Interchangeable sensor m?

[Fabian]

I just wondered if the idea of an leica m upgrade programm like mr.lees idea might become interesting.
Now that the size of the sensor wont change i think it could become an option for leica.
You keep your body and every 5 years you send it in and get the latest sensor technology.
So again a leica can last for a whole human life.
Two be honest a lifecycle like canon or nikon is not really suitable for a leica m.

What do you think?

Regards Fabian

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The cost of the upgrade would be 80% of the original cost. I'd rathyer keep the old one as a backup. When I get an M9, the M8 is staying as a backup.

 

[Richard Marks]

This comes up about once a year! In additon to Brian's point about cost, one must appreciate 5 years is a lifetime in terms of electronic progress. File sizes might easilly be 200mB and the rest of the hardware would need transplanting as well. The processor in the M9 I am sure is adequate for now but there is not much to spare! Actually thearetically medium format digital does have some advantages here but even then Hasselblad have tended to make the old body and software obsolete with new digital backs.

Digital cameras in my opinion are never going to be 'timeless classics' and it does not matter one jot if we put solid brass and MP black enamel paint and a whole load of limited edition livery or mechanical film advances. No matter how much we want to believe it, time is not kind to old digital technology. Personally I see a film M as a lifetime purchase but stick microprocessors in it and somehow it just feels completely different. On the occasions when I have parted with film M's its emotional. When i sold my M8, no reaction at all! I just felt thanks for 3 years of good pictures, bon voyage!

Personally I would actually favour a less expensive slightly more contemporary M platform that is a use it up until its done concept. It is after all the Leica glass which is 'timeless'.

It is not quite there yet, but I expect compact sensor size to increase over the next few years, and if so we might not be far off 'full frame'. I would not hesitate to use a converter for my m lenses and spend the saving on more glass.

Happy Easter to all

Richard Marks

 

[Roger Hicks]

Brian and Richard have summed it up pretty well.

Some Leica owners will continue to use their cameras until something MUCH better comes out, but then, so will most intelligent buyers of top-flight cameras, regardless of marque.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Richard Marks]

Brian and Richard have summed it up pretty well.

Some Leica owners will continue to use their cameras until something MUCH better comes out, but then, so will most intelligent buyers of top-flight cameras, regardless of marque.

Cheers,

R.

Thanks Roger
There is one thing which does occur of some relevence to this debate, the R series DMR was a really super idea and used prices are still scarily high. It is a real shame it was not a commercial success. I think the 50 Suummilux R ROM was one of my all time favourite lenses. its a little off topic for this forum but I also wonder what the long awaited 'solution for r series' users will be.

Best wishes

Richard

 

[Doug]

Sensor technology does continue to improve, even within a "family". Being able to replace the sensor with the latest version would be a benefit even if the resolution were the same. I'm reminded of a Leica S2 review by David Farkas - http://dfarkas.blogspot.com/2009/11/leica-s2-review-test-shooting-in.html

Quoting a portion of that review: "In my M9 review, I wrote that the per-pixel look of the M9 was very similar to the M8, which makes sense considering the M9 uses the same sensor architecture and the same lenses as the M8. Before I shot a single frame with the S2, my hope was that the images would have the same level of quality of my M8 or DMR, just with four times as many pixels. Well, this wasn't the case. The reality is that the S2 files don't look anything like M8, DMR, or M9 files on a per-pixel level. They look much, much better. While the M9 is a really great image maker, the S2 blows it away with regards to image quality. I don't mean that the S2 just has twice as many pixels as the M9. I mean to say that if you took an 18 MP crop from the S2 it would put the full capture of an M9 to shame. Yes, really."

Will that improved sensor technology find its way into a M9.2 or M10?

 

[maggieo]

My M2 has an interchangeable sensor. 😉

Quoting a portion of that review: "In my M9 review, I wrote that the per-pixel look of the M9 was very similar to the M8, which makes sense considering the M9 uses the same sensor architecture and the same lenses as the M8. Before I shot a single frame with the S2, my hope was that the images would have the same level of quality of my M8 or DMR, just with four times as many pixels. Well, this wasn't the case. The reality is that the S2 files don't look anything like M8, DMR, or M9 files on a per-pixel level. They look much, much better. While the M9 is a really great image maker, the S2 blows it away with regards to image quality. I don't mean that the S2 just has twice as many pixels as the M9. I mean to say that if you took an 18 MP crop from the S2 it would put the full capture of an M9 to shame. Yes, really."

Will that improved sensor technology find its way into a M9.2 or M10?

I would sell off half my guitars and my M8 to buy that camera. And I probably would have to, considering how expensive it would probably be.