Kaufmann again: Interview Popular Photography May 2008

[veraikon]

Just to draw attention on the interview published in pop photo may 2008

http://www.popphoto.com/popularphotographyfeatures/5316/the-future-of-leica.html

 

[Nh3]

Basically we provide Leica M photographers with professional caliber low-light performance the traditional Leica way, with our outstanding line of f/2 Summicron and f/1.4 Summilux lenses and the f/1.0 Noctilux. And there will be more to come!

He either said that to calm the Leica fans or he does not know anything about photography.


Once again, the man seems out of touch, stubborn and stuck up in a different age...

The interesting bit for me was that he mentioned the Nikon rangefinder rumor which coming from such a high level gives it a bit more weight... A Nikon rangefinder will take the market by storm and herald the final nail to Leica's flagging M8 sales...

 

[Eric T]

Kaufmann hints at an M9 for Photokina. Should be very interesting. I agree with Kaufmann that a full-frame sensor is not necessarily the best way to move the M forward. I also agree that more megapixels does not necessarily translate to a better image. Very interesting.
Eric

 

[Nh3]

Kaufmann hints at an M9 for Photokina. Should be very interesting. I agree with Kaufmann that a full-frame sensor is not necessarily the best way to move the M forward. I also agree that more megapixels does not necessarily translate to a better image. Very interesting.
Eric

Sensor size has nothing to do with megapixels. D3 is 12 mp.

The problem with cropped sensor is that your 50mm lens is suddenly a 70 or depending on the crop factor.

 

[tmfabian]

I personally dig cropped sensors, that just means that I get 4 lenses out of 2 depending on if i use them on my m7 or my m8.

 

[kevin m]

from the article:

Kaufmann: We definitely will expand and enhance the Leica M lens line in the near future and there will be some very exciting things shown at the Photokina exposition in Cologne this fall. We will make more detailed announcements on this later this summer, but for the time being all I can tell you is what you already know -- high performance wide-angle and ultra speed lenses are a longstanding Leica tradition, and we have been expanding our M line with lenses delivering high performance at more moderate prices to extend the reach of the entire M system. Incidentally we will show something else significant for the M system at Photokina, not just lenses.

(italics mine)

So it sounds like there might be some new wide-angle, fast lenses for the M8. That's good news. I hope the "something significant" is an RD-1 competitor. 🙂

Here he is talking about the joint Panasonic/Leica point and shoot cameras:

Personally I don't think that cramming, say, 12 megapixels into the sensor and then tweaking the image with software is the way to go. We want to deliver a pure image to the sensor and let the photographer decide. That's why you may see some exciting point-and-shoot developments by the end of next year that reflect the Leica tradition. I'm sorry I can't say more about it now.

That's good news, too, if it pans out.

 

[bmattock]

I knew Andy Kaufman would be back. Now he's goofing on Leica instead of Elvis.

 

[Tuolumne]

"Andreas Kaufmann, the CEO of Leica Camera in Solms, Germany was there do donate 20 classic Leica M4-2 and M4-P cameras, each fitted with a brand new Leica Summarit-M lens (valued at $50,000)"

Even the Leica CEO thinks old analogue cameras are best. That is just sooooooooo weird. Would IBM donate 50 XTs to a new PC lab at RIT? Just incredible....

/T

 

[varjag]

Even the Leica CEO thinks old analogue cameras are best.

FILM cameras, film. Analogue is your old VHS camcorder.

 

[Ororaro]

I don't get it. If everyone who wants a M8 would buy one, Leica wouldn't be in trouble (If they are, who knows).

Why do people speculate and wait instead of just buying and using? I don't get it.

If I was him, I wouldn't listen to Non-customers (the ones who talk loud). That what he's doing right now and I applaud him. Who cares what non-leica customers think?

 

[Tuolumne]

So, here is my take away from this interview for the M-system:

1) Do not look for a new sensor in the M8 any time soon.
2) Do not look for a full frame sensor in the M8, perhaps never.
3) Do not look for any major improvements to high ISO performance. We feel it messes up the final image with over processing. It will very gradually get better. In any case, our line of high performance low-light lenses makes this point moot.
4) Look for a surprising upgrade to the M8 at Photokina. (What could that be? Any speculators out there?)
5) You will not be able to upgrade the M8 sensor to a new sensor. While technically feasible, it will probably be financially infeasible. (I.E. It will be cheaper to just buy a new camera.)

That's it. Time to buy an M8? As safe an investment in digital longevity as can be found!

/T

 

[aizan]

kudos on getting more leicas into photo programs. that's exactly what they need to be doing. students still use film, you know.

my crystal ball says we'll see a replacement for the noctilux and a 28/1.4 at photokina, and a 4/3 p&s at the end of 2009.

 

[Tuolumne]

FILM cameras, film. Analogue is your old VHS camcorder.

I don't have any problem with the fact they were film cameras. Why wouldn't he donate 50 M7s, instead of 30 year old cameras. That is just so..so..I don't know...weird. What does that even mean? We were cleaning out our attic and found these 50 old cameras we decided to give you!

/T

 

[Ororaro]

Yes, you are a potential customer who already spent money to them. That's very different and respectable.

There are just oo many speculators that use Leica but bought everything used and that will never buy a New Leica, ever, even if it's down to an acceptable price point. Do this, do that... Advice that can only sink a company.

 

[Tuolumne]

I don't understand this Fred.

Why wouldn't Nikon want to see the demise of a competitor?

I doubt that Nikon sees Leica as a significant competitor in any way. In fact they probably prefer to keep them alive with so many comments online such as, "My D-300 is sooo much better than an M8 at only 1/3rd the cost". In fact Nikon might want to buy some M8s as a marketing expense, just to keep Leica's head above water. 😎

/T

 

[M. Valdemar]

My wife is Japanese.

Her brother is a huge Nikon fan (living in Japan) and he reads ALL the extremely esoteric Japanese camera blogs and websites.

Some of the blogs are written by Japanese employees of Nikon and require a password to read them for trusted otaku members only. None of them are in English.

He claims that the Nikon Digital SP-DM has already been prototyped several times and and has been tested with crop and full frame sensors.

One lens already developed is a modern 35mm f1.8 in an M-mount.

The SP-DM has a fascinating advanced fighter-plane style "heads up" hybrid electronic viewfinder/ optical rangefinder with a glowing red rectangle "in focus" indicator, that lights up when the subject within the center rectangle is in range/focus.

There is no traditional optical viewfinder as such, but the finder magnification/parallax is controlled by the traditional Leica M mount mechanical coupling. It does not make use of the Leica lens coding.

It's supposedly an elective unpaid project by Nikon employees done in spare time who will get bonuses based on sales of finished project. If built, it will be made in modules in Japan and assembled in Thailand.

Again, I know nothing about this "for real" and rely on what he has to say, but he is a fanatic and spends hours on end reading this stuff. He's not someone who would be prone to a hoax, he's a senior engineer for a major Japanese firm.

 

[Tuolumne]

My wife is Japanese.

Her brother is a huge Nikon fan (living in Japan) and he reads ALL the extremely esoteric Japanese camera blogs and websites.

Some of the blogs are written by Japanese employees of Nikon and require a password to read them for trusted otaku members only. None of them are in English.

He claims that the Nikon Digital SP-DM has already been prototyped several times and and has been tested with crop and full frame sensors.

One lens already developed is a modern 35mm f1.8 in an M-mount.

The SP-DM has a fascinating advanced fighter-plane style "heads up" hybrid electronic viewfinder/ optical rangefinder with a glowing red rectangle "in focus" indicator, that lights up when the subject within the center rectangle is in range/focus.

There is no traditional optical viewfinder as such, but the finder magnification/parallax is controlled by the traditional Leica M mount mechanical coupling. It does not make use of the Leica lens coding.

It's supposedly an elective unpaid project by Nikon employees done in spare time who will get bonuses based on sales of finished project. If built, it will be made in modules in Japan and assembled in Thailand.

Again, I know nothing about this "for real" and rely on what he has to say, but he is a fanatic and spends hours on end reading this stuff. He's not someone who would be prone to a hoax, he's a senior engineer for a major Japanese firm.

I'll take one!

/T

 

[Socke]

So, here is my take away from this interview for the M-system:

1) Do not look for a new sensor in the M8 any time soon.
2) Do not look for a full frame sensor in the M8, perhaps never.

Not much need for a 24x36 sensor in a RF since the viewfinder size is not directly linked to the sensor size and the crop factor needs just one more lens on the wide side whereas a bigger sensor might need all new lenses designed for digital.

3) Do not look for any major improvements to high ISO performance. We feel it messes up the final image with over processing. It will very gradually get better. In any case, our line of high performance low-light lenses makes this point moot.

Leave noise reduction to a bigger computer, most RAW processors do better then what's build into the camera, at least you can tune them to your taste and don't have to live with what an engineer found pleasing to himself.

4) Look for a surprising upgrade to the M8 at Photokina. (What could that be? Any speculators out there?)

Realy M8? Not something else? Like a digital CL for us poor hobbyists?

5) You will not be able to upgrade the M8 sensor to a new sensor. While technically feasible, it will probably be financially infeasible. (I.E. It will be cheaper to just buy a new camera.)

Compared to a machined magnesium block, a sensor with support electronics IS expensive. As far as I know, Kodak made a big loss when they upgraded the DCSPro sensor, and there the sensor size was the same as well as all the support electronics.

That's it. Time to buy an M8? As safe an investment in digital longevity as can be found!

/T

If it does what you want, then it is a good investment, if it doesn't do what you want, have a look at the competition. Oops, there is none 🙂

IMHO the M8 is the best what can be done within technical and financial restrictions at the moment.

I usualy shoot a 35mm lens, sometimes 28 and sometimes 45/50. So I had a 24/2.8 and a 35/2 for my Canon D60 dSLR, I bought a 50 with my 5D to get the normal back. It works both ways 🙂

 

[M. Valdemar]

I'd plunk down $5,000 for the Nikon SP-DM without any qualms.

I know I would be getting something that would work, and would be serviced if something didn't work.

If they could get the D3 sensor into it, holy cow!

 

[xayraa33]

Nikon digital M mount rangefinder camera here we come !
get your credit card out.