Peter,
What you are saying, essentially, is that my reviews of the M8 are not accurate because I only picked up on there being "slight banding" at ISO 2500. The fact is simply that the pictures I made with the camera, which is to say my normal work, did not show this phenomenon beyond the degree that I mentioned it in the Part Two review. I regret that I missed the extent of the light streaking problem but it just didn't show itself to any notable extent in the pictures I made (and still doesn't except in tests I do that deliberately try to invoke the behavior). No one reviewer is going to be able to use every camera under every possible condition with every subject. There are thousands of us, however, on this list and so that gives us a wide range of experience to draw upon, different subjects, different lighting, etc. Collectively, we will be able to discover more than any one person could. When Pascal accidentally discovered the light streaking problem, I tested to see if I could replicate it, contacted Leica to make them aware of the problem and to get their comments and then added a section on the topic to my review. That's really the best I can do.
I presented pictures made under both daylight and incandescent light and neither show a magenta cast. I can't report on something I don't see. When the concern was raised here I again raised it with Leica, got their comments and added a section to the review. I still have yet to see a magenta cast in my pictures with the M8. To the extent that it does exist, I think it's just a matter of tweaking RAW color profiles. That's been the case for a lot of digital cameras.
In addition to listing the camera's strengths, I've also described each of it's weaknesses, as I've experienced them. I've been the only reviewer to take issue with the lack of weather sealing (which cannot be fixed with firmware), with the digital controls design, etc. I've done more complete noise comparison testing of the camera than any reviewer I'm aware of. I've been the only one yet to test the effectiveness of the digital vignetting correction, the only one to compare the camera to both the R-D1 and the 5D, etc. Overall, if you read the three reviews together, they provide a more complete assessment of the camera than any other coverage I've seen and that assessment includes pros and cons. All of it is honest and is based on my direct experience with the camera as a working professional photographer. I try to be very thorough but it's always possible for any one reviewer to miss something. Being one of the first to publish on a camera, especially before it's been released to the public, always carries some risks because there's always a chance one could miss something. Later reviews will be written after the camera is already in widespread use and those reviewers will benefit from the public discussions of concerns that arise in Internet discussion forums, etc. In short, it's safer to not publish at all until one knows what the public reaction has been to the camera, what issues have arisen from that, etc. Otherwise, one is what is called a "sitting duck". People clamor to get information about the camera ASAP and then some are very quick to attack if that information misses any aspect - human nature I guess.
It's a lot easier to be a "Monday morning quarterback" than it is to be one of the first to put information out. Let's say that I had asked my subscribers if they'd prefer that I hold off on publishing about the M8 until it was in the hands of many photographers, just in case I had missed some aspect that might make me look less credible. Would they have said, "Yes, by all means. Don't take the risk of publishing the first full review of the camera. We don't need this information very much, please play it safe and wait."? I think not. I published everything I knew about the production camera when I knew it. As new concerns have arisen, I've addressed them in the reviews.
I would argue that there's a bit of hysteria developing here, as is common on the Internet. Many people do not actually have the M8 in their hands yet seem to be worried that the camera is hopelessly flawed. I would suggest that people pay particular attention to the posts from people who actually have the camera and are making pictures with it. Not just tests of bright lights, mind you, but a wide range of pictures of various subjects under various kinds of lighting. What I'm reading from them is that, while some may be concerned about the light streaking, they are very happy with the camera in many respects. If that is the case, speak up M8 owners. I have not yet read about a stampede of people returning M8 cameras they've received. Some are cancelling orders because they're anxious but I haven't heard much about returns from people who actually have the camera.
I stand by my assessment of the M8 as an excellent camera. I think the light streaking problem needs to be addressed with a firmware change and that the color profiles will need to be tweaked for various lighting conditions and to better account for the camera's IR sensitivity. That said, of course, I'm still quite pleased with the color rendition I'm seeing from the camera in my work and I'm still very impressed with the camera overall.
Cheers,
Sean
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Sean Reid
http://www.reidreviews.com
