Not a rangefinder, but a Leica

You could say that even Leica has given up on the M-system. All of their R&D has and will continue to go into this puppy.

/T
 
Several industry execs just lost their lunch...

I highly doubt this is curtains for the M-system; we're not just talking horses of a different color here. The R system is a somewhat different matter, although the official story is that nothing's changing there, either. Rather, I see this as the fulfillment of Solms' veiled threat to take on the MF market. Given the form-factor and physical size (together with that humongous sensor), they can also slap Canon and Nikon around as well, all with the same camera. That's the ticket here: Leica simply can't afford to field a bevy of models for this round, so they need one new model (and, as it turns out, a whole new format) for that one knockout punch that puts them over the top. If the steak matches the sizzle here, Solms could really–finally!–turn the corner (and, if you ask me, this bodes well for the future appearance of a FF M body).


- Barrett
 
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amateriat said:
Several industry execs just lost their lunch...

...

- Barrett
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Yes and no. With their track record with the M8, a lot of people who can afford this camera will be reluctant to buy it right away. Then there is the fact that a lot of people won't be able to afford this camera.

I do expect that other camera manufacturers will be watching closely to see how it is received and talked about. Enough drooling and they will be trying to decide how to upgrade to a competitive camera that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and a first born male child.

I say that as a person who doesn't own a Leica and doesn't particularly want to. But that camera certainly sounds impressive.
 
I'll be d*mned, that's all I can say. How many times has Leica been declared dead now? And now they come up with this... something between 35mm FF and MF with SLR handling. How the h*ll could they develop something like this?!? I'm frankly amazed.
 
Like I said, the steak has to match the sizzle. I regarded the M8 a bit of a rush-job that's been nipped-and-tucked with the .2 release, and will see further refinement. The S2 looks rather more polished, but seeing, ultimately, is believing.


- Barrett
 
It looks like a great replacement for a Hasselblad system with that big sensor but for everyday phtography I'm sticking with my film M bodies. The last thing I want to do at this point is invest in a whole new set of lenses.
 
Ray: My guess is it'll certainly cost more–possibly a lot more–than, say, a Canon 1Ds MkIII, but probably less than your full-on H-series Hassy (or just the digital back). That's just me speculating like everybody else. But if I'm close, you owe me a drink. ;)


- Barrett
 
Tuolumne said:
I'm talking about the razor, not the razor blade.
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Not all M users are interested in digital, and for this particular M user, the most interesting development has been the 24/1.4. Leica is really about the glass, what I assume you are calling the razor.
 
peter_n said:
Not all M users are interested in digital, and for this particular M user, the most interesting development has been the 24/1.4. Leica is really about the glass, what I assume you are calling the razor.
Click to expand...

The glass is the razor blade. It's what you sell in multiples for every single body, including the ones that are 60 years old. The razor is the body. You sell it once. Then you're done.

/T
 
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