No New M9 but M8-2 - Leica Announcement

[sirius]

infocusf8@earthlink. I did not enjoy reading your post. Try spreading a little joy in the world instead of making people feel bad. Why are you here?

Making a great product that can last and be upgraded was something you used to be able to do with Apple computers. You could easily upgrade a tower and have it last more than five years.

Apple realized there was no money in that and that it is a failed market strategy. Now they build in obsolescence and operating systems that will not run with old hardware...etc...

I commend Leica for doing this. It's a real customer focused approach. I hope it turns out to be a wise financial choice for them too.

 

[pmfilms@mac.com]

Siruis, didn't mean to spread gloom, just wondering what could be going on here. The best news is as I said up front, at last a serious camera manufacturer is addressing the fact that many digital systems, whether they are cameras or computers, become outdated very quickly today. With this plan we will have a hedge of some sort, which is good. I just wonder how much it will all really cost, and more to the point how long would Leica take to do any physical upgrade. They're had my new 28mm Elmar for three months fixing a loose element. That has to improve.

 

[MikeL]

I give this thread 20 more minutes before shutdown 🙂

 

[back alley]

getting close mike...

we are moderators and not babysitters, act nicely gents...last warning.

joe

 

[xayraa33]

oh just hold on till Nikon brings out a Full Frame Digital M mount rangefinder camera.
it wil be better and much cheaper.
and those Nikkor M lenses, oh man !!.

 

[MikeL]

oh just hold on till Nikon brings out a Full Frame Digital M mount rangefinder camera.
it wil be better and much cheaper.
and those Nikkor M lenses, oh man !!.

Xayraa33, that's just rude and uncalled for. (Go Nikon!) I'd say a little below the belt. (Go Nikon!) The moderators are going to be ALL over you dude. 😉

 

[xayraa33]

with 5000 dollar camera bodies selling very well, I am sure the competition has noticed.
even in small volume sales, there is a nice profit on a 3 to 4 grand camera body.
Leica's reign cannot last forever.
i do not get too emotional about a name brand, these are only picture making devices.

 

[splitimageview]

Sign me up even if it isn't full frame. 🙂

oh just hold on till Nikon brings out a Full Frame Digital M mount rangefinder camera.
it wil be better and much cheaper.
and those Nikkor M lenses, oh man !!.

 

[sirius]

Maybe Nikon should make an M-mount digital with a lens focal length selection menu!!!

 

[sevres_babylone]

oh just hold on till Nikon brings out a Full Frame Digital M mount rangefinder camera

Yeah, the D3 low-light capability would be a dream.
But to continue the shift away from the Leica discussion, I am intrigued by Sony's announcement of its FF sensor, and wonder whether given its relationship with Zeiss (Zeiss lenses on its digicams, and Zeiss zooms for its dSLRs), the longer-rumoured Zeiss FF digital rangefinder might yet become a reality.

 

[CameraQuest]

Sean Reid M8 Upgrade Review

Sean Reid M8 Upgrade Review

to quote Sean

"Just published is my first article on the new Leica "M8 Perpetual Upgrade" program. It includes some interesting details that may be of interest to current and prospective M8 owners. Also published recently was an article about the new style Voigtlander LTM-M lens adapters which have no cutout and thus are good candidates for milling and hand coding."

see www.ReidReviews.com

hmm. this should put to rest the rumor or hoax theories.

Stephen

 

[Hacker]

this move is nothing short of brilliant. Leica can now justify it's cost because now you don't buy a Leica, you invest in Leica. A digital camera built for the long term. Say what you will about Leica, but this is a really good idea.

I thought SDHC would be a real upgrade. For the LCD glass, I'll stick to my watches as real investments. They also have sapphire crystals and they are coated on both sides! 😀 Heck, some even have two, one in front and one behind. :angel:

I rather have perpetual calendar than perpetual upgrades.

 

[MichaelHarris]

How much does Leica make everytime an M3 sells on EBay? Now you know why they are doing this.

 

[titrisol]

This is an interesting concept IMHO, pay 1200 Euros and not have to pay 4000 again for the M9, M10, M11 M12..... does not sound that bad
Will the sensors, screens, etc be upgraded as well or it is just firmware

 

[jaapv]

Well, the German mail is identical to the English one...

 

[LCT]

So you think upgrading the M8 would prevent Leica to launch new models 'forever'? Difficult to believe IMHO. As i guess it, the M8 will remain an APS camera. An expensive one for those willing to pay for 3 or 4 updates though, but i doubt if there will be more than 2 of them until Leica launch their full frame M9.

 

[Tuolumne]

How much does Leica make everytime an M3 sells on EBay? Now you know why they are doing this.

Leica's CEO has said in the past that 20% of the Leica market (maybe more, can't remember the exact number but it is large) is for used equipment that Leica gets no direct financial benefit from. He also added that Leica has plans to do something about this. That led to speculation that Leica may be getting into the refurb business. No way. Looks like this is what they had in mind all along. Pretty brilliant piece of stratgey planning and execution, IMHO.

/T

 

[kevin m]

...ever held an M3...?

You did notice his post contains the word "seldom," right, and not "never?" 😕

That the M3 is a wonderful exception doesn't disprove the rule.

 

[rxmd]

...ever held an M3...?

Ever held a Leica 0-Serie? The M3 was hardly the first. Take a look at a 1948 Steiheil Casca II and you'll see that it wasn't even particularly original in the 1950s, just the continuation of what Leica had done for the last 20 years, combined with general engineering innovations at the time and a very good finder.

EDIT: Here's a Casca page at CameraQuest and here's another in German at Peter Lausch's page.

Philipp

 

[BillP]

You did notice his post contains the word "seldom," right, and not "never?" 😕

That the M3 is a wonderful exception doesn't disprove the rule.

Spot the smiley, ease off on the hair trigger. Have a cup of camomile tea and let's get back on topic, eh?

Regards,

Bill