Leica M8 Instruction Manual

LEICA M8

Anleitung/Instructions

1.2

1.1

1.16

1.14

1.13a

1.13b

1.13

1.13c

1.14a

1.12

1.21

1.21 a1.21 b

1.15

1.2

1.3 1.4 1.5 1.71.6

1.8

1.9

1.20a

1.2 0

1.11

1.19

1.18

1.17

1.21 c

1.28 1.29

1.30

1.31

1.321.33

1.2 7

1.26

1.25

1.24

1.23

1.22

1.10

1.34

1.9

1.3 7 1.36 1.35

1.40

1.38

1.39

1.41

1.41a

1.42 1.43

1.46

1.45

1.4 4

70 / Foreword

Foreword

Dear customer

Leica would like to thank you for purchasing the
LEICA M8 and congratulate you on your choice. With
this unique digital view- and rangefinder camera, you
have made an excellent choice.
We wish you a great deal of pleasure and success
using your new LEICA M8.
In order to make best use of all the opportunities
offered by this high performance camera, we recom­mend that you first read these instructions.

This manual has been printed on 100% chlorine free bleached
paper. The complex manufacturing process eases the burden
on the water system and thus helps to protect our environment.

This is a Class B product based on the standard of
the Voluntary Control Council for Interference from
Information Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this is
used near a radio or television receiver in a domestic
environment, it may cause radio interference.
Install and use the equipment according to the
instruction manual.

FCC Note: (U.S. only)

This equipment has been tested and found to comply
with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to
Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interfer
ence in a residential installation. This equipment gen­erates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy
and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio
communications. However, there is no guarantee that
interference will not occur in a particular installation.
If this equipment does cause harmful interference to
radio or television reception, which can be determined
by turning the equipment off and on, the user is
encouraged to try to correct the interference by one
or more of the following measures:

• Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

• Increase the separation between the equipment and
receiver.

• Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit
different from that to which the receiver is connected.

• Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV
technician for help.

Trade Name: LEICA
Model No.: LEICA M8
Responsible party/
Support contact: Leica Camera Inc.

-

Leica Camera Inc.

156 Ludlow Avenue

1 Pearl Court, Unit A

Northvale, New Jersey 07647

Allendale, New Jersey 07401

Tel.: [phone]

Tel.: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

Fax: [phone]

e-mail: [e-mail]

[e-mail]

This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may cause unde­sired operation.

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian
ICES-003

LEICA M8

FCC Caution:

To assure continued compliance, follow the attached
installation instructions and use only shielded inter­face cables with ferrite core when connecting to com­puter or peripheral devices.
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved
by the party responsible for compliance could void the
user’s authority to operate this equipment.

Tested To Comply
With FCC Standards

FOR HOME OR OFFICE USE

Safety instructions / 71

72 / Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

Warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Legal notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

Disposal of electrical and electronic equipment . . . . . . 74

Scope of delivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Designation of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

The displays

In the viewfinder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

In the top panel LCD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

In the monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

Menu items

In the main menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

In the picture parameters menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Quick guide

Presets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Taking photographs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Viewing pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Enlarging pictures on the monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Deleting pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Comprehensive instructions

Preparations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Attaching the carrying strap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Charging the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

Inserting the battery into the camera/

removing the battery from the camera . . . . . . . . . 84

Charge level displays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Inserting and removing the memory card . . . . . . . 85

The most important settings/controls

Leica M lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Turning the lens type detection on/off . . . . . . . . 86

The extension factor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Attaching a lens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Removing a lens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Switching the camera on and off/

the main switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Selecting picture taking and review modes . . . . . . 88

Review for unlimited time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

Automatic review of last picture . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

The shutter release button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

Serial exposures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

The shutter speed dial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

The monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Setting the brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Displaying picture data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

The histogram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Menu control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Presets

Basics settings for the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Menu language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Date and time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95/96

Automatic power off . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Button acknowledgement and signal tones . . . . 96

Basic picture settings

Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Compression rate/file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

White balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

For automatic or fixed settings . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

For direct setting of color temperature . . . . . . 99

For manual setting by metering . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

ISO sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Image properties (contrast, sharpness,

color saturation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Working color space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Holding the camera correctly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

The bright-line frame view- and rangefinder . . . . . . . . 102

The frame selector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Distance metering /focusing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Superimposed image method (double image) . . . . 104

Split image method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Exposure metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Turning the exposure meter on/off . . . . . . . . . . . 105

Exposure modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Aperture priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Metering memory lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106

Exposure compensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Manual exposure setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

The B setting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Exposure meter metering range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Working below the metering range . . . . . . . . . . 108

Metering diagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108/109

Table of Contents / 73

General information on flash exposure

metering and control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Compatible flash units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

Attaching the flash unit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Flash mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

The settings for camera-controlled automatic

flash mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

The flash exposure control displays in the

viewfinder with dedicated flash units . . . . . . . . . 112

In automatic flash mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

When the flash unit is set to camera

control (A) or manual mode (M) . . . . . . . . . . . . 112

Selecting the sync speed/the sync speed range

. . 119

Selecting the firing moment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Additional functions

User/application specific profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . 114

Resetting all custom settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Review mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Viewing other pictures/“Scrolling” in

the memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

Enlarging/selecting the section/simultaneous

viewing of several reduced pictures . . . . . . . . . . . 116

Deleting pictures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Protecting pictures/Clearing delete protection . . 118

Additional functions

Changing the picture numbering . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Formatting the memory card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Taking photographs with the self timer . . . . . . . . 120

Transferring data to a computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121

with Windows® XP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

with Mac® OS X . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

with card reading units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121

Data structure on the memory card . . . . . . . . .122

Installation of supplied software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Working with DNG raw data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Computer remote control of the camera . . . . . . . . . . .123

Miscellaneous

System accessories for the LEICA M8 . . . . . . . 124

Exchangeable lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Universal Wideangle Viewfinder M . . . . . . . . . 124

Viewfinder Magnifier M 1.25x . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Handgrip M8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Correction lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Cases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Spare parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

Precautions and care instructions

General precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

LCDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Condensation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Care instructions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

For the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

For lenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

For the battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

For the charger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

For memory cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Cleaning the sensor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129

Warning messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

Malfunctions and their resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

Technical data and descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134

Leica Academy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Leica on the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Leica information service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

Leica Customer Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137

74 / Warning messages

Warning messages

• You should use exclusively the recommended
accessories to prevent faults, short circuits or
electric shock.

• Do not expose the unit to moisture or rain.

• Do not attempt to remove parts of the body
(covers); specialist repairs can be carried out only
at authorized service centers.

Legal notes

• Please ensure that you observe copyright laws.
The recording and publication of pre-recorded
media such as tapes, CDs, or other published or
broadcast material may contravene copyright laws.

• This also applies to all of the software supplied.

• The SD logo is a registered trademark.

• Other names, company or product names referred
to in this manual are trademarks or registered
trademarks of the relevant companies.

Disposal of electric and
electronic equipment

(Applicable in the EU, and other European countries
with segregated waste collection systems)

This device contains electrical
and/or electronic components
and should therefore not be dis­posed of in general household
waste! Instead it should be dis­posed of at a recycling collection
point provided by the local author-

ity. This costs you nothing.
If the device itself contains exchangeable (recharge­able) batteries, these must be removed first and, if
necessary, also be disposed of according to the rele­vant regulations (see also the respective comments in
this unit’s instructions).
Further information on this point is available at your
local administration, your local waste collection com­pany, or in the store where you purchased this device.

Scope of delivery / 75

Scope of delivery

Before using your LEICA M8 for the first time, please
check that the accessories supplied are complete.

A. Battery
B. Charger
C. USB connecting lead
D. Carrying strap
E. CD-ROM with instructional PDF, remote control

software LEICA DIGITAL CAPTURE 1.0

F. CD-ROM with Capture One LE from Phase One

76 / Designation of parts

Designation of parts

Front view

1.1 Lens release button

1.2 Eyelets for carrying strap

1.3 Distance meter viewing window

1.4 Brightness sensor

1

1.5 Bright line illumination window

1.6 Viewfinder window with reflectors for better
visibility of the viewfinder displays in very bright

conditions

1.7 Self timer LED

1.8 Frame selector

1.9 Bottom cover retaining clip

Front view of camera bayonet /rear view
of lens bayonet

1.10 Sensor for lens identification code

1.11 6 bit lens identification code

Top view

1.12 LCD

1.13 Fixed ring with
a. Index for distance setting
b. Depth of focus scale and
c. Red index button for changing lenses

1.14 Distance setting ring with
a. Finger grip

1.15 Aperture setting ring

1.16 White index point for aperture setting

1.17 Lens hood

1.18 Shutter speed dial with

- A detent position for automatic control

1.19 Main switch with detent positions for
–

OFF

(camera switched off)
– S (single pictures)
– C (series exposures)
– (self timer)

1.20 Shutter release button with
a. Thread for cable release

1.21 Flash (hot) shoe with
a. Central (firing) and

b. Control contacts, and
c. Hole for locking pin

1

Leica M lenses with viewfinder attachments cover the brightness
sensor. Information about the use of these and other lenses can
be found in the sections “The displays/In the viewfinder”, p. 78,
and “Leica M lenses”, p. 86.

Illustrations inside front and rear covers

Rear view

1.22 SET button for calling up the picture parameter
menus/for calling up the sub-menus within the
menus/for confirming settings/functions
selected in the sub-menus

1.23 INFO button for displaying image data when
reviewing pictures

1.24 PROTECT button for selecting delete protection
function

1.25 DELETE button for selecting delete function

1.26 USB port cover

1.27 PLAY button for switching on (continuous)
review mode/for return to full-size picture display

1.28 Viewfinder eyepiece

1.29 MENU button for entering and exiting the main
menu

1.30 Central setting ring for navigation in menus/
setting the selected menu items/functions,
scrolling in the memory and for enlarging/
reducing the pictures viewed

1.31 Direction buttons for navigation within the
menus/for setting the selected menu items/
functions and for scrolling through the memory

1.32 LED for indicating picture taking mode/
recording data on to the card

1.33 Monitor

View with USB port cover open

1.34 USB port (5-pin, for connecting to computers)

Bottom view

(with bottom cover in place)

1.35 Tripod thread A 1/4, DIN 4503 (1/4”).

1.36 Bottom cover

1.37 Locking toggle for bottom cover

(with bottom cover removed)

1.38 Battery compartment

1.39 Battery locking catch

1.40 Memory card slot

Charger

1.41 Charging bay for battery with
a. Contacts

1.42 Green (POWER) LED to indicate mains
connection

1.43 Yellow (CHARGE) LED to indicate charging

1.44 2-pin socket for car charging cable

1.45 Unlocking slider for

1.46 Interchangeable mains plugs (Euro/GB/USA)

Designation of parts / 77

78 / The displays/In the viewfinder

The displays

2. In the viewfinder

2.1 LEDS (Light Emitting Diodes)

(with automatic brightness control, adapts to
the ambient brightness

1

) for:

2.1.1 Four-digit seven-segment digital display with
dots above and below

Digital display:
– Display of the automatically determined shut-

ter speed for aperture priority mode, or for
counting down exposure times longer than 1s

– Warning that the metering or setting ranges

are overshot or undershot using aperture
priority mode

– Information that the buffer memory is

(temporarily) full
Dot above:
– Information (when lit) that metering memory
lock is being used
Dot below:
– Information (flashing) that an exposure

compensation is set

2.1.2 Two triangular and one circular LED:
– Jointly used as light balance for manual

exposure control

– Warning of values below the metering range

2.1.3 Flash symbol:
– Flash readiness
– Details of flash lighting before and after the

picture

2.2 Bright line frames for 24mm and 35 mm

(example)

2.3 Metering field for distance setting

3. In the top panel LCD

3.1 Number of pictures remaining

3.2 Battery status

1

The automatic control is not available for Leica M lenses with
viewfinder attachments, since they cover the brightness sensor

1.4 which supplies the information required for their operation.
In such cases the displays always maintain a constant brightness.

2.1.1

2.1.3

2.1.2

3.2

3.1

2.3

2.2

2.1

The displays/In the monitor / 79

4. In the monitor

4.1 At normal review

(image/s fill the entire monitor area)

4.1.1 Delete protection symbol (only if set)

4.1.2 Picture number/total number of available
pictures

4.1.3 Enlargement level and/or position of section
shown

schematic, for enlarged view only)

4.1.4 Selected picture

(for reduced viewing of 4 or 9 pictures only)

4.2 Reviewing with additional information

(

INFO

; reduced picture size)

4.2.1 Picture (if necessary with “Clipping” display1)

4.2.2. Histogram
a. Luminance (brightness)
b. Red/green/blue

(separate display of individual colors)

4.2.3 Delete protection symbol

(only if set)

4.2.4 Date/time

4.2.5 Picture number/total number of available
pictures

4.2.6 Picture information
a. Exposure mode and shutter speed
b. Focal length

2

c. Sensitivity
d. Exposure compensation
e. Resolution
f. Compression/file format
g. White balance
i. User profile number
j. Folder number/file name
k. Size and position of section (only if in use)

1

see “The Histogram”, p. 92

2

Only with the latest M lenses with 6-bit coding, or suitably
converted lenses (see p. 86)

4.1.1

4.2.3 4.2.4 4.2.5

4.1.2

4.1.3

a
b

c

k

e
f
g

i

j

d

4.2.6

4.2.2

4.2.1

80 / Menu items

Menu items

5.1 In the main menu

5.1.1 Lens Detection Lens type detection

5.1.2 Save User Profile User-specific profile (save)

5.1.3 Self timer Self timer delay time

5.1.4 Sharpening Sharpening of image

5.1.5 Color Saturation Color saturation of image

5.1.6 Contrast Image contrast

5.1.7 Monitor Brightness

5.1.8 Histogram Graphic to indicate distri-
bution of brightness

5.1.9 Picture Numbering

5.1.10 Auto Review Automatic replay of last
picture

5.1.11 Auto Power Off Automatic power off

5.1.12 Flash Sync Firing time of flash

5.1.13 Auto Slow Sync Shutter speed with flash

5.1.14 Color Management Working color space

5.1.15 Reset Reset all settings (to origi­nal factory settings)

5.1.16 Sensor Cleaning Shutter opening for clean­ing the sensor

5.1.17 Date

5.1.18 Time

5.1.19 Acoustic Signal Button acknowledgement
tones

5.1.20 Language

5.1.21 Format Formatting the memory
card

5.1.22 Firmware Firmware version

5.2 In the picture parameters menu

5.2.1 ISO Sensitivity

5.2.2 Exp. comp. Exposure compensation

5.2.3 White Balance

5.2.4 Compression Compression rate/file
format

5.2.5 Resolution

5.2.6 User Profile User-specific profile
(recall)

Quick guide

You will need the following items:

• Camera

• Battery (A)

• Memory card (not supplied)

• Battery charger (B)

Presets

1. Insert the battery (A) into the charger (see p. 83)

2. Connect the charger (B) to the mains, to charge
the battery (see p. 83)

3. Set the main switch (1.19) to

OFF

.

4. Insert the charged battery into the camera (see
p. 84).

5. Insert a memory card (see p. 85).

6. Set the main switch (1.19) to S.

7. Select the desired language (see p. 95).

8. Format the memory card (see p. 120).

Notes:

• This is required generally only if the card has not

been factory-formatted

• Formatting deletes all data on the memory card.

9. Set the date and time (see p. 95/96).

Taking photographs

10. Attach the desired lens to the camera (see p. 87).

11. With the viewfinder to the eye, set the focus using
the distance setting ring on the lens (see p. 104).

12.Press the shutter release button (1.20) as far as
the first pressure point to activate the camera
exposure metering.

13.Set the exposure using the aperture setting ring
on the lens (1.15) and/or the camera shutter
speed dial (1.18) (see p. 107)

14.Press the shutter release button all the way down
to take the picture.

Viewing pictures

For automatic brief reviews of the last picture (within
picture taking mode).
The LEICA M8 is factory-set to this function - Auto
Review. Various function options can be selected in
the main menu under this item (5.1.10) (see p. 89).

For review without a time limit:

1. Select review mode by pressing the

PLAY

button

(1.27) (see p. 88).

2. Press the left or right direction button (1.31) to
view other pictures.

Enlarging pictures in the monitor

Turn the central setting ring (1.30) to the right (clock­wise) to enlarge the picture display (see p. 116).

Deleting pictures

Press the delete button (

DELETE

, 1.25) and folllow

the instructions in the monitor (1.33) (see p. 117).

Quick guide / 81

82 / Comprehensive instructions/Preparations

Comprehensive
instructions

Preparations

Attaching the carrying strap

Charging the battery

The LEICA M8 is powered by a Lithium ion battery (A).

Attention:

• Only the battery type specified and described in
this manual, and/or battery types specified and
described by Leica Camera AG, may be used in this
camera.

• This battery may only be used in the units for which
it is designed and may only be charged exactly as
described below.

• Using this battery contrary to the instructions and
using non-specified battery types can result in an
explosion under certain circumstances.

• Never throw batteries into a fire as this can cause
them to explode!

• The charger supplied should be used e

xclusively for
charging this battery type. Do not attempt to use it
for other purposes.

• Ensure that the mains outlet used is freely accessi­ble.

• The charger may not be opened. Repairs may only
be carried out by authorized workshops.

Notes:

• The battery should be charged before the LEICA M8
is used for the first time.

• The battery must have a temperature of 0°-35°C/
32°–95°F to be charged (otherwise the charger will
not switch on, or will switch off again).

• Lithium ion batteries can be charged at any time,
regardless of their current charge level. If a battery
is only partly discharged when charging starts, it is
charged to full capacity faster.

• The batteries warm up during the charging process.
This is normal and not a malfunction.

• If the yellow

CHARGE

LED (1.43) flashes after
charging has started, this indicates a charging fault.
In this case, disconnect the charging unit from the
mains and remove the battery. Ensure that the
above temperature conditions are met and then
restart the charging process. If the problem per­sists, please contact your dealer, the Leica office in
your country or Leica Camera AG.

• A new battery only reaches its full capacity after it
has been fully charged and – by use in the camera –
discharged 2 or 3 times. This discharge procedure
should be repeated every 25 cycles. To ensure a
maximum service life of the battery, it should not be
exposed to constant extremes of temperature (e.g.
in a parked car in the summer or winter).

• Even with optimum conditions of use, every battery
has a limited service life! After several hundred
charging cycles, this becomes noticeable as the
operating times get significantly shorter.

!

12a2b

345

• Defective batteries should be disposed of according
to the respective instructions (see p. 74).

• The replaceable battery provides power to a back­up battery which is built into the camera. This back­up battery maintains the reference data such as the
date for up to 3 months. If this back-up battery
becomes discharged it must be recharged by insert­ing the replaceable main battery. Once the replace­able battery has been inserted, the full capacity of
the back-up battery is recovered after about 60
hours. This process does not require that the cam­era be switched on.

1. Insert the plug appropriate to the mains supply into

the charger. To do this the unlocking slider (1.45)
must be
a. pushed upwards (towards the plug),
b. held there, and
c. the mains plug (1.46) exchanged for the appro-

priate sort

2. Insert the mains plug into a socket.

• The green LED (1.42) marked

POWER

lights up.

3. Insert a battery with its contacts and the end
marked with an arrow facing downwards obliquely
in the charging bay (1.41) of the charger.

4. Then press it downwards until it lies flush in the
charging bay.

• When it is in the correct position the yellow

CHARGE

LED (1.43) will light up to confirm that
charging is in progress. After completion of
charging – about 3 hours – the yellow LED goes
out.

5. The charger should then be disconnected from the
mains. However, there is no risk of overcharging.

6. Remove the battery by pulling its upper face
upwards a little and then pulling it out of the charg­er bay.

The following LED displays indicate that charging is
defective or is not possible:

If a fault cannot be resolved by eliminating the causes
stated in the above table, you should contact your
dealer, the Leica office in your country or Leica Cam­era AG.

Comprehensive instructions/Preparations / 83

Green / a. Mains connection –
POWER LED not correct

b. Inserted battery

cannot be charged

Yellow / Battery is not being a. Battery outside tem-

charged perature range speci-

CHARGE LED a. Battery not inserted fied above

correctly

b. Battery totally dis-

b. Inserted battery charged, pulsed

already fully charged precharging will be

carried out first

LED not lit LED flashing

84 / Comprehensive instructions/Preparations

Inserting the battery into the camera/removing
the battery from the camera

1. Set the main switch (1.19) to

OFF

.

2. Remove the bottom cover (1.36) of the camera.
To do this:
a. flip up toggle (1.37) in the bottom cover,
b. turn it to the left as far as the stop, and
c. lift off the bottom cover.

3. Insert the battery into the compartment with its
contacts facing forwards. Press it into the compart­ment (1.38) until the white sprung locking catch
(1.39) moves over the battery to hold it in place.

4. Replace the bottom cover. To do this:
a. hang it onto the retaining clip (1.9) on the side of

the camera
b. swing it down,
c. lock it by turning the toggle to the left as far as

the stop, and
d. push the toggle back down.

To remove the battery, follow these instructions in
reverse order. The white sprung locking catch in the
battery compartment must be pushed to the side to
unlock the battery.

Note:

Always switch the camera off before removing the
battery.

A fully charged battery (to the CIPA standard) is suffi­cient for approx. 400 pictures each reviewed for 4s.

Charge level displays (3.2)

The charge level of the battery is displayed in five
stages by the top panel LCD (1.12).

: approx. 75–100%
: approx. 50–75%
: approx. 25–50%
: approx. 5–25%

: approx. 0–5%, battery replacement or

recharging necessary

Notes:

• Remove the battery if you will not be using the cam­era for a long period of time. When doing so, turn
the camera off using the main switch first.

• After 3 months out of use, the back-up battery in
camera will be exhausted (see also the last note
under “Charging the battery”, p. 82), and all individ­ual settings must be input again.

Inserting and removing the memory card

The LEICA M8 saves the picture data on an extremely
compact SD (secure digital) card.
SD memory cards are small, light and interchangeable
external storage media. SD memory cards, particular­ly those with a high capacity, allow significantly faster
read/write times and significantly faster recording
and replay of the data. An SD card has a write protec­tion switch, that can be used to prevent unintentional
storage and deletion of pictures. This switch takes the
form of a slider on the non-beveled side of the card; in
the lower position, marked LOCK, the data on the card
is protected.
SD memory cards are available from different suppli­ers and with different capacities.

Note:

Do not touch the memory card contacts.

1. Set the main switch (1.19) to

OFF

.

2. Remove the bottom cover (1.36) of the camera.
To do this:
a. flip up toggle (1.37) in the bottom cover,
b. turn it to the left as far as the stop, and
c. lift off the bottom cover.

3. Insert the memory card into the slot (1.40) with the
contacts at the back and with the beveled corner
pointing downwards. Slide it completely into the
slot against the spring resistance until you hear it
click into place.

4. Replace the bottom cover. To do this:
a. hang it onto the retaining clip (1.9) on the side of

the camera
b. swing it down,
c. lock it by turning the toggle to the left as far as

the stop, and
d. push the toggle back down.

To remove the memory card, switch off the camera
and follow this procedure in reverse order. To release,
the card must first be pressed slightly further in – as
indicated on the camera bottom.

Notes:

• The range of SD cards available is constantly chang­ing; some cards in certain circumstances may mal­function when used in the LEICA M8. A current list
of the cards suitable for use can be found in our
Homepage under:
www.leica-camera.de/photography/m_system/m8

• If the memory card cannot be inserted, check that
it is aligned correctly.

• If you remove the bottom cover or take out the
memory card, the monitor displays the respective
warning messages instead of the normal display:

– Bottom cover removed
– No SD card

• Do not open the bottom cover nor remove the
memory card while the red LED (1.32) to the bot­tom right of the monitor (1.33) is flashing, indicating
image recording and/or data saving to the card.
Otherwise the not yet (completely) saved image
data may be lost.

• As electromagnetic fields, electrostatic charges,
and defects on the camera or the card can lead to
damage or loss of the data on the memory card,
we recommend that you also transfer the data to a
computer and save it there (see p. 121).

• For the same reason, it is recommended that the
card is always stored in its antistatic cover.

Comprehensive instructions/Preparations / 85

86 / Comprehensive instructions/The most important settings

The most important settings / controls

Leica M lenses

Essentially, most Leica M lenses can be used with the
LEICA M8. Details on the small number of exceptions
and restrictions can be found in the following notes.
Usage is independent of the initial format of the
respective camera – whether 18 x27mm (sensor size)
for the digital LEICA M8 or 24x 36mm for the 35mm
models up to the LEICA M7, and also independent of
the lens features – with or without the 6-bit coding in
the bayonet (the latest version, see next section).
Even without this additional feature, i.e. when using
Leica M lenses without identification, the LEICA M8
will supply good pictures in all cases.

Important:

• Cannot be used:

Hologon 15mm f/8,
Summicron 50mm f/2 with close focusing.
Elmar 90mm f/4 with collapsible tube (production
period 1954-1968)

• Can be used, but risks damaging the camera

Lenses with retractable tubes can only be used with
their tubes extended, i.e. their tubes must never be
retracted into the LEICA M8.
This is not the case with the current Macro-Elmar-M
90mm f/4, whose tube does not protrude into the
camera body even when retracted. It can therefore
be used without any restrictions.

• Can be used, but precise composition is not
possible

The LEICA M8 has bright-line frames for focal
lengths up to 90mm (see p. 102). Therefore, when
using longer focal lengths such as the 135mm mod­els, their image field in the camera viewfinder –
which is very small to start with – can only be
“determined” very imprecisely.

Notes:

• Exposure metering is not possible with:
Super-Angulon-M 21mm f/4
Super-Angulon-M 21mm f/3.4
Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 with serial nos. earlier than
2 314 921.

• Leica Customer Service can update many Leica M
lenses with the 6-bit coding. Enquire for specific
cases to (address, see p. 137).

Turning the lens type detection on/off

The 6-bit coding in the bayonet (1.11) of current Leica
M lenses allows the LEICA M8 to recognize the type of
lens. It does this using the sensor in its bayonet (1.10).
– This information is used among other things for opti-

mizing the image data. Thus vignetting which can be
particularly noticeable with wide-angle lenses and
large apertures can be compensated in the respec­tive image data.

– Flash exposure and flash reflector control also uses

the lens data (see “Compatible flash units”, p. 110).

– In addition, the information delivered by this 6-bit

coding is written to the respective EXIF file for the
picture. The picture data shown in the INFO display
(see “The monitor”, p. 92) additionally includes the

display of the lens focal length (4.2.6b, see p. 79).
When using a lens without 6-bit coding, the recogni­tion function of the camera must always be turned off,
to prevent malfunctions.

Setting the function

1. In the main menu (see p. 80/93), select Lens

Detection (5.1.1) and

in the respective sub-menu, select the desired
option.

The extension factor

The nominal focal lengths of Leica M lenses are based
on the 35mm-format, i.e. on a film format of
24x 36mm. In comparison, with its 18x27mm, the
sensor in the LEICA M8 is somewhat smaller though –
by a factor of 0.75. Therefore, when used on the
LEICA M8, these lenses have angles of view corre­sponding to lenses with focal lengths that are longer
by a factor of 1.33 (1.33 = reciprocal of 0.75). This
has the respective effects on their perspective, but
not on their depth of field, which, with the LEICA M8,
can also be read directly off the lens (see the lens
instructions for more details).
The bright-line frame in the viewfinder of the LEICA M8
of course always shows the “correct” field of view for
this camera, i.e. it takes account of the increased
focal length. You can therefore compose your pictures
in the normal way, just as for other cameras in the
Leica M series (see also “The bright-line view- and
rangefinder “, p. 102).

Attaching a lens

1. Hold the lens by the fixed ring (1.13).

2. Align the red index button (1.13c) on the lens with
the unlocking button (1.1) on the camera body.

3. Then push the lens straight on in this position.

4. Turn the lens slightly to the right, and you will hear
and feel it click into place.

Removing a lens

1. Hold the lens by the fixed ring (1.13).

2. Press down the release button (1.1) on the camera
body.

3. Turn the lens to the left until its red index button
(1.13c) is aligned with the release button.

4. Then pull the lens straight off.

Notes:

• To protect the LEICA M8 against ingress of dust etc.

into the interior of the camera, it is important
always to have a lens or a cover attached to the
camera body.

• For the same reason, changing lenses should

always be done quickly and in an environment that
is as dust-free as possible.

Comprehensive instructions/The most important settings / 87

88 / Comprehensive instructions/The most important settings

Switching the camera on and off/the main switch

The LEICA M8 is turned on and off using the main
switch (1.19). This is below the shutter release button
(1.20) and is a lever with four detent positions:

a.

OFF

– Camera is switched off
This is the inactive position – the camera is
switched off.

b.S – Single picture

Pressing the shutter release button (see below)
takes only one picture, irrespective of how long it is
kept pressed.

c.C– Continuous series of pictures

Pressing the shutter release button (see below)
takes up to 10 pictures in succession – as long as
the capacity of the memory card being used and

the camera’s internal buffer memory are sufficient
(see “Inserting and removing the memory card”,
p. 85).

d. – Self timer

Pressing the shutter release button (see below)
starts the pre-set delay time (see p. 120), after
which a picture is taken.

Switching on

After switching on, i.e. setting the lever to one of the
three functions S, Cor , the LED (1.32) lights up
briefly and the displays in the viewfinder (2.1.1) and on
the top panel LCD (1.12) appear (see p. 78).

Note:

Ready status is achieved approx. 2s after switching
the camera on.

Switching off

Even if the main switch is not set to

OFF

, the camera
automatically switches itself off if an automatic
power-off time is set using menu control (Auto Power
Off, 5.1.11, see p. 93/96) and it is not operated during
this time.

Note:

When transporting the camera, e.g. in a case, and if
the camera will not be used for a long time, if should
be turned off with the main switch.

Selecting picture taking and review modes

After switching on, the LEICA M8 is always in picture
taking mode, i.e. the monitor (1.33) remains dark –
after ready status is achieved (see p. 88) .

To review the pictures, you can choose between two
modes:

1.

PLAY

Review for unlimited time

2. Auto Review Brief review after taking the picture

Review for unlimited time -

PLAY

By pressing the

PLAY

button (1.27) you can switch to

review mode.

• The last picture taken appears in the monitor along
with the corresponding displays (see p. 79).
However, if the memory card inserted does not con­tain any image files, the following message appears
when you switch to review mode: No valid image to

play.

1.19 1.20