Info on the M8

[Bjarni Felix]

Hi there Leica fans,

I´m all new to this ! Just happenend to run across your page , while browsing the internet ! Became a member at once .

A single question ! Is Leica going to introduce a true rangefinder digital camera ?

In my work as a cinematographer, I´m using film on a daily basis . Shooting commercials or any other high end work , film still rules ! Contrast control, resolution and the organic feel of film ... The equipment , the lenses and acc. ....

The only still camera that feels like , shooting on this same level is the Leica . The feel, the handling and the unsurpassing quality of the lenses ! ... and the thought
that you have to put behind your exposure ...

But then again I like the convenience of the digital format . i´m using a Canon !

Will I be able to use my M - Lenses ?

The handling, is it lightweight and still built as a tank ?

My main concern, this beautiful falloff of the Summicron lenses, will it still be there ?

With regards,

Bjarni Felix Bjarnason

 

[Mark Norton]

You must have been hiding under a stone these past months...

Yes, there will be a Leica digital rangefinder, probably called the M8, launched next month at Photokina, yes it will work with older lenses, we're hoping it's going to be have the same build quality as an M7, similar size to an M7, a little thicker, $5000 + tax is the best guess, some are saying €3995 including tax which is less.

We're all waiting with baited breath...

 

[sreidvt]

I wish I could say more but there will be a very interesting article on my site when Leica makes some new product announcements on September 15. Sorry to be so cryptic but I must play by the rules.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[StuartR]

Saell Bjarni!

Yes, there is a Leica digital camera coming out this September. The word is that it will be 10.3 megapixels, with a 1.33 crop factor, with very similar dimensions to the original M camera, only slightly thicker. It will have a large LCD. Instead of the cloth shutter, it will use the shutter in the R9 which goes to 1/8000th of a second. It should be a very good camera. The sensor will not have an anti-aliasing filter, so it should have finer detail than a normal 10mp sensor (if it is anything like the one in the DMR).

In any case, it's nice to see an Icelander here. I spent 9 weeks this summer in Reykjavik taking some Icelandic at the haskoli and then traveling around taking pictures. I am a bit surprised to here everything is still film for you. Where do you have the film processed? I liked Ditka, but my negs always came back dusty and scratched, so I just went to Fujifilm/Ljosmindavorur. In any case, the M8 will be announced at or right before Photokina in September, so keep an eye out. The guys at Beco might know more...

 

[JoeFriday]

I wish I could say more but there will be a very interesting article on my site when Leica makes some new product announcements on September 15. Sorry to be so cryptic but I must play by the rules.

Cheers,

Sean

Sean, is there a prototype or final product now? have you gotten your hands on one?

 

[Nemo]

I have a technical question.
The distance between the focal plane and the mount is smaller in rangefinder cameras than in réflex cameras (due to the mirror).
Does this shorter distance affect possitively to the image quality?
I think the longer the distance the greater the "transmission" loss.
There is a problem with the angle of incidence of the light rays, but nobody speaks of the other side of the coin.

 

[jaapv]

I don't think that light, being able to travel for billions of lightyears, will be much affected by the few centimeters from lens to film. It is rather the other way around. The ability to build large diameter lenses for SLRs is of positive influence on the energy transmission within the lens. But that is in the lens.

 

[rxmd]

Does this shorter distance affect possitively to the image quality?
I think the longer the distance the greater the "transmission" loss.

No. The extra 15mm or so of air don't make any difference at all. Especially not if you compare this to the subject distance, which, on a rangefinder, is usually at least 700 to 1000 mm, in most cases more.

A physicist might argue that there is indeed some loss incurred when light travels through 15mm of air, but the equipment to detect this would probably not fit in a rangefinder body.

The shorter distance affects the image quality positively because certain lens designs are only possible if the lens can be positioned close to the film/sensor plane. Not coincidentally, some of these lens designs result in light hitting the sensor at rather acute angles.

There is a problem with the angle of incidence of the light rays, but nobody speaks of the other side of the coin.

Partly because this "other side of the coin", the transmission gain through closer distance, is not relevant in practice.

Philipp

 

[JohnL]

Another aspect of "the other side of the coin" would perhaps be the greater size and weight of retrofocus designs.

 

[jaapv]

But, retrofocus designs nowadays can be corrected better for both vignetting and distortion, making symmetrical designs obsolete, as the newest generation Leica wideangles shows.

 

[sreidvt]

Sean, is there a prototype or final product now? have you gotten your hands on one?

Hi Joe,

I'm afraid that I can't say anything about new Leica products until September 15. Sorry....

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Mark Norton]

Sean, a good opportunity for you to get people to sign up to your site...

 

[John Camp]

Hi Joe,

I'm afraid that I can't say anything about new Leica products until September 15. Sorry....

Cheers,

Sean

Joe -- in other words, the answer to your question is 'Yes'. And, he seems to like it, a lot. 😀

JC

 

[rvaubel]

But, retrofocus designs nowadays can be corrected better for both vignetting and distortion, making symmetrical designs obsolete, as the newest generation Leica wideangles shows.

Although the new Leica wides are not totally symmetrical, they still are much more compact than the SLR equivelent. Taking advantage of some of the good things about the retrofocus design but avoiding the bad things is something that Leica can do because of the rangefinder design.

Rex

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I wish I could say more but there will be a very interesting article on my site when Leica makes some new product announcements on September 15. Sorry to be so cryptic but I must play by the rules.

Cryptic? We understand. They got burned lots with the DMR.

It's not like we're confused by the lens coding and the new "digital" lenses. It'll be such a surprise when the product we don't know about will finally be known.

But we don't know that. :angel:

 

[JoeFriday]

I don't know what you're talking about, Gabriel

 

[Peter Klein]

Sean, you are doing the photographic equivalent of dangling fresh fish, wrapped in brown paper, in front of a bunch of starving cats! :bang:

But this is just part of the standard pre-Photokina ritual that whips up the unwashed masses into a frenzy of wallet-opening gadget-lust and desire. All is forgiven. :angel:

Ve vill be vatching your site.

EDIT: Please don't anyone take this the wrong way. I'm just poking fun at the whole pre-Photokina secrecy thing, and certainly NOT casting any aspersions on Sean.

--Peter