Rumor: A new Leica M design

[bean_counter]

Make it a Barnack sized functional equivalent of the M4-P.

 

[LChanyungco]

i would like to see faster shutter speeds on an M.

 

[jke]

A bottle opener. 🙂

If they could only work a cellphone into it somehow....

They could make a Leica M iPhone app. Then you could use the camera to shoot in the style of a 35mm Summicron f2.0 4th Ver. or maybe a hazy Elmar 50mm f3.5 collapsible. There could be a button for "cleaning marks" and a slider for increasing or decreasing the amount of Leica "glow".

Actually, I am only half kidding. If you are an iPhone developer, just give me a free copy when you bang this one out.

 

[Austerby]

Perhaps a film version of the X1? or a 120 version of the S2?

 

[coelacanth]

Perhaps a film version of the X1? or a 120 version of the S2?

Film version of X1 would be Leica I 😀

I'd love to see barnack sized M with will integrated RF/VF though.

 

[wgerrard]

Part of my brain says Leica could make Big Bucks by rolling out a cheaper all-manual camera, say at the $1995 price point. Think of all of the folks who would buy based solely on the Leica name.

Then the functioning part of my brain kicks in and says that Leica probably isn't capable of producing enough cameras to meet demand for an "economy" model. So, what they are likely to do, if anything, is what they've always done: Make small evolutionary changes, call it a new model, and boost the price. If you only sell several dozen each month, it better be expensive.

Of course, they might stun all of us and start shipping cameras made by Panasonic with a Leica label.

 

[sepiareverb]

I have to say every time I load a hinged back body nowadays I find it incredibly awkward. That would be a step backward in my mind.

 

[mojobebop]

mp

mp

an mp with ae function.
diopter would be nice also.

 

[maddoc]

Diopter for the VF and switchable VF magnification, only one frameline at a time. .... and moving that ugly battery compartment to the back door.

 

[35mmdelux]

Hinged back for easy loading, 1/4000 speed, AF/AE, auto film transport, 8fps. Hey wait a minute the Hexar AF does all this except 1/4000.

 

[alun severn]

If such a thing were remotely likely I wouldn't mind betting the 'upgrade' would be solely in the electronics -- addition of an evaluative metering programme chip, for example -- OK, and maybe minor body tweaks, such as the MP film advance as standard, and perhaps a black paint standard too, because people seem to flip out over BP...

 

[Harry Lime]

I can't think of a single improvement to the M6 or M7. As rangefinders go, they are pretty much the zenith.

How about framelines adjusted to 1 meter like all M bodies before the M6?
The MP3 has these and frames far more accurate than a standard M7/MP set to .7 meters.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Isn't film dieing?

 

[Harry Lime]

Considering they tend to stay about 20-30 years behind the curve, my guess would be an autofocus M.

If they make it AF it's no longer a rangefinder.

Think Contax G series. A fullsize point and shoot with interchangeable lenses.

 

[Avotius]

A cheaper M would be neat. Maybe a remake the the Barnacks in M mount too...but the market seems over saturated right now with the offerings of Voigtlander and Zeiss not to mention decades of used Leica's. That said I hope Leica does it anyway.

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

I'd like faster shutter speeds.
Why not use the M9 shutter?

Cheers,
Michiel Fokkema

 

[Harry Lime]

With practice the baseplate is actually faster to load.
I can load an M body (with the tulip) faster than my Nikon F-series bodies.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

With practice the baseplate is actually faster to load.
I can load an M body (with the tulip) faster than my Nikon F-series bodies.

I've heard that it takes a long time to load a card - in a digital 'M' 🙁

 

[adrianzg]

probably a lower priced M camera, something with a vertical running metal shutter and a hinged back ala the Zeiss Ikon RF camera.

i think that'll be the most likely! a cheaper m body with the build quality of traditional Ms with an electronic shutter with higher speeds to match the cheaper summarit line of lenses..and the higher speeds will allow the bokeh crazed pple to use their lenses wide open in daylight.

 

[Bobfrance]

Hinged back for easy loading, 1/4000 speed, AF/AE, auto film transport, 8fps. Hey wait a minute the Hexar AF does all this except 1/4000.

The Hexar RF does all that apart from AF. 🙂
Besides would you really want to give up on your M-mount lenses for auto focus?