T Time

[dct]

My 1st thought after the announcement was: Do they release an APS-C (expected!) CSC with all known goodies from the other interesting CSCs offerings around?
(My personal favorites: Sony NEX-6, Pana GX7, Fujix XE-2)

Check 1: Integrated VF? NO
Check 2: Mostly classic camera controls? NO
Done, the T is definitely not for me.

But why all this whining and arguing about the marketing decisions of Leica in these threads?
You don't like it? Go for another brand!

 

[Mcary]

As for the T, I'm just gonna sit on my hands and wait for some early adopters to actually use it before forming a substantial opinion. I like how it looks, for sure. Especially with that 23 ...

Sounds like excellent and well thought out plan, think I'll do the same.

I'm hoping that the Leica Stores will be doing some T-Days over the summer fall if so I plan on attending one.

As for how many Leica sells, hope the meet or exceed their market goals.

 

[p.giannakis]

I think that Leica should open a forum where photographers would give suggestions as to how they would like the next Leica to be. Leica should take their recommendations seriously and make a good quality product (they are good at it anyway...).
That's my 2c...

 

[btgc]

I think that Leica should open a forum where photographers would give suggestions as to how they would like the next Leica to be. Leica should take their recommendations seriously and make a good quality product (they are good at it anyway...).
That's my 2c...

I think they already monitor major internet forums. What they would do is to take orders to engineer completely custom cameras and lenses for people who by barrel mean liquid not shape.

 

[willie_901]

The blog/comments really aren't about the T specifically. It's about what the T reveals about what sort of company Leica actually is now opposed to what it once was.

Leica survived a serious financial crisis that threatened it's long-term existence.

In 2006 ACM Projektentwicklung GmbH (privately held by Andreas Kaufmann and his brother Michael) became Leica's majority shareholder.

In 2011 The Blackstone Group acquired 44% of Leica shares. The Blackstone Group L.P.'s business involves private equity, investment banking, alternative asset management and financial services. The Leica brand is just one of their private equity investments.

Leica is now 100% privately owned. As an aside, Leica's relationship with Hermes is only a marketing/distribution channel partnership.

In 2011 Herberg, Blackstone senior managing director,said, “We are very excited about supporting Leica to secure long-term commercial relationships, specifically in emerging markets, and help strengthen the company's operational and retailing capabilities globally,” I added the italics.

The funding for the T was approved by two business investment groups. One from Wall Street and one from Salzburg. The camera reflects their vision. Those who find value in the T will be pleased Leica's future products as well.

 

[YYV_146]

The bottom line is, this is a camera that:

1. Requires a stand-alone EVF with no physical lock.

2. Cannot change most functions when brought up to the eye.

3. With only two native lenses and two others with no release date.

I won't touch any camera with either one of the three...

 

[Ko.Fe.]

My sincere apologies to OP and forum members.

Popular brand new camera release always triggers massTurbations among gearheads.
The link provided is another act of the same behavior in addition to exactly the same going on here.
Nothing new...

Due to my respect to OP and RFF this is my last post about this T-chunk of aluminum with
mediocre performance specs.

Once they have it with FF, I'll be lusting all over it, I promise 🙂

 

[Out to Lunch]

Leica is a niche player in the electronic world where industrial conglomerates like Sony and Fuji have the financial and operational muscle to output 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.

 

[funkydog]

For anyone that's bent out of shape over the expensive EVF and lack of flip up LCD, the iPad or smartphone that you already have can serve as cordless EVF, liveview LCD, and remote control. Is that cool or what?

The following functions are available:
- Camera live view
- Control capture settings
- Triggering the camera
- Start / Stop video recording
- View, download and share images from the camera
- Delete images

Leica T app in the Apple appstore
Leica hasnt updated their Android app yet, the one on Google Play is for the C.

 

[Chuck Albertson]

For anyone that's bent out of shape over the expensive EVF and lack of flip up LCD, the iPad or smartphone that you already have can serve as cordless EVF, liveview LCD, and remote control. Is that cool or what?


Leica T app in the Apple appstore
Leica hasnt updated their Android app yet, the one on Google Play is for the C.

Up to a point. According to this review http://www.reddotforum.com/content.php/343-Leica-T-(Typ-701)-Review (quite a good one, I think) the WiFi link must go through a router; it won't link directly to a phone or tab.

 

[Ken Ford]

Up to a point. According to this review http://www.reddotforum.com/content.php/343-Leica-T-(Typ-701)-Review (quite a good one, I think) the WiFi link must go through a router; it won't like directly to a phone or tab.

I saw that too, but I came away wondering if you needed a router to initially establish and configure the relationship or if you needed it all the time.

 

[Godfrey]

The bottom line is, this is a camera that:

1. Requires a stand-alone EVF with no physical lock.

2. Cannot change most functions when brought up to the eye.

3. With only two native lenses and two others with no release date.

I won't touch any camera with either one of the three...

Interesting list of three. Either one? 🙂

-1 Many who buy it likely will never use the EVF. (That's not me, btw. 🙂

-2 If I read the reviews correctly, the two knobs are configurable for exposure settings when the camera is brought to your eye. I never change anything else at eye level. What do you need there? I'm curious.

-3 The press release said two additional lenses will be available for Photokina in the Fall. The wide zoom is the interesting one to me, for longer lenses I find adaptation of manual lenses to be fine.

Of course it's not an ideal camera for all purposes. Neither is an M, a DSLR, or a Hasselblad for that matter. It does seem to be fine for the range of things I normally want out of a light, small, handy camera for.

G

 

[Godfrey]

Up to a point. According to this review http://www.reddotforum.com/content.php/343-Leica-T-(Typ-701)-Review (quite a good one, I think) the WiFi link must go through a router; it won't like directly to a phone or tab.

Hard to say until a manual is available. All the other cameras with WiFi in them can use an existing network or be a dedicated hotspot, I think.. I would imagine the capability is there in the T too, but can't tell from the existing data.

G

 

[urban_alchemist]

I find it very funny how so many here are confusing their perfect camera, with a camera that makes sound commercial sense.

Is the T for me? No.

Do I think it's a great idea? Yes.

In essence, it's just carved out a new niche for itself in the mirrorless market: high-design, ultra-high quality (difficult to do - just ask Hasselblad), with a radical new UI unlike any other camera on the market.

Add in Leica's to-die-for name recognition, and the undoubtedly stellar optics, and you've got a relative no-brainer for people who are not hardcore photographers (most probably won't even buy the EV) and can stomach the cost.

I'll stick to the combo of my Ms + my Ricoh GR thank you very much, but then again I am a Luddite 😉

 

[YYV_146]

Interesting list of three. Either one? 🙂

-1 Many who buy it likely will never use the EVF. (That's not me, btw. 🙂

-2 If I read the reviews correctly, the two knobs are configurable for exposure settings when the camera is brought to your eye. I never change anything else at eye level. What do you need there? I'm curious.

-3 The press release said two additional lenses will be available for Photokina in the Fall. The wide zoom is the interesting one to me, for longer lenses I find adaptation of manual lenses to be fine.

Of course it's not an ideal camera for all purposes. Neither is an M, a DSLR, or a Hasselblad for that matter. It does seem to be fine for the range of things I normally want out of a light, small, handy camera for.

G

If I am using T lenses I would need to adjust aperture and shutter speeds with the top dials, which leaves no dial left for ISO. I know people usually allow one of the three to adjust automatically - but with EVF cameras I've grown accustomed to setting all the parameters myself. The lack of a dedicated ISO dial is hence troubling.

If I'm shooting with M lenses, I need at least one focus assist button in the rear. On the A7 I actually map two buttons to focus assist, and use a different button for horizontal/vertical shooting. In tricky light I also go between WB profiles and peaking color/strength without taking my eye away from the EVF (How would I know which peaking color works best if I'm not looking through the EVF when I change settings?), so three extra buttons would be nice.

I don't think this is too much to ask - personally I believe simplicity in camera bodies is way overrated: why would people give up extra ability to nail down imaging parameters and deliver better results? But of course many will disagree...

The external EVF is no doubt fine and up to date, but without a lock I fear that you can lose it as easily as you lose a lens cap. I lost my first VF2 this way...so use a magnet, a bayonet or whatever, but Leica should make sure that the ($600) EVF won't leave the body once attached.

 

[Godfrey]

If I am using T lenses I would need to adjust aperture and shutter speeds with the top dials, which leaves no dial left for ISO. I know people usually allow one of the three to adjust automatically - but with EVF cameras I've grown accustomed to setting all the parameters myself. The lack of a dedicated ISO dial is hence troubling.

Interesting. That description presumes mostly manual exposure operation, because in most uses of my cameras (Av mode mostly) I find myself using use the aperture and EV compensation dial. When I go to manual mode, I set ISO first, then am looking through the camera to set shutter and aperture.

If I'm shooting with M lenses, I need at least one focus assist button in the rear. On the A7 I actually map two buttons to focus assist, and use a different button for horizontal/vertical shooting. In tricky light I also go between WB profiles and peaking color/strength without taking my eye away from the EVF (How would I know which peaking color works best if I'm not looking through the EVF when I change settings?), so three extra buttons would be nice.

Well, there's no focus peaking so that's not an issue. The left dial becomes focus assist by default with manual lenses, and for manual exposure mode you have access to shutter on the right dial and aperture on the lens. (I hope the right dial is configurable to EV comp for Av mode.)

I see much goodness in striving for simplicity ... but just how simple is always the twitchy part. I'm sure we don't have the whole story just yet on this camera, but it might be too far in the simple direction for the kind of shooting you do, and maybe that I do.

(I have not had the displeasure of losing any EVFs myself, btw. None of my cameras with clip-on EVF has had a locking clip, and I've not found the EVFs overly eager to leap off over the past 7 years. Perhaps I just handle them a little differently from how you do.)

As I've said, it's a very interesting camera. It's certainly not the best camera for all purposes, but I think it has a viable place in the camera pantheon. It can't replace my A7 for using R lenses, for instance, and it can't replace my E-M1 for total system performance and versatility. It can, however, replace my M9 and X2, which are both somewhat limited range of use cameras in my perception.

Can't wait to get a chance to play with one. 🙂

G

 

[funkydog]

Good news for auto iso lovers, from my understanding of the reddotforum's review, it appears that the T's auto iso is everything that the Sony A7's much criticized auto iso is not. Wheeeee.

 

[willie_901]

Hard to say until a manual is available. All the other cameras with WiFi in them can use an existing network or be a dedicated hotspot, I think.. I would imagine the capability is there in the T too, but can't tell from the existing data.

G

Just for completeness, the Fujifilm XT-1 communicates directly with mobile devices for remote operation. The XT-1 and some other Fujifilms (XE-2?) require a router to transfer full-sized images to computers.

And,

Power efficient, compact battery powered WiFI routers are very inexpensive. The CamRanger (for Nikons, Canons and motorized tripod heads) is based on one of many compact routers.

 

[Aristophanes]

You either like the aluminum block concept or you do not.

You either like the add-on EVF or you do not.

You accept like the minimal touchscreen control system or you do not.

You can live with very expensive glass with no stabilization or you cannot.

You can live without AE and AF lock options or you cannot.

You are comfortable paying US$1,850 for a 3 year-old sensor from Sony.

 

[coelacanth]

My take as personal camera, not for my work:

You either like the aluminum block concept or you do not.
I do.

You either like the add-on EVF or you do not.
For "GR" type of walkabout camera, which I think the T is, I won't use EVF at all.

You accept like the minimal touchscreen control system or you do not.
I do.

You can live with very expensive glass with no stabilization or you cannot.
I can.

You can live without AE and AF lock options or you cannot.
Hard to tell with my current understanding of the T's UI.

You are comfortable paying US$1,850 for a 3 year-old sensor from Sony.
I'm basically fine with what today's good sensors can do so I guess yes.