But in the end, it is what it is, and each of us must decide if we want an M8 or not. I adore the camera, in spite of its faults. I was happy to sell my 5D, and the Leica has exceeded my expectations in almost all ways. The lenses are awesome. But it isn't for everyone, and as James says, it isn't necessarily a rational decisions. I am so thankful that there are still some cameras on the market which awake emotions in me. The typical DSLR might as well be a brick for me, with respect to emotions. The M8 is much more. In that sense, it is like the Contax 645, another flawed, but deeply loved camera, or the Hasselblad V, or the Rolleiflex TLRs, and so on. All these have problems, but their owners wouldn't have traded them for anything, until digital changed the game.
Please note that the whole 'net era has rather sharpened the critique on the M8... its a rather peculiar phenomenon, where the flaws are highlighted, and the strengths are now "emotional". There is a reality to the difficulties with the early M8's, and there still remains some awkwardness in the much more refined M8.2. But the issues ar not just limited to Leica - the level of precision required for good digital work is much much higher than most all of us were (are?) accustomed to in the film era. We also (for our $) expect perfection from companies like Leica, and they, like everyone else, has had issues of catch-up to work out.
Other manufacturers have had issues as well. Without getting into the canon/Nikon discussions, Joseph Holmes has written about very high end MF gear, surprisingly so. Its not at all clear what is going on - but the issue of specificity and dimensional tolerances are causing a sea change in the photo field. Note that many are testing pictures and sharpness at very high levels of observation (100-200% crops, in the corners) on our PC's.
The issues with the M8 have been well documented and vetted to be sure; some (like IR) are a bit cumbersome to be sure. But the quality of the M8 pictures are still there, gloriously so. The pictures have a presence and a depth that just lasts over time. Sure, that's an emotional read, but so is use of the eyes to take a picture.
On my first viewing of the M8, it seemed like a silly camera, half nostalgia/half electrics. Months later, took one for a brief spin with a 50 'lux, set on B/W, and surprisingly it made sense. Didn't want it to, didn't need it to, hadn't thought it would....but it did. Over time, its been nice to learn that those guys in Solms are actually thinking about photography and taking pictures. Not always easy to deal with, and price is certainly an issue, but they are thinking over there, and meeting the needs of real photographers.
On the price issue, the CV lenses are quite nice, and there is a big secondhand market, of high quality.
All this is to say take the criticism with some distance, use your own judgment, and take one for a walk. That goes for all cameras - and the ones with personalities sometimes take a longer time to get to know. Just like people.
