Leica User Forum - View Single Post - Why is there no auto-focus for any of Leica's cameras/lenses?

pascal_meheut · 08/08/06, 09:14 AM

Nice post by John_f, good resume of previous conversation.

About the reasons, I think it was taken at one of the worst period of Leica camera, when they were refusing all new technologies: no AF, no fast shutter, no HP viewfinder, no matrix metering... Probably because of hubris and lack of money...

When the R8 came out, adopting all of these ten years after the competitors, switching to AF was clearly out of reach financially.

But I do not believe in the many excuses:

- For the SLR cameras, the viewfinder of an AF camera is nowhere near as easy to focus manually than a good manual focus camera
This is just a screen problem. AF screens are designed to support low-speed lenses. Leica could go to AF and give us the choice between AF and MF optimized screens. Some people use screen with manual focus help on Nikon and Canons and are ok with them

- There would not be enough space in the camera (even in R8!) to put a phase-detection module (the device that calculates the AF) of a level that would meet our quality criteria
Big joke especially because Leica high-level representative said the contrary in other interviews, that the module was not the problem, just the lenses

- We would have to introduce some "slack" in the focusing helicoidal mechanism in order to facilitate the work of the focusing motors (IMHO, a genuine issue as Leica lenses use very tight tolerances for their helicoids - which is totally the opposite of modern AF lenses)
see next point

- Available focusing motors (USM-like or in-camera) would not be powerful enough (or have enough torque) to quickly focus our lenses, which unlike Japanese lenses, use (heavy) all-glass elements and not plastic (I was actually told this by a high-ranking manager at Leica in 1998, believe it or not)
Some modern Leica lenses do not need a huge amount of torque to focus: the 19/2.8, the 180/2.8 APO & the 280/4 APO for instance, i.e. the internal focusing lenses.
So Leica could adapt some optical design to AF at least. We do not need every lens to be AF. A 21-35, 50, 35-70, 90, 180 & 280 would be a good start and allow to use AF for the subjects which need it.

- And finally, one the best ones: we would have to completely re-design our lens mount and adopt a bigger wider mount ... (not sure I want to believe that one)
Sure. Pentax managed to go AF by keeping the same mount and it is very close to the Leica one. Nikon kept its mount and its small too...

I too wants to keep the capability to focus manually and the well-built, last for ever Leica lenses. But I think this is not a "fromage or dessert" case as we said in France. We could have both at virtually no ease of use cost.

08/08/06, 09:14 AM	#11 (permalink)
pascal_meheut Erfahrener Benutzer Join Date: 09/26/02 Posts: 953	Re: Why is there no auto-focus for any of Leica's cameras/lenses? Nice post by John_f, good resume of previous conversation. About the reasons, I think it was taken at one of the worst period of Leica camera, when they were refusing all new technologies: no AF, no fast shutter, no HP viewfinder, no matrix metering... Probably because of hubris and lack of money... When the R8 came out, adopting all of these ten years after the competitors, switching to AF was clearly out of reach financially. But I do not believe in the many excuses: - For the SLR cameras, the viewfinder of an AF camera is nowhere near as easy to focus manually than a good manual focus camera This is just a screen problem. AF screens are designed to support low-speed lenses. Leica could go to AF and give us the choice between AF and MF optimized screens. Some people use screen with manual focus help on Nikon and Canons and are ok with them - There would not be enough space in the camera (even in R8!) to put a phase-detection module (the device that calculates the AF) of a level that would meet our quality criteria Big joke especially because Leica high-level representative said the contrary in other interviews, that the module was not the problem, just the lenses - We would have to introduce some "slack" in the focusing helicoidal mechanism in order to facilitate the work of the focusing motors (IMHO, a genuine issue as Leica lenses use very tight tolerances for their helicoids - which is totally the opposite of modern AF lenses) see next point - Available focusing motors (USM-like or in-camera) would not be powerful enough (or have enough torque) to quickly focus our lenses, which unlike Japanese lenses, use (heavy) all-glass elements and not plastic (I was actually told this by a high-ranking manager at Leica in 1998, believe it or not) Some modern Leica lenses do not need a huge amount of torque to focus: the 19/2.8, the 180/2.8 APO & the 280/4 APO for instance, i.e. the internal focusing lenses. So Leica could adapt some optical design to AF at least. We do not need every lens to be AF. A 21-35, 50, 35-70, 90, 180 & 280 would be a good start and allow to use AF for the subjects which need it. - And finally, one the best ones: we would have to completely re-design our lens mount and adopt a bigger wider mount ... (not sure I want to believe that one) Sure. Pentax managed to go AF by keeping the same mount and it is very close to the Leica one. Nikon kept its mount and its small too... I too wants to keep the capability to focus manually and the well-built, last for ever Leica lenses. But I think this is not a "fromage or dessert" case as we said in France. We could have both at virtually no ease of use cost.