Hessenpark News: Official - No R10: no FF M9 (yet)

[andybarton]

Stefan Daniel has been speaking at the Forum meeting in Hessenpark

I have just received a text from Carl Bretteville, who is there and attending the Q&A session.

"From Stefan Daniel: there will be no R10 from Leica, but there will be a good solution that allows us to use our R-lenses on a digital body."

Now we need to wait and see what that solution is - but it should be quicker to market than the R10 might have been.

[stunsworth]

Visioflex?

The only thing that comes to mind is another 4/3 camera.

Either that or there won't be an R10 because it'll be called an S10.

I guess we need more detail about what Leica meant.

[bill]

Interesting, but I am not going to try to second guess this. I can already use my Leica R glass on a DSLR, so this must be something else.

Steve, did you have to use the V-word??

Regards,

Bill

[marknorton]

I think that's what we might reasonably have expected. The R system has been discontinued so they are hardly likely to resurrect it.

My money is on S10 as well - the 10 implying continuity from the R8, R9, the S cross over to the new digital platform derived from the S2.

Impressed that Carl has travelled from Norway to Solms for the event.

[andybarton]

That's all we have at the moment, and that's hot off the press, and from the horse's mouth

I'll text some of the other guys out there to see if we can glean any more, before they get too stuck into the Weissbier

Has to be more than just a name change, though

There are quite a few UK members there this year (I'd have been there again too...) and Carl and Ivar B both attended last year. It's a great weekend out.

Edit: Others have their phones switched off...

[marknorton]

Originally Posted by andybarton

"From Stefan Daniel: there will be no R10 from Leica, but there will be a good solution that allows us to use our R-lenses on a digital body."

One question of course is whether it will be a Leica solution, or have they done a deal with Canon or Nikon?

[bill]

Originally Posted by marknorton

I think that's what we might reasonably have expected. The R system has been discontinued so they are hardly likely to resurrect it.

Mark's right. Why go backwards? The AFRIKA platform is the way ahead for Leica DSLRs and as a platform for SLR glass..

Watching with interest.

Regards,

Bill

[andybarton]

Well - therein lies a 6 page rumour thread



If anyone sends me any more this evening, I will post it here.

[stunsworth]

Mark, if the implication is that existing R lenses could be used on a Nikon or Canon then they'd have to have persuaded one of them to provide a modified body with aperture cam, as while stop down metering might be fine for some of us I can't see Leica describing it as a 'good' solution. The follow on from that is that I can't see any of the big boys redesigning their camera body to provide the mechanical linkage.

[stunsworth]

Originally Posted by andybarton

Well - therein lies a 6 page rumour thread

I'm about to go about for a meal. I wonder how many posts there'll be when I get back in? I reckon 200.

[marknorton]

I have to say Weissbier gives me a headache...

[andybarton]

Originally Posted by marknorton

I think that's what we might reasonably have expected. The R system has been discontinued so they are hardly likely to resurrect it.

The way I read the text, and I quoted it in its entirety, is that there is no camera coming AT ALL, no matter what you want to call it. The solution lies elsewhere.

[bill]

Originally Posted by stunsworth

I'm about to go about for a meal. I wonder how many posts there'll be when I get back in? I reckon 200.

Me too. My bet's 112...

Regards,

Bill

[sdai]

Originally Posted by marknorton

My money is on S10 as well - the 10 implying continuity from the R8, R9, the S cross over to the new digital platform derived from the S2.

I'm sure you'll be no S10 either.

Here's Leica's solution provided by Panasonic ... and yes, it's a 4/3, and I fully expect them to call it Digilux 4 and the influx of 4/3 trolls.

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/img/dc.../083/001_s.jpg

Note, Panasonic officially says that you can't use the latest 21 lux and 24 lux with the M adapter.

Originally Posted by andybarton

The way I read the text, and I quoted it in its entirety, is that there is no camera coming AT ALL, no matter what you want to call it. The solution lies elsewhere.

I think you're right on, Andy ... you should have started another thread and let Mark put his money down first.

[andybarton]

Originally Posted by stunsworth

I'm about to go about for a meal. I wonder how many posts there'll be when I get back in? I reckon 200.

Some things are more important than meals...

I'll text you - leave your phone on

[andybarton]

Originally Posted by sdai

I'm sure you'll be no S10 either.

Here's Leica's solution provided by Panasonic ... and yes, it's a 4/3, and I fully expect them to call it Digilux 4 and the influx of 4/3 trolls.

Note, Panasonic officially says that you can't use the latest 21 lux and 24 lux with the M adapter.

Stefan Daniel said that there would be a "good solution"

4/3 is not a good solution.

[andybarton]

Next text:

"They believe the market for the S system is 10000 units. New noctis will be delivered in larger number from June/July. The technology in the S2 was done in house and is seen as a dev platform for new systems."

Some of this we knew already.

[sdai]

Originally Posted by andybarton

Stefan Daniel said that there would be a "good solution"

4/3 is not a good solution.

It may not be good for you but good for him.

Anyways, did he really say that there'll be no camera at all???

[andybarton]

And the next:

"No further upgrades for the M8, they'll keep the current offering, but want to concentrate on new cameras. They are happy with the co-operation with Jenoptik"

[marknorton]

Originally Posted by stunsworth

Mark, if the implication is that existing R lenses could be used on a Nikon or Canon then they'd have to have persuaded one of them to provide a modified body with aperture cam, as while stop down metering might be fine for some of us I can't see Leica describing it as a 'good' solution. The follow on from that is that I can't see any of the big boys redesigning their camera body to provide the mechanical linkage.

Leica of course teamed up with Minolta in the past and you could envisage cooperation between Leica and Canon/Nikon/Sony/Pentax (maybe) to either produce a rebadged camera which supports both R lenses and that manufacturer's own lenses. The manufacturer will know there's a limited population of lenses out there (assuming R lens production is finished) so better to have R users buying your camera to put their glass on it than someone else's.

Either that or take Stefan Daniel's statement at face value. No R10 because we won't be calling it that, but something else instead (derived from the S2).