The next digital M: When?

pmu said:
Yes you did, thanks. Maybe the pricing of the products were also decided in isolation? The pricing seems to be always very high -- regardless if the product is "up to date" or not.

Remember this?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/860546-REG/Leica_18753_X2_EVF2_Electronic_Accessory.html
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...260058_VF_2_Electronic_Viewfinder_Silver.html
Click to expand...

Welcome to the world of luxury products... you buy them because you want them, not necessarily because they are the best.
 
All of this stuff is very high. I remember when Leica M was over twice the price of the top of the line Canons and Nikons.

The stuff that means something to me. Output. I don't use FPS or need it. I don't need automation. I do like great output and the files thus the prints from the MM are amazing. And to think an 18mp camera can hold it's own resolution wise when compared to a 36mp Nikon.
http://blog.mingthein.com/2012/05/27/leica-m-monochrom-vs-d800e/
 
froyd said:
I agree with those who have pointed out that an old digital camera can continue to be a great image taker after its replacement model is issued; however, comparisons with film cameras do not hold up.

Digital obsolesce, whether planned or not, follows a very different from obsolescence of classic film gear. Sure, I'm using a 50 years old camera as my daily shooter, and it works now pretty much as well as it worked when new. One day something might happen to it that will not be worth paying to repair, but the only other thing that would make the camera useless to me would be the disappearance of film and tools dedicated to the hybrid process.

This last threat is MUCH more pronounced for digital items. Anyone with Sony and Olympus cameras from the beginning of the century can tell you that while Memory Sticks and XD cards have become much less common and impossible to find in most brick and mortar stores. I have a Minolta Dimage camera that's been rendered useless by the disappearance of batteries that work with it. I have had a photo printer that I could only get to work with my Win 7 64 bit environment by jumping through several hoops. Same for a really good camcorder I own...still shoots excellent video, but I need to use XP to transfer it to my computer.
Click to expand...

EXACTLY. Very well said, and my point exactly.

I'd love Leica to succeed - there needs to be both this specific company and a higher end option in the market.

But Fuji and now Sony are making truly innovative cameras in this field, and frankly once you take rich hobbyists and shelf-queen collectors out of the equation they are going to mop the floor with Leica...that's not good.

Brand positioning or no, I'd expect more innovation from a premium-priced product.
 
jsrockit said:
Welcome to the world of luxury products... you buy them because you want them, not necessarily because they are the best.
Click to expand...

Yep. And that's why I do not own a digital Leica.

I do not need or want to own the most luxurious camera on the market, but I definitely would like to have "the best" digital camera ever. To me that would be what I mentioned earlier: Leica M body with a super high dynamic 25mpix monochrome sensor without LCD. Not going to happen, though.
 
Last edited:
Oh lord... maybe I should stop explaining because the point seems to be lost completely
Click to expand...

Maybe you better do stop. I get your point very well and feel the same about it. Problem is that the market leica is after isn't thinking like you. It is the premium price market, not the ultimate camera market.

Reminds me a bit of the joke about the engineer and his bill after he traced a fault and put a chalk cross on the defective part: "$1: chalk, $999 knowing where to put the cross". Leica is "$1000 components, $6995: 1 red dot".

Michael Markey said:
I voted , bad battery life and bought two Sigma Merrills 😉
Click to expand...

Excellent choice. Hope you got a couple of spare batteries as well.
 
I would say Leica is far from the most luxurious camera on the market Blads and Phase one maybe and if you do B&W street work there really isn't a better digital tool than the MM.
 
pmu said:
Yep. And that's why I do not own a digital Leica.

I do not need or want to own the most luxurious camera on the market, but I definitely would like to have "the best" digital camera ever. To me that would be what I mentioned earlier: Leica M body with a super high dynamic 25mpix monochrome sensor without LCD. Not going to happen, though.
Click to expand...


The clue as to why people still buy them, despite them not being the most advanced digital on the market, is at the top of the page.

Rangefinder .... they are the only game in town.

As to the price well, they charge what the market will bear and seemingly they can`t make enough of them.
 
f16sunshine said:
As an admirer of your MM images this statements makes me curious.


What do you use for color images? Are you strictly composing B+W images with the MM at the moment?
Click to expand...

Thanks so much. Pro work. I plan on moving from Canon to Leica M in the next couple of years and not replacing the Canon stuff when it needs to be retired. I will still use the MM for my personal work though and some commercial projects that require B&W...
 
Better Screen on the MM would be nice but not a deal breaker. Use it mainly to do menu work and the odd time check the histogram.
I find this looking at the screen after every shot a waste. I watched a photojournalist work a few weeks back. He was working an event and he checked that damn screen after every shot without fault. It looked more like habit than necessity. I kept thinking about all the shots he was missing looking at that damn screen.
On this idea that the M camera needs to weigh less. I can't help but think that if an M9 is too heavy for you I can't imagine how hard it must be to change a tire or take out the garbage. 🙂
 
airfrogusmc said:
Less features is exactly the point for me and many like me. The more stuff the more separated the photographer gets from the process. My MM has more features than I want or need and I have no reason to upgrade. The resolution is more than enough for me as well as the low light capabilities. I will shoot with this camera until it dies and I can no longer get it repaired. Come on get off the gadget go round. It can be extremely rewarding.
Click to expand...

Spot on! The MM is the ONLY camera I've ever used where I do not feel limited, which happens to be a personal opinion based on 20+ years of shooting.

Once you accept you've got something good enough... you'll go out and make yourself better.
 
X-Pro 2

X-Pro 2

Colin Corneau said:
EXACTLY. Very well said, and my point exactly.

I'd love Leica to succeed - there needs to be both this specific company and a higher end option in the market.

But Fuji and now Sony are making truly innovative cameras in this field, and frankly once you take rich hobbyists and shelf-queen collectors out of the equation they are going to mop the floor with Leica...that's not good.

Brand positioning or no, I'd expect more innovation from a premium-priced product.
Click to expand...

Lets face it, the X-Pro 2 could be that mop you are talking about. Fuji will better Sony in performance with a new sensor which will have the resolution of the A7r. The formidable Fujinon lenses will be capable of incredible resolution with the new sensor, making full frame irrelevant. It will be the best digital street camera for the buck. The X-Pro 2 will be almost exactly the same as the X-Pro 1, but will have the evf technology of the X-T1 combined with the optical viewfinder. It will be a larger viewfinder as well with better eye relief. Yes, there may be trouble in Leica land , but I am sure the die-hards will stay with Leica. they could, however, by the new X-Pro 2 as a backup. The danger is, the backup may become the main camera!
 
eleskin said:
Lets face it, the X-Pro 2 could be that mop you are talking about. Fuji will better Sony in performance with a new sensor which will have the resolution of the A7r. The formidable Fujinon lenses will be capable of incredible resolution with the new sensor, making full frame irrelevant. It will be the best digital street camera for the buck. The X-Pro 2 will be almost exactly the same as the X-Pro 1, but will have the evf technology of the X-T1 combined with the optical viewfinder. It will be a larger viewfinder as well with better eye relief. Yes, there may be trouble in Leica land , but I am sure the die-hards will stay with Leica. they could, however, by the new X-Pro 2 as a backup. The danger is, the backup may become the main camera!
Click to expand...

All great reasons I will stay away. I am not a fan of the Xpro1....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

F
What is the best non M digital body for M lenses?
2
Replies
23
Views
873
shawn
S
PatrickT
How long do we think digital Leica M cameras will last?
5 6 7
Replies
130
Views
8K
Dogman
Dogman
J
  • Article Article
Leica Cameras of the Future: A Long-time Leica Fan’s Wish ListAn upgraded M EV1, a Leica I (Model A) replica, a slim retro compact!
Replies
3
Views
280
neal3k
neal3k
R
Leica Digital M (11-D) Bugs
Replies
6
Views
1K
Photon42
Photon42
pacco
Round trip around the Baltic Sea
2
Replies
20
Views
571
pacco
pacco
Back
Top Bottom