M9 with B&W sensor?

I think they should take it one step further and make it a Landscape-mode only camera, whereas shooting in Portrait mode (i.e. vertically) turns the camera off in any attempt to have an option.

You could get the special edition where they remove the speed dial and the shutter can only actuate at 1/250 sec. and you must specify whether you want only the 28mm, 35mm, 50mm or 90mm framelines.

Post-cropping would be forbidden via ACR.
 
If they make a new M the same size and weight as the M4-P, I will be VERY interested. In the meantime, I will continue to shoot with my M9 and fondle the M7. :D
 
Ok, so if a B&W only M camera is not coming out on May 10... then what is? Why did Leica go through the trouble of making an event that states:

"Leica celebrates the essentials of photography! We invite you to exclusively experience a whole range of product launches in a culturally and photographically unique atmosphere on 10-11 May 2012 in Berlin..."

Perhaps it is a Leica X2 that looks and acts like a Barnack? ;)
 
jsrockit said:
Ok, so if a B&W only M camera is not coming out on May 10... then what is? Why did Leica go through the trouble of making an event that states:

"Leica celebrates the essentials of photography! We invite you to exclusively experience a whole range of product launches in a culturally and photographically unique atmosphere on 10-11 May 2012 in Berlin..."

Perhaps it is a Leica X2 that looks and acts like a Barnack? ;)
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Maybe an M7.2 or an MP-2? If it's essentials they're after then why not? I'm sure there will be an X2 though.
 
jsrockit said:
Cal, I think it's great that we go photograph together and we are the exact opposites in our workflow. I always wonder if you'd hate the M9 or not. However, if it isn't broke, don't fix it. My set-up works great for me, but might be your nightmare.
Click to expand...

Accually its your work that has inspired me. I'm so old school and just do B&W film like a deadly Kung-Fu move, and now its just a reflex. LOL.

To me I give much respect to you digital guys, but I think of it as a new medium. I know I'll be scared and totally overwelmed, but WTF. Anyways I've done mucho crazy things in my life, and now my girl is also encouraging me. She once offered to buy me a M9 when they first came out, and now she told me she would help me buy a M10 if I want one.

It seems women love us bad boys.

Cal
 
robklurfield said:
Cal, single-ended 300-B triode monoblocks. About as simple and straightforward a design as is possible in the world of audio amplification. Not much goes into them. Why then do they cost so damned much? The analogy here is that if Leica makes it simpler, they'll probably still have to charge megabucks for it just because they're Leica. I love my Cary 300B amps, but as a value proposition, its not about how much engineering, labor or materials went into them, but rather how much Cary can get away with charging. And, Cary is far from the most expensive brand. Ergo, even if Leica were silly enough (silly here meaning that the market for a b&w only camera is probably not limited a to population only a little larger than the membership of RFF), they'd have to charge a bundle to (a) maintain their reputation for exclusivity and (b) to amortize the cost of tying up production capacity.

Another analogy. When a company like Rolex or Patek Philippe develops a new movement, they can plop into a case made out of any metal they want. Why is it that a steel Patek Nautilus or Rolex Daytona is so out of whack with the value of the materials? Well, cuz it's a no brainer that the margins on the gold and platinum models are so much more that it's not worth casing anything in steel unless they charge a ridiculous premium for steel. While slightly non-intuitive, entirely sensible from a P&L perspective.

So, Leica could make a camera that contains less (ie, a B&W only sensor; no display; etc.) AND still charge more for it because some of our rich friends will still pay the freight.\

Anyway, Cal, what do use those monoblocks to drive and what's on the front-end? If I didn't know that space is a problem, could picture you with a pair of really efficient horns, but I'm guessing that's not the case. However, I'm sure you spin vinyl, right?
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Rob,

We have similar taste. I admired your Rolex GMT and I have a cheap Rolex Submariner with "No-Date." We both admire and enjoy expensive luxury goods, but my monoblocks I built from a very highly regarded kit that only cost me about $5K to build. When I worked at Grumman I used prototype machine shop to manufacture a pair of chassis knowing one day I would make a SET Hi-Fi, but it wasn't until my loft was robbed and I collected an insurance check that I had the opportunity to build my rig.

I use to be interested in getting some Lowther horns with Alnico magnets, was a member of the Lowther Club of America, and already had the plans to build some rather massive folded horns, but I ended up getting these "Straight-Eight" speaker kits from Doc Bottlehead. Basically the speakers went together like IKEA furniture, have a titanium tweeter and gave eight 4 inch speakers to push the air for deep bass which as you know is the weak point of SET Hi-Fi. Anyways my girlfriend kinda freaked out over the size of them and asked, "Why do the speakers have to be so big." LOL. Good thing I didn't go with the Lowthers. :D

Anyways I likely have a lot of the qualities of your very expensive Cary's, but I only use a DVD player. I had lots of vinal that I accumulated, but never had the opportunity to buy a real serious turntable. Sold all the vinal since I was forced to downsize a lot of my junk to fit into a Manhattan apartment. Right now I have a Macintosh MX-110 reciever that needs to get alligned with original Amperex and Telefuncan tubes.

I've been a slacker and not tweeked my rig yet with exotic caps or resistors. The sound stage is really great. In my loft I would get startled all the time thinking I was alone when I had something playing. Early Norah Jones sounds like she is looking you in the eye as she sings. Old jazz sounds like you're at the Blue Note.

Cal
 
Lowthers? Folded horns? You're a geek (that's a compliment!).

The no-date Sub is actually not cheap; it's valuable. Probably more demand for it than a GMT (I used to be in the biz a hundred years ago).

My Cary's were bought used maybe 15 years ago and weren't all that expensive. I don't tweak anything. Not being an engineer like you, I am terrified of electricity (stuck a key in electrical outlet when I was two-years old; a memory that won't go away).

Okay, enough off topic talk here. Back to B&W sensors. Why not just shoot film???

Calzone said:
Rob,

We have similar taste. I admired your Rolex GMT and I have a cheap Rolex Submariner with "No-Date." We both admire and enjoy expensive luxury goods, but my monoblocks I built from a very highly regarded kit that only cost me about $5K to build. When I worked at Grumman I used prototype machine shop to manufacture a pair of chassis knowing one day I would make a SET Hi-Fi, but it wasn't until my loft was robbed and I collected an insurance check that I had the opportunity to build my rig.

I use to be interested in getting some Lowther horns with Alnico magnets, was a member of the Lowther Club of America, and already had the plans to build some rather massive folded horns, but I ended up getting these "Straight-Eight" speaker kits from Doc Bottlehead. Basically the speakers went together like IKEA furniture, have a titanium tweeter and gave eight 4 inch speakers to push the air for deep bass which as you know is the weak point of SET Hi-Fi. Anyways my girlfriend kinda freaked out over the size of them and asked, "Why do the speakers have to be so big." LOL. Good thing I didn't go with the Lowthers. :D

Anyways I likely have a lot of the qualities of your very expensive Cary's, but I only use a DVD player. I had lots of vinal that I accumulated, but never had the opportunity to buy a real serious turntable. Sold all the vinal since I was forced to downsize a lot of my junk to fit into a Manhattan apartment. Right now I have a Macintosh MX-110 reciever that needs to get alligned with original Amperex and Telefuncan tubes.

I've been a slacker and not tweeked my rig yet with exotic caps or resistors. The sound stage is really great. In my loft I would get startled all the time thinking I was alone when I had something playing. Early Norah Jones sounds like she is looking you in the eye as she sings. Old jazz sounds like you're at the Blue Note.

Cal
Click to expand...
 
robklurfield said:
Okay, enough off topic talk here. Back to B&W sensors. Why not just shoot film???
Click to expand...

We both went to art school and now have decades of experience shooting film, but I see digital as a separate medium. Perhaps its a mid-life crisis where I want to just do something reckless, dumb or crazy even though I'm now an old man.

Anyways you guys that know me as a stubborn B&W film die hard are probably saying, "WTF." LOL.

BTW the major cause of death among Cyclotron Engineers is electrocution. My machine when at operating potential consumes 80 kilowatts of energy, and that's the same amount of energy as eighty thousand people blow drying there hair at once, the main magnet consumes nearly 500 amps, and there are voltages as high as 50,000 volts.

Work is boring because its become routine, but photography is fun because of all the self challenges.

Cal
 
jsrockit said:
Ok, so if a B&W only M camera is not coming out on May 10... then what is? Why did Leica go through the trouble of making an event that states:

"Leica celebrates the essentials of photography! We invite you to exclusively experience a whole range of product launches in a culturally and photographically unique atmosphere on 10-11 May 2012 in Berlin..."

Perhaps it is a Leica X2 that looks and acts like a Barnack? ;)
Click to expand...

Probably the "essentials of photography" means using a rangefinder:D
 
Can't see it being a new film camera - unless it's some ultra special edition.
If it is a B&W only digital M, we should start a non-betting pool on how much it's going to sell for. I'm guessing $9,500.
 
"Essentials of photography" probably means that whatever the new camera is, it will be as simplistic as possible.
 
jsrockit said:
A true Leica P&S.... just lens, sensor, and a shutter release. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

WOW. a real expensive P&S at $10K.

Once found a Contax T3 P&S just laying on the ground in Brooklyn that someone lost in its case. I almost stepped on it. Never took a good picture with it due to both autofocus and the shutter lag. Sold it after becoming totally frustrated with defeating all the automation.

I'm a simple guy, but point and shoot is not for me.

Cal
 
Maybe it will be an M-RD1 - offering a manually cocked shutter and a "film rewind dial" that controls various menu functions.
I still think the RD-1 was the camera design that Leica should have come up with.
 
Cal, your B&W volume is enough that the cost of an M9 or M10 would be made up in a pretty short time.
That was just an aside...

So, if I get really desperate and depressed again, getting mad at photography and yelling that I'm going to sell the M9, I'm going to send it to you to keep it away from me so I can't sell it. Use it as much as you like and see if you actually like the workflow and the image quality.

Until then, I'm keeping it in my hands and using it. I can't afford to not have it at this point I figure. Once I find a job outside the media then the M9 can go away, but I still have it as a tiny moneymaker.

Phil Forrest
 
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