David Murphy said:
OK guys I've been watching this M8 discusion for a few weeks now and I have to ask: what's all the excitement about ? Leica is a film camera company. How can they seriously expect to turn it around and compete with the likes of Canon which has been a player in optics since the 30's and and a pioneer in automating cameras with electronics since the 60's. For that matter how can they even compete with Kodak, which is reborn into the world of advanced digital cameras thanks to their extensive legacy of research in the field of electronic image sensors.
For one thing, they're not competing directly with brands C or N. This camera presumably plays to Leica's strengths (small, unobtrusive, quiet).
Why is Leica even trying ? This is the same company that won't even build a film camera with such a modern convenience feaure as a swing open back and did not put a TTL meter in a camera until 1984.
You forget the Leica M5 and CL from the early 70s, both of which had TTL metering. Admittedly, the early market failure of the M5 (which nearly took Leica with it), led to a more conservative design stance. And you'll still get counter-arguments from some regarding the mechanical integrity of Leica's film-loading design ("it ain't broke, so don't fix it"). I'm agnostic on the film-loading issue, which, of course, is a non-issue in the case of the M8.
🙂
Leica has reveled in their ultra conservative retro approach to cameras. I think that is fine -- I own a Leica III in fact, and I appreciate it for what it is, but I can't help but feel that the writing is on the wall for Leica and the M8 will be their swan song. Leica's are by definition *the* miniature film cameras, and film cameras are rapidly passing from the world of the mass consumer into the world of the specialist and collector.
This is sort of a damned-if-they-do/damned-if-they-don't attitude, isn't it? Solms has had to make some serious changes for the sake of survival – and this is hardly the first time they've had to. To keep making the best film-based cameras around, they need to take a crack at making digital equivalents that just happen to offer a practical advantage or two that the mainstream has neither the need or desire to develop. They appear to have succeeded with the Modul-R back for the R8/9 series; I predict the M8 will succeed as well. And Leica
doesn't need to rule the roost with these cameras to thrive, let alone survive – just sell enough of them to keep them reasonably in the black. Which, coincidentally, will help keep those other Ms we know and love in contention as well.
I actually think Leica could survive a while longer by following the Cosina/Voigtlander business model of making solid modern film camera/lens products that delight the hobbyist and are offered at moderate prices. Instead they seem to have chosen to take-on some of the corporate titans of consumer electronics.
You just answered your own question as to why they don't: Cosina has that turf well-covered already, as does Zeiss several notches above with the ZI. Also, Leica is aware of the "lineage thing": those who can go out and buy a new M7 or MP; those who can't, but insist on having a Leica, buy a used M(2/3/4/5/6 or thereabouts). And Solms accomodates the latter with availability of parts and, if desired, VF upgrades. These are resons why I'm rooting for the M8 being a reasonable hit in the marketplace, even though I'm not one of those impatiently waiting in line for one (but wouldn't mind acquiring a user black M6).
- Barrett
