Suppose THIS were your "Digital M"?!

[jlw]

We've all been having a great time batting around rumors about the allegedly forthcoming Leica "digital M." The most appealing rumor is that it will appear at the next PMA and will cost about $5,000.

Okay, let's play focus group. Taking the most widely-spread rumors as fact, and doing some interpolating of camera-industry trends, suppose I told you that the following are the details of the digital M:

• The basic chassis is manufactured by Panasonic, with a sturdy molded-plastic body with tasteful metal accents. Leica participated in the development of lensmount specifications, controls, and exterior styling. The same basic camera with slightly differnent cosmetics will be available under the "Lumix" brand name for about $1,000 less.
• The sensor is the same APS-size, 12-megapixel unit as in Sony's recently-announced prosumer camera.
• The body indeed will have an M bayonet flange and accept all M-mount lenses. However, it will NOT have an optical viewfinder or a mechanically-coupled rangefinder. Instead, it will be equipped with a 280,000-pixel electronic viewfinder. For focusing, the Sony chip's continuous-preview capabilities will be used to enable a "peak focus" indicator -- a bar-graph display superimposed on the viewfinder image. The user centers a focusing spot on the desired target area and turns the lens' focusing ring until the bar indicators reach their highest level.
• In addition to acceptance of current M lenses, the camera will have electrical contacts to accept a new 'all-purpose' zoom lens co-developed by Leica and Panasonic, which will enable full program automation and auto focusing. The lens, expected to be priced below $2,000, will cover only the digital M's sensor and will not be compatible with other M mount cameras.

So, if those were the specs, how enthusiastic would you be about buying a "digital M"? Would you be counting your nickels and listing your kidneys on eBay? Or would you be racing to the phone to call B&H to see if they have any R-D 1s in stock?

Remember, this is only fantasy...

 

[vincentbenoit]

What about the pop-up flash?

 

[zeos 386sx]

Sorry, no sale. For $5000 I get a coupled rangefinder or I head to B&H for the R-D2 (Which will probably be out by the time the Digital M arrives).

 

[JoeFriday]

I wouldn't be remotely interested.. $5k just to use Leica glass? uh uh

and even if it were $2k, I still wouldn't be interested if it used an EVF.. I have one of those on my Lumix FZ20, and it's a huge annoyance.. about a 1/3 second delay in what you see (and what you just missed)

12 megapixels is nice.. but only if they can lower the noise ratio from what it currently is in the Lumix.. anything above ISO 100 is garbage.. as opposed to my Nikon D70 that will go up to 400 before noise is detectable

 

[Sonnar Brian]

It must have a coupled rangefinder to be "for real". If it does not, Leica really blew it. Coupled RF or do not bother.

 

[Fred]

..... or the Epson RD-2 now using the (now defunct, never appeared) ZI chassis.... real image finder , full frame sensor (28MP) using new high gain micro lenses in the outer sensor areas and variable LCD ND filters on the inner circle that are set according to the lens mounted , a 'new' slik shutter mechanism that is quieter in operation than a goldfish sneeze..., full M and LTM lens compatable including collapsible for 3000 bucks.. ...ponder ponder ponder. Does not have red dot................... Epson then buys the now insolvent European RF business with Cosina and markets the new RD-3 now made in Germany from rare elements excavated from within the core of the moon and sold as ..... Leica DM7 (or DMP for older style version). Panasonic make the batteries software n stuff. Panasonic own version is badged the PL-E with a short RF base and 40 mm lens, chassis made from alloy. Memory card loaded by removal of the base plate.

I need to get out more, I'll get my coat..

 

[fgianni]

Or would you be racing to the phone to call B&H to see if they have any R-D 1s in stock?

That's what I did, and I am quite happy with my RD-1, won't upgrade it for anything less than a full frame sensor.

 

[Doug]

Okay, let's play focus group. Taking the most widely-spread rumors as fact, and doing some interpolating of camera-industry trends, suppose I told you that the following are the details of the digital M: ...

Not a chance; no shred of interest in the proposed digital. Has to be much more like a digital M7. But then I wouldn't buy an RD-1 either.

 

[jlw]

Well, if I were Leica and this were my focus group, I think I would have gotten the message by now. The "digital M," if and when it ever appears, had darn well better be a lot like an M7, only with a digital imager on the back. If it's not, the Leica faithful will be marching on my schloss with torches and pitchforks.

I've gotta say I'm in 100% agreement with this view. I like my R-D 1 a lot, and I wouldn't buy another M-mount digital camera unless it were a real optical-rangefinder camera with improved features and capabilities.

How Leica could make such a camera for only $1500 (list) above the current price of a film M7 baffles me, but if they can bring it off, more power to them. Otherwise, it looks as if "accept no substitutes" is the motto of our little band of zealots -- which of course includes me!

 

[paulh]

No coupled rangefinder, no digital m for me!
Still waiting .....

 

[JoeFriday]

Panasonic own version is badged the PL-E with a short RF base and 40 mm lens, chassis made from alloy. Memory card loaded by removal of the base plate.

actually, that model would be PL-EZ (pronounced: Please!)

 

[Doug]

How Leica could make such a camera for only $1500 (list) above the current price of a film M7 baffles me, but if they can bring it off, more power to them. Otherwise, it looks as if "accept no substitutes" is the motto of our little band of zealots -- which of course includes me!

The $5k prediction struck me as low too, not that I know anything... But I predict the usual Leica-type sticker shock when it's at least twice the co$t of an M7.

 

[Kin Lau]

How about the Sony chip, which is aps-c sized with live preview and an electronic shutter but skip the live preview part, and just have the totally silent electronic shutter. You won't even need a lever to wind the shutter.

If the DMR is any indication, then it'll be a 1.3x crop, not a 1.6x

 

[richard_l]

So, if those were the specs, how enthusiastic would you be about buying a "digital M"? Would you be counting your nickels and listing your kidneys on eBay?

No.

Or would you be racing to the phone to call B&H to see if they have any R-D 1s in stock?

No.

Among other things, I have a strong aversion to mounting my lenses on any camera which will reduce the field of view for which they were designed. I can't justify feeling that way, I just do. If film were to completely bite the dust, and there were no M-mount cameras with a film-quality full frame sensor, then I would defect to a digital system with dedicated lenses or else make do with a good digital P&S.

Richard

 

[ywenz]

How about the Sony chip, which is aps-c sized with live preview and an electronic shutter but skip the live preview part, and just have the totally silent electronic shutter. You won't even need a lever to wind the shutter.

If the DMR is any indication, then it'll be a 1.3x crop, not a 1.6x

but would that sony still have the tremendous shutter lag that all P&S have? I think for me, on those P&S, the lag is more of a barrier to getting comfortable with it than the smallish CCD size....