [Lets Go Digital]
