Leica: Good News from PMA

[flavio]

Thinking Leica lovers may like to know:

From The Luminous Landscape
PMA 07 Report


by Pete Myers

Leica

Leica has one of the sweetest "must have" toys of the show---the new C-LUX 2. It is a shirt pocket sized camera, with 28-100mm equivalent zoom at f2.8, optical image stabalization, a big 2.5" display---with a bright button for use out of doors. 7.2 Megs. $499.00 Panasonic shares the build of the camera above and introduces the DMC-FX30 at $349.00.

We had a chance to sit down with Stefan Daniel, the new project manager for M-System at Leica, and Christian Erhardt, Marketing Manager, Leica USA. It was a fine moment to catch up on all things M. As you can imagine, the house is on fire with the production of the Leica M8 and related M lenses. They simply cannot make enough product, fast enough to keep up with market demand. The Leica house is humming at full capacity. So get your order in if you intend to shoot an M8 this summer.

Of news is the release of the Leica Universal Viewfinder. It allows one to use all the wide lenses, including the wide tri-elmar, with parallax compensation and spirit level. Its a neat piece of engineering the further expands the M product capability.

Of great surprise is the news that both the Leica MP and M7 film camera sales have also risen in response to the release of the M8. They are once again solid selling products for Leica, and there are no plans to walk away from their flagship film products.

As a Leica MP photographer, I found this bit of news to be terrific. The dirt word---FILM---still makes sense for some of us.

[bono0272]

Any news on the R system?

[flavio]

Originally Posted by bono0272

Any news on the R system?

Not yet.

[bono0272]

So I should give up the expectation on the DMR new firmware. Sigh....

[chrisweeks]

i really wish i understood why leica continues with the R system.

nice lenses but the bodies are are, well, perhaps a bit outdated?

[john_f]

Chris,

IMHO, the new Leica Camera management is keenly aware that the current Leica R line is outdated (technology, design, features, size, weight, ergonomy, etc...) and have been working very hard to develop a more modern and up-to-date product. As a matter of fact, they are very much interested in our opinions and wishes for the next Leica R (they really do read the posts on this forum!). If you have any suggestions for the next R, feel free to post them! Any special features that you would like in the next R10 ?

The announcement of the next Leica "R10" digital (whatever its name will be) should be at Photokina 2008 (photokina cologne - imaging world), in late Sept '08, if not sooner.

John F.

[stunsworth]

John, I think you were doing ok until you mentioned that the ergonomics of the R8/9 were outdated :-). I think my R8 knocks spots of any of the 3 Canon digital SLRs I've used.

[Iron Flatline]

Man, Leica could differentiate itself from the market SO EASILY if they just offered RAW (or more specifically DNG) files for their Point-and-shoot products.

Sigh.

[robert_parker]

Originally Posted by Iron Flatline

Man, Leica could differentiate itself from the market SO EASILY if they just offered RAW (or more specifically DNG) files for their Point-and-shoot products.

Sigh.

Iron

The D-Lux 3 shoots RAW (but not DNG)

[cmb_]

I do not feel that my R9/DMR is outdated at all.

[fastdap@mac.com]

Originally Posted by cmb_

I do not feel that my R9/DMR is outdated at all.

The DMR is one of the best cameras on the market! What other dslr has a 16 bit colorspace? Yes, one can use Leica lenses manually on the Canon line via an adapter, but why? The DMR holds up to all dslr's, including the 1DsMK11. Megapixels are not everything.
mark

[telyt]

The DMR's image quality is outdated. 12- or 14-bit capture is so now

[Iron Flatline]

Originally Posted by robert_parker

Iron

The D-Lux 3 shoots RAW (but not DNG)

Wow, I stand corrected. Very cool. That will be our next P&S in the family. I hope their entire product range will offer that soon.

[rosuna]

Originally Posted by stunsworth

John, I think you were doing ok until you mentioned that the ergonomics of the R8/9 were outdated :-). I think my R8 knocks spots of any of the 3 Canon digital SLRs I've used.

I agree. The R8-R9 camera is different to any other reflex, and it has the best ergonomics I never seen in any reflex camera.

I would suggest Leica to use a 35FF Kodak sensor (CCD full frame type), to add electronic focus confirmation, to keep the R9 body and to control the price. That's all.

Autofocus lenses need a lot of electronics, different materials for the body and different glasses (lighter). I like, and most Leica aficionados like, the all metal superclass lenses of the R line. Leica can't compete against Canon or Nikon. They must to differentiate their products, and control the price, just that.

[flavio]

I concur, Leica is different and cannot play the same game C & N are playing. Maybe because they know this is the game they can win.

Leica can play different and offer more with their optics and *reliable* tools. I am one that prefer manual focus and do not like add complicated electronic autofocus gear and weigth for that.
Lower prices may be a good news, though I understand that Canon and Nikon higher level camera and optics are not so distant to the Leica ones.
Anyway, Leica might do something about. I'd see that as a good marketing step in order to gain market share.

[gdb]

I quite agree with Ruben. The ergonomy of the R8/9 is second to none. Just put a full frame chip with as good electronics as the DMR's, focus confirmation and TTL flash. No need to change anything on the existing lens line, which leaves the door open to new lenses useable on any R body, and we'll have a wonderful DSLR.

Leica already knows that focus confirmation can be implemented without any modification of the lenses.

Gérard

[dhsimmonds]

Doug

If 16 bit is outdated someone had better tell the m/f pro users that their expensive but current production 16 bit backs are outdated!! I personally rate the DMR's image quality against anything I have yet seen from C & N.

[xrogers]

I have to side with the Leica R optimists. If two years from now Leica can ship a near 20 megapixel R9 size camera that delivers M8/DMR per-pixel sharpness at an M8 price point they will make money on it (not to mention what they'll make on R lenses). I think this is the camera Hasselblad/Imacon is afraid of, and is the reason for their DMR foot-dragging.

I also expect another DMR firmware release (but only if firmware development for the M8 settles down before the R10 firmware work heats up).

Later,

--clyde

[mym6is12]

I can't remember why the Fuji/Leica partnership broke up, but they could achieve a lot by co-operating again. I don't think the Panasonic partnership is giving Leica anything other than a short term holding position in the compact market.

A R10 with a 1.1x or 1.3x Fuji HDR sensor, of say 8Mp+8Mp, would be a Nikon/Canon killer and class leader. Fuji could stop using Nikon's hand-me down bodies .. so win win.

The Digital CM with the 6Mp+6Mp sensor out of the S5pro, would mop up the, currently vacant, high end compact market.

Finally the long term IR solution needs to be found for the M8 - hot filtering the front element of new lenses seems like the only sure-fire solution.

[brunom]

Perhaps the R10 may have a Foveon sensor fitted ? and even if they just enlarge the current sensor to full frame it would give around 14 mps, which I believe is more than enough for most normal uses, especially when you consider the quality that is already being obtained from the M8 and DMR.

Bruno