Neat battery idea for m8

[Avotius]

The other day I was looking at my bank account and the article in the recent china photography magazine about the m8 and it mentioned how dumb it was to leave the old style bottom plate on the camera from the past. Then I had a thought, wouldnt it be neat if leica came out with a accessory for the bottom plate in the form of something kind of like the leicavit winders that simply had one big battery inside or something like that for those of us who spend a lot of time away from power outlets. Canon has done it with sticking two batteries inside of a grip, but im thinking something much less cumbersom, like leicavit/rapidwinder size with the ability to add a grip if you so wished.

 

[Matthew]

It probably could be done and would have buyers (maybe me?).

On a related note, all this complaining about the removable bottom plate seems pointless to me. Is it really that hard to take off the bottom plate to change the battery and card? No, it's not and provides another tangible link with the history of the M line. The hard part about film loading on the analog Ms isn't taking off that plate (and holding it in your teeth, or wherever) it's getting the film into place and into the take up spool--which itself really isn't that difficult for anyone with a modicum of dexterity. In all my years of using M cameras I've only not noticed that the film wasn't loaded correctly once, and that was maybe a week after first buying one.

 

[Goodyear]

Although I cannot afford one, for me the removable bottom plate adds to the appeal. Not only is it a nice link with the whole M line, it makes some aesthetic sense - rather than a couple more plastic doors on the body. Now, why wasn't the USB port under there as well? Can't imagine many people using an M tethered...

 

[newyorkone]

Can't imagine many people using an M tethered...

You're probably right but if the USB port was in the bottom plate then you probably wouldn't be able to shoot tethered. This way, at least there's the option to do so and I don't think that's so unbelievable. I can see more and more studio photographers shooting the M8 because of the lenses.

The camera comes equipped with Capture One LE and if you upgrade it to the pro version, you can capture raw files directly to the computer.

 

[jaapv]

The other day I was looking at my bank account and the article in the recent china photography magazine about the m8 and it mentioned how dumb it was to leave the old style bottom plate on the camera from the past. Then I had a thought, wouldnt it be neat if leica came out with a accessory for the bottom plate in the form of something kind of like the leicavit winders that simply had one big battery inside or something like that for those of us who spend a lot of time away from power outlets. Canon has done it with sticking two batteries inside of a grip, but im thinking something much less cumbersom, like leicavit/rapidwinder size with the ability to add a grip if you so wished.

I'm convinced this is in the pipeline...

 

[Trius]

I think the removable bottom plate on the M8 is a very elegant element. A half-twist of the key is no more of a chore than any other solution. Holding it while replacing the battery isn't really an issue. I mean, how often do you change the battery? Plus, photography with the M is not a digi-sports/action activity, so who cares about the requirement to hold it while changing the battery?

 

[egpj]

The other day I was looking at my bank account and the article in the recent china photography magazine about the m8 and it mentioned how dumb it was to leave the old style bottom plate on the camera from the past. Then I had a thought, wouldnt it be neat if leica came out with a accessory for the bottom plate in the form of something kind of like the leicavit winders that simply had one big battery inside or something like that for those of us who spend a lot of time away from power outlets. Canon has done it with sticking two batteries inside of a grip, but im thinking something much less cumbersom, like leicavit/rapidwinder size with the ability to add a grip if you so wished.

I agree with your analysis. Let's hope that it does not have the same cost as the Leicavit.

 

[Goodyear]

You're probably right but if the USB port was in the bottom plate then you probably wouldn't be able to shoot tethered. This way, at least there's the option to do so and I don't think that's so unbelievable. I can see more and more studio photographers shooting the M8 because of the lenses.

The camera comes equipped with Capture One LE and if you upgrade it to the pro version, you can capture raw files directly to the computer.

Or imagine an alternative base-plate, with higher capacity battery, or mains power, and the USB connection, for a most excellent tethered solution.

 

[Andy Aitken]

OK how about this; All of the above PLUS 20Gb of flash storage in the "Leicavit" with a connector into the SD card socket. Huh, Huh?