Leica's first digital M in silver — chrome variant of the M8 with 10.3MP CCD sensor.
The Leica M8 (Silver Chrome) was released approximately 2006 as the first Leica M digital rangefinder, featuring a 10.3MP APS-H (1.33× crop) CCD sensor. The Silver Chrome is the lighter-finish cosmetic variant. Leica M mount.
10.3MP APS-H (1.33× crop) CCD sensor. ISO 160-2500. Full Leica M rangefinder and manual focus. 2.5-inch LCD. At approximately 545g. Leica M mount. Silver Chrome finish (alternative to Black Chrome). Note: requires UV/IR cut filter for accurate colour rendering.
The M8 established Leica's digital M system but required a UV/IR cut filter on lenses due to the CCD sensor's sensitivity to near-infrared light — without the filter, certain colours (particularly black synthetic fabrics) render with an infrared cast. The 1.33× APS-H crop gives M lenses a tighter field of view than on a full-frame digital or film M body. The M8.2 updated the M8 with minor improvements.
On the used market the Leica M8 Silver Chrome is a vintage digital M rangefinder with known UV/IR filter requirement. Condition checks: CCD sensor for dust and dead pixels, rangefinder patch alignment, shutter function (especially slow speeds which are CCD-limited), battery health (BP-SCL1). Verify UV/IR filter availability for any target lenses. The M8.2 and M9 are successors.