Leica M8 Instruction manual

LEICA M8
Technical Data
Camera
Order No.
Camera Type
Image sensor
Sensor sensitivity range
Viewfinder
Lenses
Exposure control
icture-taking modes
Controls/
display elements
Color monitor
icture parameters menu /
Main menu
icture resolution
Data formats
Storage medium
White balance
LEICA M8
silver : 10 702, black : 10 701
Com act digital viewfinder/rangefinder system camera for rofessional usage with Leica M lenses.
Micro- rocessor controlled metal-blade slotted shutter.
Low-noise CCD sensor s ecially tailored to the requirements of the M lens system. Pixels : 10.3 million.
Dimensions : 18 mm x 27 mm. Extension factor : 1.33 x. As ect ratio 3:2. Moiré-Filter no, full utilization of lens
erformance. Moiré detection and elimination in digital signal rocessing.
Manuelle Einstellung von ISO 160/23° bis ISO 2500/35°
Viewfinder principle Large light bright line frame viewfinder/rangefinder with automatic arallax com ensation.
Viewfinder lens o timal visibility of all bright line frames whatever the lighting situation. Eyepiece Coordinated to
-0.5 d t. Correction lenses available from –3 to +3 d t. Image field limiter By activating two bright lines each : for
24 and 35 mm/28 and 90 mm/50 and 75 mm. Automatic Automatic activation when lens is screwed in. With the
image field selector each air of the bright lines can be activated manually, so simulating each focal length. arallax
compensation The horizontal and vertical difference between the viewfinder and the lens is automatically com en-
sated according to the focusing distance used, i.e. the viewfinder bright-line frame automatically aligns with the subject
detail recorded by the lens. Magnification 0.68 x (with all lenses). Large basis range finder Combination of s lit
and su erim osed image range finder shown as a bright field in the centre of the viewfinder image. Effective measure-
ment basis 47.1 mm (mechanical measurement basis 69.25 mm x viewfinder enlargement 0.68 x).
Lens connection Leica M bayonet with additional o tical scanning device for the identification of all 6 bit-coded
lenses. Lens system Current 6 bit-coded Leica M lenses with a focal length of 16–90 mm. Almost all Leica M lenses
with a focal length of 21–90 mm manufactured from 1954 can also be used without 6 bit-coding. 6 bit-retrofitting
ossible for virtually all lenses. 6 bit-functions Lens-de endent reduction of system-s ecific vignetting. Identification
of icture file with lens information to sim lify digital archiving. Coordination of flash reflector with motor zoom flash
units. Auto slow sync function with automatic mode.
Automatic mode (Auto) Automatic determination of correct shutter s eed with manual a erture reselection with
relevant viewfinder dis lay. Manual exposure Inde endent selection of shutter s eed and a erture – camera ex osure
check visible via LED light balance shown in the viewfinder.
SSingle frame icture-taking, for one shutter release whenever shutter is ressed CContinuous shooting with 2 ictures
er second and 10 icture in series. Automatic release mode Selectable with either 2 s and 12 s visualization of delay
time via one of the LEDs visible from front of camera in viewfinder window.
Front of housing Lens release ; image field selector Top of housing Main switch and shutter release ; shutter s eed
setting dial, status LCD dis lay : indication of number of frames remaining and residual battery ca acity. Rear of
housing 2.5" color monitor, setting ring for navigation in menu and magnifier function in 4 levels ; 4 x direction buttons
for navigation in menu and in image details, Menu button, Play button, Delete button, Protect button, Info button
Bottom of housing Locking base late rotects the battery and SD memory card from dust and moisture.
2.5" bright LC dis lay with a resolution of a rox. 230,000 ixels for image re roduction and menu selection.
Brightness control in 5 levels. Control o tions after icture-taking : General quality evaluation of ex osure control via
RGB tone value histogram with identification of light image details without detailing (can also be used with zoom-in),
control of shar ness of focus, dis lay of quality arameters selected and dis lay of lens focal length used (with current
6 bit-coded lenses). Image view sizes : 9 thumbnails, 4 thumbnails, single frame dis lay as well as magnification in four
levels u to 1 ixel to 1 ixel view.
Pressing the Set button allows the following arameters relevant to the icture to be changed and selected : User
rofile, Sensor sensitivity, Manual ex osure com ensation, White balance, data format, icture resolution. Main menu
Pressing the Menu button allows settings such as color monitor contrast or selection of color s ace to be made in the
Main menu. Menu languages German, English, French, S anish, Italian, Ja anese, Chinese.
DNG : 3916 x 2634 ixels (10.31 MP), JPG : 3936 x 2630 ixels (10.35 MP), 2952 x 1972 ixels (5.8 MP),
1968 x 1315 Pixel (2.6 MP), 1312 x 876 Pixel (1.15 MP).
DNG™ (Digital Negative Format not s ecific to any camera manufacturer), 2 different highly com ressed JPEG levels.
DNG™ file information 16 bit-color resolution, 10.2 Mbyte file size er icture
SD cards u to 4 GB
The following Internet age includes a list of SD memory cards fully com atible with the LEICA M8 :
www.leica-camera.com/ hotogra hy/m_system/m8
Automatic, 6 resettings, manual white balance, color tem erature in ut from 2,000 K to 13,100 K.
Page 1 of 2 / As at Se tember 2006 / S ecifications are subject to change without notice
Leica Camera AG / Oskar-Barnack-Straße 11 / D-35606 Solms / Tele hone [phone] / Telefax [phone] / [email protected] / www.leica-camera.com

Color spaces
Viewfinder display
Metering
Flash exposure metering
and control
rinciple of M-TTL Flash
technology
Connection
Flash sync time
Synchronisationszeitpunkt
Flash exposure
compensation
Shutter and shutter release
Shutter
Shutter speeds
Activation of shutter
Release
ower supply
Computer interface
Camera housing
Dimensions (W x H x D)
Weight without battery
Scope of supply
Adobe®RGB, sRGB, ECI RGB.
LED symbol for flash status, four-digit seven-segment LED dis lay with dots above and below (dis lay brightness
always adjusted to ambient brightness) for : dis lay of automatically determined ex osure time with automatic mode,
indication of use of metered value storage, warning of ex osure com ensation, warning that metering range is overshot
or undershot with automatic mode and dis lay for counting down ex osure times longer than 2 s, warning about
ca acity when SD card is full. LED light balance with two triangular LEDs and one center circular LED as an aid when
setting ex osure manually.
LED light balance with two triangular LEDs and one center circular LED for adjusting ex osure.
Underex osure by at least one a erture sto .
Underex osure by 1/2 a erture sto .
Correct ex osure.
Overex osure by 1/2 a erture sto .
Overex osure by at least one a erture sto .
Triangular LEDs give the direction of rotation of the a erture setting ring and for the shutter s eed setting dial to
adjust the ex osure. LEDs flash as a warning when metering range is overshot or undershot.
TTL metering heavily center-weighted with reset working a erture. Measurement principle Measured by light
reflected by a white blade in the middle of the metal-blade slotted shutter. Metering range EV 0 to EV 20 at room
tem erature 20° C, a erture 1.0 and ISO 160/23°. Measurement cell Silicon hoto diode with collection lens,
ositioned at center lower edge, on bottom of camera.
An extremely short metering reflash activated immediately before the icture is taken is used to measure the out ut
light required for the ex osure.
M-TTL Guide Number Control with metering reflash via accessory shoe SCA 3502 (from version M4)
or with flash LEICA SF24 D
Fast 1/250 s rovides for creative o en a erture hotogra hy even with bright ambient light. Manual flash sync times
from B (bulb) to 1/250 s automatic mode Auto slow sync: automated extension of longest flash ex osure time to rule
of thumb 1/focal length in seconds. (only with 6 bit-coded lenses). Selection of long flash sync times e.g. u to 1/8 s
for balanced flash with available light shots with automatic mode.
Can be switched to either first or second shutter curtain (with a ro riate flash unit, e.g. LEICA SF24D or when using
SCA-3502 ada ter).
±3 1/3 EV in 1/3 EV stages adjustable at SCA-3501/3502 ada ter. With LEICA SF 24D ±3 EV in 1/3 EV stages or
0 to –3 EV in 1 EV stages adjustable with com uter control.
Micro- rocessor controlled metal-blade slotted shutter with vertical movement.
In automatic mode (A) ste lessly from 32 s to 1/8000 s. Using manual setting 4 s to 1/8000 s in half ste s.
Bfor long ex osures of any duration.
Shutter action o timized for minimum noise. Driven by an electric motor with friction gear in first s eed-increasing
gear stage and a cam for homogeneous torque during entire activation rocess.
Three-stage activation de ending on ressure level : 1. Switch-on of camera electronics and activation of metering,
2. Metered value storage (with automatic mode), 3. Shutter release (standard thread for cable release included).
Lithium-ion rechargeable battery with 3.7 V and 1900 mAh.
5- in standardized mini USB ort for fast USB 2.0 data transfer to com uter on left side of housing.
With LEICA DIGITAL CAPTURE camera can be software-controlled via USB 2.0 connection.
Material Closed solid metal housing made of a highly stable magnesium alloy for long-lasting rofessional usage.
Black synthetic leather covering. Cover late and base cover milled from solid brass and silver or black chrome- lated.
Tripod bushing DIN4503 – A1/4 (1/4") at center of base cover.
a rox.139 x 80 x 37 mm
a rox. 545 g
Carrying stra with anti-sli guard (14 312), camera cover for M bayonet (14 195), lithium ion battery (14 464),
charger incl. car and 3 mains lug ada ters (Euro, UK, USA) (14 463), USB connecting lead, o erating manual,
software CD Ca ture One LE, software CD with LEICA DIGITAL CAPTURE and o erating manual; warranty card.
Page 1 of 1 / As at Se tember 2006 / S ecifications are subject to change without notice
Leica Camera AG / Oskar-Barnack-Straße 11 / D-35606 Solms / Tele hone [phone] / Telefax [phone] / [email protected] / www.leica-camera.com