ywenz
Veteran
Tuolumne said:
Well obviously... at the premium Leica will be chargin for such a marvolous cam, I better expect adequate raw buffer... If they don't.. why i oughtaa..
mac_wt
Cameras are like bunnies
I like the idea of the digital CL. It could even come with a fixed lens (that way the 'crop factor' becomes irrelevant and sensor size becomes less of an issue). I would like a relatively compact digital camera with a big viewfinder and real manual focus. But I don't think that Leica could get it within my price range (€ 600 - 800, maybe a bit more for the Leica brand and service).
Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
I think they tried that already with the Minilux, with a 40mm f/2.5 (or is it 2.4?) lensMarc-A. said:That's a good idea Eric! I would love a Leica AF like the the Hexar AF (but a more simple camera to use than the Hexar AF): 35mm lens, a Summilux for instance; aperture priority; silent mode, small ... . Yes that would be great
Silent mode, though. That would be sweet.
Let's create a sub-sub-sub forum to discuss that one camera!
gb hill
Veteran
If this Mr. Lee is merging Leica with Panasonic, and I already know Panasonic & Leica styles of the same bodies exhist today, (which is a big mistake IMHO). If Mr Lee is going after the soccer moms of America, and thinks he can compete with Canon and Nikon. He's driving the nail in the coffin for Leica. Go to a Circuit City and check out the prices on the Rebel xti and the new slr Nikon has out. These are great quality cameras at fantastic prices. Panasonic, with several other brands will fall in the next while I beleive, unless R&D comes up with something truly amazing. Leica is a nitche company and they will not survive the ditigal race if they go this route i'm afraid.
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Gabriel M.A.
My Red Dot Glows For You
I think fake weather sealing's fine so far. I really wouldn't want any fake weather to get into my M8.Harry Lime said:
Chris101
summicronia
As a 'soccer boyfriend' I have to agree with the notion that a Leica would appeal to soccer moms is, using another American term, whack. Sure name recognition and status are important to soccer moms. However one thing they all agree on is that size matters.
c.poulton
Well-known
I just hope that Leica keep producing lenses for 35mm film format - we have already lost the 28-35-50mm Tri-Elmar to the 16-18-21mm built exclusively for the M8's 1.33 crop factor sensor! What's next?
Basically, I think a lot of the members here want Leica to pick up the price range that Epson just vacated with the cease of production of the RD-1. A Leica CL for the 21st century would be ideal. I believe that it must be an interchangeable lens camera to woo over all those with existing LTM and M-mount lenses. I've got my S-Mount to M-Mount adapter just waiting.
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
Have we? I thought the wideangle Tri-Elmar was built to cover the full 24x36 format.c.poulton said:
Philipp
icebear
Veteran
No heresy but quality bummer
No heresy but quality bummer
Hi Eric, there hasn't been a lot of response to your wish for autofocus, so I guess it's clear to most users that this road is a deadend for lens quality. Just compare and Canon FD lens (manual focus) to the EOS/ED (autofocus lenses) Because you pack all the motor mechanics into the lens, it gets bulky and the lens throw needs to complement what the motor can drive. The bulkier lenses would block too much of the rf. You will never get the same accuracy with the autofocus movement. Tolerences will have to be significantly larger. That's not what you want to compromize for that feature.
No heresy but quality bummer
Eric T said:
Hi Eric, there hasn't been a lot of response to your wish for autofocus, so I guess it's clear to most users that this road is a deadend for lens quality. Just compare and Canon FD lens (manual focus) to the EOS/ED (autofocus lenses) Because you pack all the motor mechanics into the lens, it gets bulky and the lens throw needs to complement what the motor can drive. The bulkier lenses would block too much of the rf. You will never get the same accuracy with the autofocus movement. Tolerences will have to be significantly larger. That's not what you want to compromize for that feature.
ferider
Veteran
Ben Z said:
There is no way you can build an equivalent camera for US 2000, in China or elsewhere.
Check Sensor prices. M8 sensor is made in the US, BTW.
Roland.
S
StuartR
Guest
I imagine the people to whom it matters would also include the senior management and workers of Leica Camera AG, the majority of whom live in Solms and Wetzlar.
Tuolumne
Veteran
It's interesting...no one here has a really bang up idea for what Leica should do next. Doesn't bode well for the company.
/T
/T
John Shriver
Well-known
As I've mentioned somewhere before, it would be trivial to make a "smart frameline" finder for the next Leica rangefinder camera. Throw out the metal mask, the arm that moves it, and the illuminating window. Install a small LCD display, monochrome, backlit. It displays the correct framelines. You just need to read the lens lug, and a very high resolution shaft encoder on the rangefinder arm. That can automatically create the right frameline, including parallax and frame size compensation. It can also use the six-bit code (if available) to display just the one correct frameline, rather than both ones associated with that lens lug cut.
There could even be a menu to control how conservative to make the framelines (90% to 110%), how thick to make them, solid or corners only. They could also display the lens focal length at the bottom. Heck, they can display the shutter speed there too, along with the exposure readout.
Of course, the menu would also allow selecting an arbitrary focal length, just in case you're using a Hektor 73mm lens, a Summarex 85mm, or a Nikkor 105mm, none of which have framelines in any M camera today.
You also get framelines that don't depend on ambient light for illumination. This may also allow some changes in the optical path of the finder.
The frameline illumination level can also be set by the external photocell, since you obviously do want to dim them indoors.
There could even be a menu to control how conservative to make the framelines (90% to 110%), how thick to make them, solid or corners only. They could also display the lens focal length at the bottom. Heck, they can display the shutter speed there too, along with the exposure readout.
Of course, the menu would also allow selecting an arbitrary focal length, just in case you're using a Hektor 73mm lens, a Summarex 85mm, or a Nikkor 105mm, none of which have framelines in any M camera today.
You also get framelines that don't depend on ambient light for illumination. This may also allow some changes in the optical path of the finder.
The frameline illumination level can also be set by the external photocell, since you obviously do want to dim them indoors.
c.poulton
Well-known
rxmd said:
Philipp, yes you are absolutely right - the Tri-Elmar does indeed cover 24x36, I stand corrected...
However, Leica have stopped selling the 28-35-50mm which the 16-18-21mm replaces. (Equivalent 28-35-50mm on the M8 if you factor in sensor crop) I am concerned about Leica moving too far down the digital road...
V
varjag
Guest
Perhaps a no-frills M8. No LCD, no engravings, zinc top Maybe bluetooth/wifi link to external, separately sold, companion storage gadget with LCD. That might bring the costs down a bit, as well as make camera slimmer again.
Maybe bluetooth/wifi link to external, separately sold, companion storage gadget with LCD. That might bring the costs down a bit, as well as make camera slimmer again.
Iron Flatline
Guy in a Suit
The whole soccer-mom thing is easy. I wish they simply put a good design team on customizing the next D-Lux, they can even rebrand it as the digital CM.
What they ought to do... (as a business man I hate these threads where outsiders [without discernable business skills] give business advice) ... is they should really create a retro-design package. This has worked incredibly well for companies like Mini. If they could come up with a classic design that offers full auto as well as substantial manual controls, they could have a real design icon. This is imperative for company like Leica. It could do more for them long-term than yet another lens where people who never really shoot pictures complain about back-focusing or whatever else is irking every forum user that month.
There's plenty of soccer moms (or other regular consumers with actual disposable income) that would prefer something cool rather than another mega-pixel high-ISO lots-of-function camera. No one is catering to them right now.
Style matters, Leica has it, they're just not using it. They really need to stop listening to people like us who get deeply geeked over a bunch of functionality most consumers don't even understand, never mind use. Leica has limited resources, I understand that. But they're constantly playing defense by coming up with super-high end products that only we understand, but killing themselves in the consumer market by being 50% more than Panasonic with an effectively indescernable product.
MAKE IT COOLER!
....
Oh yeah, and a Full-Frame R10 with AF, while you're at it
What they ought to do... (as a business man I hate these threads where outsiders [without discernable business skills] give business advice) ... is they should really create a retro-design package. This has worked incredibly well for companies like Mini. If they could come up with a classic design that offers full auto as well as substantial manual controls, they could have a real design icon. This is imperative for company like Leica. It could do more for them long-term than yet another lens where people who never really shoot pictures complain about back-focusing or whatever else is irking every forum user that month.
There's plenty of soccer moms (or other regular consumers with actual disposable income) that would prefer something cool rather than another mega-pixel high-ISO lots-of-function camera. No one is catering to them right now.
Style matters, Leica has it, they're just not using it. They really need to stop listening to people like us who get deeply geeked over a bunch of functionality most consumers don't even understand, never mind use. Leica has limited resources, I understand that. But they're constantly playing defense by coming up with super-high end products that only we understand, but killing themselves in the consumer market by being 50% more than Panasonic with an effectively indescernable product.
MAKE IT COOLER!
....
Oh yeah, and a Full-Frame R10 with AF, while you're at it
rxmd
May contain traces of nut
The M8 has a crop factor of approximately 1.3; that means the angle of view for a 16-18-21 Tri-Elmar on the M8 is approximately 21-24-28. Quite far from the 28-35-50 that the normal Tri-Elmar covers. So no, the new lens is not replacing the old. A "replacement" would have focal lengths 21-28-35, approximately.c.poulton said:
Philipp
c.poulton
Well-known
Philipp, sorry, again I stand corrected and maybe my ignorance on anything digital is showing - or maybe I am just being paranoid?
Anyway, I wonder why Leica discontinued the 28-35-50, and not introduced a 21-28-35 as you so rightly pointed out would replace the 'old' Tri-Elmar on the M8, or at least keep manufacturing the 28-35-50 to offer some choice?
Anyway, I wonder why Leica discontinued the 28-35-50, and not introduced a 21-28-35 as you so rightly pointed out would replace the 'old' Tri-Elmar on the M8, or at least keep manufacturing the 28-35-50 to offer some choice?
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
The glass was no longer available at an acceptable price.