Leica M8

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In 2006²⁷⁷, Leica introduced its first digital M camera, the M8. To tackle issues caused by the oblique angles of incident light, product manager Stefan Daniel and his team ventured into uncharted territory. They collaborated with Kodak Image Sensor Solutions to develop a unique approach: offsetting the micro-lenses—responsible for directing light to the photosensitive pixels—towards the edges of the sensor. This meant that light rays would strike the sensor's edges at a slight angle rather than perpendicularly, a method that had never been attempted before³⁵⁷.

The M8 featured a slightly smaller sensor size, resulting in a crop factor of 1.33x, which effectively eliminated the outermost edges. Additionally, Leica chose to omit an anti-aliasing filter to enhance image quality and prevent light refractions caused by an extra glass layer. Many other digital cameras used such filters to keep the lens resolution just below that of the sensor, thereby minimizing moiré effects—issues that were complex to rectify with the available editing tools. However, restricting the optical resolution was counter-intuitive for Leica, just as adding non-essential glass layers was³⁵⁷.

Thus, the anti-aliasing filter, which essentially functions as a blur filter, was left out. If any moiré occurred, it would have to be removed step-by-step in post-processing³⁵⁷.

The M8 also required a slightly deeper camera body to accommodate a rear display. Consequently, the rangefinder design had to be modified to fit the smaller sensor and increased body depth. The previous space occupied by the rubberized cloth shutter was repurposed for digital hardware and the battery. As a result, Leica adopted the more compact metal-blade shutter used in the R9, which allowed for a faster shutter speed of 1/8000 second. This advancement enabled the Leica M8 to outperform its analog predecessors in a crucial aspect: shorter shutter speeds permitted wide-aperture shots even in bright lighting conditions, enhancing creative composition opportunities. The shutter was now wound by a motor, whereas the analog M models employed a manual quick-wind lever to advance the film³⁵⁷.

Moreover, the lenses needed adaptation. To correct additional vignetting immediately after capturing an image, digital cameras must identify the attached lens and its aperture settings³⁵⁷.

The introduction of patented 6-bit lens encoding involved a unique series of black and white pits on the bayonet flange of each lens, which are read by internal sensors within the camera. This approach has proven effective over time, and Leica also offers a retrofitting service for older M optics. Since M lenses only provide information on the focal length and the position of the focus ring to the camera, the M8 was equipped with an additional external light sensor to estimate the selected aperture. This method, which was adopted in the digital successors to the M8, allows for a rough determination of the aperture, enabling in-camera corrections³⁵⁷.

Digitizing a fifty-year-old camera system without completely overhauling it was a significant challenge. However, Leica had a clear vision for its first digital M model: the new camera had to be compatible with the existing M System lenses, even if it required the design of a special sensor. There was no standard formula for developing a digital rangefinder camera, and few ready-made components were available for Leica to use. For example, the interference-based infrared blocking filter used in the Digital-Modul-R was not suitable for the M8, as its sensor was designed for capturing oblique rays of incident light. Instead, Leica opted for an absorption-based filter. Unfortunately, this filter was extremely thin and not very effective in practice³⁵⁷.

As a result, many early M8 images were plagued by purple tints, especially in darker areas. To address this issue, Leica provided all earlier M8 customers with two complementary external infrared blocking filters. This solution effectively resolved the problem, although it impacted the camera's handling and appearance. While the purple hues caused by infrared light represented a real imaging issue, the noisy shutter was more of a minor nuisance. Each time the ultra-fast metal shutter was released, it produced an audible clacking sound, contrasting sharply with the virtually silent, rubberized cloth shutter of the analog M models³⁵⁷.

The Leica M8 was the first digital M camera produced in Wetzlar. It featured a 10-megapixel CCD sensor developed by Kodak, which had a slightly smaller surface area compared to the full-frame format. As a result, the focal length needed to be multiplied by a factor of 1.33 to determine the equivalent angle of view. The image sensor included specially designed microlenses that were offset towards the edges to capture the increasingly oblique rays of light that entered the space³⁵⁷.

The rangefinder, which had a magnification of 0.68x and was adapted to the reduced sensor area, was redesigned to provide bright-line frames for lenses ranging from 24 to 90 millimeters. Additionally, the camera's housing was slightly deeper to accommodate the sensor, electronics, and display³⁵⁷.

Due to the integration of digital technology and the battery, there was no space for the traditional cloth shutter. Instead, the M8 utilized a vertically running, motorized metal blade shutter. This change allowed for very fast shutter speeds of up to 1/8000 of a second, surpassing those of analog models. Like all digital M cameras, it featured an aperture priority mode. However, the shutter was not as quiet as some users had hoped³⁵⁷.

Another issue was the infrared blocking filter mounted directly on the sensor, which proved to be insufficient for practical use. Consequently, additional infrared blocking filters were required in front of the lens, and Leica provided two of these filters to every M8 buyer. The M8 was produced until 2008³⁵⁷.

Special Editions of Leica M8: