Leica T "accidentally revealed"...

Camera lenses are pretty run-of-the-mill optical design problems, and given the Leica price point, any number of firms can and do produce optics every bit as good as those coming out of Solms.
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Heretic! Thou shall suffer the torments of the damned and be cast to the outer darkness!

Of course, I agree with you but would never admit that, where the Leicaban can hear me. :D
 
Ho hum, another day of Leica T Debate.

It's been so thoroughly dissed by various folks, I'll have to buy one and prove that they're all wrong. ;-)

G
 
I'm warming to the T. Still not likely to buy one, but I really do like the control layout - especially since I found out there's a feature that gives you effective AF-L
 
Sejanus.Aelianus said:
Heretic! Thou shall suffer the torments of the damned and be cast to the outer darkness!

Of course, I agree with you but would never admit that, where the Leicaban can hear me. :D
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... he said unobtanium, save some rhetoric for the Milton commemorative version, milled from a solid block of adamantium eh?
 
semilog said:
You must be thinking of Zeiss and Nikon — the companies that design and manufacture steppers.

Camera lenses are pretty run-of-the-mill optical design problems, and given the Leica price point, any number of firms (Leica, Zeiss, Olympus, Nikon, Canon, Fujinon, Cook, Sigma, Cosina, etc., etc.) can and do produce optics every bit as good as those coming out of Solms. People who routinely drop $10k on microscope objectives or $20k on cine lenses do not imagine that a Leica optic is necessarily better than (or as good as) an Olympus or a Nikon or a Zeiss, etc.

I've used Leica cameras and lenses for a long time (still do), but the amount of magical thinking that this brand inspires among amateur photographers never fails to astonish.
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Exactly, but I will make some clarifications for fairness' sake

Leica lenses are about the support cycle, size and manual focusing feel, but also about pursuing the highest optical quality without being hindered by cost. I've been told that the raw glass in the Noctilux costs up to $700 by weight, and some elements have glass that takes a full year to cool down. Leica (and cine/medium format systems) are the only lens makers that can deliver this kind of quality (and low price/performance ratio) without going broke.

Could Canon design the Noctilux ASPH? Certainly! But look at the Canon 50mm F1.0L. It's not a bad lens by any standard, but the Noctilux floors it simply because it costs at least 3-4 times to make one.

You will not find any other 135 format photography lens as well-corrected as the 90 and 75mm APO-summicron, and no other fast superwide with the bokeh of the 21 and 24mm Summilux, because they are incredibly expensive lenses to produce and maintain tolerances. Zeiss has demonstrated that for photography lenses they too can achieve distinct optical excellence by pulling out all the stops (Otus, 15mm Distagons), but to this day, for the 135 system, only Leica takes a performance-first, cost-second approach to almost all of its lenses.

Leica is also amazingly adamant about keeping its optical lineup relatively new. The 50mm Summilux ASPH is from 2004, but more recent than all three of Canon's standard lenses and all Nikon standards except the 58mm F1.4. Every other production Summilux is from later than 2009. What happens in the digital sphere is the other way around in the optical sphere: Canon and Nikon hang on to old, spherical optical designs (for low costs, I would assume), yet Leica and Zeiss try to keep their lineups fresh.

And I would say that there is a discernable, solid performance benefit from moving from a system of Canon L primes or Nikon G lenses to a system of ASPH Leicas. I shoot Leicas because they are relatively small and light, but they are also better lenses than most, and I appreciate that.
 
Godfrey said:
Ho hum, another day of Leica T Debate.

It's been so thoroughly dissed by various folks, I'll have to buy one and prove that they're all wrong. ;-)

G
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Well if you're seen around these parts with it you'll be hung by your thumbs. So learn how to operate it with your feet. (lol)

Leica wants to sell an 'intrinsic' value in the product. The rubbing process ain't being done on the Sony a6000. You can go to best buy for one of those.
Remember the hasselblad luna is sold under the premise that x number of hours are required to whittle the thing into shape. That's man hours, that's added cost but is it realized in the end result with regards to the user experience?
 
DougFord said:
...
Remember the hasselblad luna is sold under the premise that x number of hours are required to whittle the thing into shape. That's man hours, that's added cost but is it realized in the end result with regards to the user experience?
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Never having held one in the flesh, I cannot pass judgment. But as from the sometimes goofy styling, ergonomically they look good.

I'm intrigued with the T. Given how little I use the M9 these days, I can almost justify selling it and the X2 for a T. The Sony A7 and Leica R lenses have taken the spot that was the province of my M9 before ...

G
 
Godfrey said:
Never having held one in the flesh, I cannot pass judgment. But as from the sometimes goofy styling, ergonomically they look good.

I'm intrigued with the T. Given how little I use the M9 these days, I can almost justify selling it and the X2 for a T. The Sony A7 and Leica R lenses have taken the spot that was the province of my M9 before ...

G
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It'll be interesting to read your views on the camera's user interface and its IQ, particularly with the native 23mm.
And yet another digital back to test legacy lenses on. Should be fun.
 
Has anyone seen anything about whether that silly video button on the top plate can be remapped to something more useful for real photographers? *


* A serious question wrapped in satire.
 
Ken Ford said:
Has anyone seen anything about whether that silly video button on the top plate can be remapped to something more useful for real photographers? *

* A serious question wrapped in satire.
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Apparently it does have an additional function... Ming Thein reports that for firmware updates, one holds down the video button while powering up. So there it does the M240 one better. :cool:
 
Yes, it's awesome in looks and probably in price! If the price roams the US$4,000 mark then it is meant to collect petrodollars back, in a good way! Good luck Sheiks and enjoy your jewel! I'll remain shooting TX or TMY and develop and print myself!
 
Leica is a niche player in the electronic world where industrial conglomerates like Sony and Fuji have the financial and operational muscle to output electronic innovations every six months or so, and make a profit. Leica's marketing fall back on milling and sanding a block of aluminum to encase electronics with a life span of months rather than years is painful and pathetic.
 
The T lens mount is interesting, isn’t it... Does this signal a major change for Leica? A unique new mount with quite a large opening and electrical contacts. But not a Micro 4/3 mount which Leica has used in the past. Plus an M adapter with 6-bit coding detection that passes lens ID info to the camera. Seems this makes the new mount feasible for use on future full-frame digital RF models, do you think?

Some have complained in the past that the Leica DRF bodies are too thick compared with the familiar film bodies. But the T is really skinny. A larger model with larger sensor and an optical/electronic rangefinder could be in the works. The current sophisticated adapter would ease the transition for legacy M and LTM lenses.
 
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