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Jack MacDonough · 02/28/08, 07:37 PM

I bought the M8 for compactness and huge IQ thanks to lenses and maybe no AA. No longer for "quiet", as a digital P&S has no shutter and so is totally silent. If ithere were no M, and just a DSLR sized camera I would probably stay Canon or even now go Nikon, so a Leica DSLR is not on my shopping list.
On a RF,I don't care about the finder "seeing" beyond the frame as sometimes I will shoot without even using the finder, merely pointing. I do care about setting manual focus, but wish it were more precise on medioum lenses.. So a focus confirmation would be delightful for the next camera. I need the lenses to be as small as they are now, or I might as well use a DSLR.
Regarding the question" is a RF a gone concept"? No. I say all the P&Ss are actually range finders in that they don't use a mirror to allow you to see what you are shooting or shot. It's the mirror in an SLR that will be considered antique in 5 years.
If one were inventing a camera for the next generation, I would figure out how to have a "live view", focus confirmation, and the current viewfinder with electronic finder lines, but no "range finder" window. Dropping the RF window and mechanism has to save space and cost.
Eventually, probably soon, an electronic viewfinder will be high enough quality and cost effective to replace the optical viewfinder. Then it will be the DSLR's having a choice as to keeping the expensive mirror and penta-prism.
Will this be an effective business model? maybe not. But in any case I'm delighted they introduced the M8 as it sure has displaced the need for a giant DSLR on everything but long telephoto shots. And I sure hope they figure out how to keep alive.

02/28/08, 07:37 PM	#89 (permalink)
Jack MacDonough Benutzer Join Date: 10/31/06 Posts: 52	Re: Erwin Puts on Leicas future I bought the M8 for compactness and huge IQ thanks to lenses and maybe no AA. No longer for "quiet", as a digital P&S has no shutter and so is totally silent. If ithere were no M, and just a DSLR sized camera I would probably stay Canon or even now go Nikon, so a Leica DSLR is not on my shopping list. On a RF,I don't care about the finder "seeing" beyond the frame as sometimes I will shoot without even using the finder, merely pointing. I do care about setting manual focus, but wish it were more precise on medioum lenses.. So a focus confirmation would be delightful for the next camera. I need the lenses to be as small as they are now, or I might as well use a DSLR. Regarding the question" is a RF a gone concept"? No. I say all the P&Ss are actually range finders in that they don't use a mirror to allow you to see what you are shooting or shot. It's the mirror in an SLR that will be considered antique in 5 years. If one were inventing a camera for the next generation, I would figure out how to have a "live view", focus confirmation, and the current viewfinder with electronic finder lines, but no "range finder" window. Dropping the RF window and mechanism has to save space and cost. Eventually, probably soon, an electronic viewfinder will be high enough quality and cost effective to replace the optical viewfinder. Then it will be the DSLR's having a choice as to keeping the expensive mirror and penta-prism. Will this be an effective business model? maybe not. But in any case I'm delighted they introduced the M8 as it sure has displaced the need for a giant DSLR on everything but long telephoto shots. And I sure hope they figure out how to keep alive.