New Leica M coming this year?

[Seforeman]

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Found this reference on another forum, thought I would share:

 

http://lavidaleica.com/content/future-leica-m-cometh

 

Stuart

[thighslapper]

..... well that's a bit of a contradictory jumble of possible fact and fiction........

 

without a traditional optical rangefinder it is not an M ..... by definition ....... and it is hard to see how the current optical mechanism could be replaced by a more compact alternative and retain RF accuracy ......

 

I could foresee 2 parallel full frame lines ......an M-RF and M-DRF ...... the second with a purely digital or hybrid viewfinder 

 

I think dumping the traditional RF that has been around forever and is the iconic heart of a Leica would not go down well with most current users .....

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[jmahto]

Article talks about "digital rangefinder". It means you still "measure" the distance to focus, but this time digitally (instead of mechanical linkage).

 

I am ok with mechanism change, as long as M lenses are still coupled to the "digital" rangefinder mechanism. It will even give us capability to tune the rangefinder without messing with screws. But going by past discussions in this forum, it seems quite a complex problem to solve.

 

However, if it is solved then I am first in the line for a slimmer M.

[jaapv]

That is indeed a bit confused. The whole article is about an alleged Q series camera, smaller than the M series, more like an X or T with a kind of hybrid or at least rangefinder-like electronic viewfinder.  Not impossible at all that something like that is in the works. How that can be transmogrified into an M successor is quite beyond me, I confess.

It might be a nice M backup, though...

[Peter Kilmister]

Confused here by that assessment too. Let's wait and see.

[jdlaing]

That is indeed a bit confused. The whole article is about an alleged Q series camera, smaller than the M series, more like an X or T with a kind of hybrid or at least rangefinder-like electronic viewfinder.  Not impossible at all that something like that is in the works. How that can be transmogrified into an M successor is quite beyond me, I confess.

It might be a nice M backup, though...

As long as all you use is one focal length.

Edited May 8, 2015 by jdlaing

[Herr Barnack]

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...Now we get into the grey area between "good" and "bad" news and it depends entirely on how you choose to look at it. Sort of like the glass being half full or half empty. One way the size will be reduced is the end of the traditional Messsucher (optical rangefinder after which the Leica M is named) as we know it. Why? It's large, heavy, complex and sensitive to alignment and finally, expensive - costing $750 alone. It will still have an optical component (ruling out an EVF) but will now essentially be digital, similar to the Konost (link is external) camera and its digital rangefinder (link is external) at the least - or a hybrid like the Fujifilm X-Pro1 and X100 at best...

The camera he is describing sounds like the bastard love child resulting from the ill-advised drunken copulation of an M240 and a X-Pro 1.  Proposing that such an abomination replace real M cameras can only strike unbridled terror into the hearts of M connoisseurs around the world.

 

By all that is holy - someone PLEASE say it ain't so. 

[BerndReini]

It would be a great upgrade to the T-system, which is not doing so well. I could see a lot of M users buying this as a second camera if it is priced well below an M. It will not replace the M with the traditional rangefinder. I know for a fact that the M series is still Leica's best selling system and they will not shoot themselves in the foot by replacing it. The mechanical rangefinder will remain through future generations for a large base of M users that upgrade to future models. 

[pico]

It would be a great upgrade to the T-system, which is not doing so well.

 

How do you know that, please?

[zlatkob]

"The camera will accept all existing M as well as T lenses! The latter will be via an adapter, obviously."

 

How will it use T lenses with an adapter, but M lenses without an adapter? Perhaps the article got those switched. Don't the T lenses sit closer to the sensor?

Edited May 8, 2015 by zlatkob

[earleygallery]

The author of that article is just guessing - it's an opinion no less or no more valid than any other of us with no knowledge of what's happening inside Leica. What it definitely isn't, is some kind of insider info. 

[edwardkaraa]

If this is true, it could actually be a FF T with an RF like design?

 

I personally would be very happy with an M mount RF like camera with an EVF in the place of the OVF, not as a replacement for my traditional M, but as a back up, and for those lenses that aren't 100% accurate on the RF.

[BerndReini]

How do you know that, please?

From someone who knows a lot about Leica sales. That's all I can tell you, but it is a very reliable source. And if you want confirmation, ask any of the big Leica dealers that will give you an honest answer, and you can draw your own conclusions. I'm not saying that it isn't a good camera, but the sales did not meet the expectations. Do you have any indication that the person that told me so might be wrong?

Edited May 8, 2015 by BerndReini

[jaapv]

Do we know the sales that Leica expected at the introduction then? Does anybody seriously think that they have hundreds of technicians beavering away at polishing the bodies? With a polisher able to do 8 - 10 cameras a day, five days a week, it can only be meant as a low-volume product. Nobody in his right mind would design such a bottleneck into his production process unless he meant to sell slowly.

[BerndReini]

Jaap, we do not know what Leica expected at the introduction, but it was more than they are selling. It is readily available. I know so and I don't understand how anyone would be surprised by this. Maybe it is flying off the shelves in Europe and Asia, but the sales in the US are underwhelming. And btw. they were below expectations already by the number of pre-orders. Despite the manufacturing process, the T was not meant as a "special edition" camera, and it does not require the same caliber technician to polish aluminum bodies that it takes to assemble 50mm Apo lenses. It almost seems like everyone takes offense to this. I mentioned this in my post to make the point that I think a full-frame version of an EVF camera without rangefinder is a good idea, and I didn't pull it out of thin air. I said before that I know it from a source that should know the sales expectations, I didn't make it up. There are plenty of alternatives to Leica's T series that are cheaper, and some of them are full-frame and accept M lenses. Full-frame and price still matter to people, and the T system was designed to expand the market beyond M users.

[jgoldstein2000]

Personally I think this "Rumor" is pretty exciting. If they could proximate the rangefinder experience electronically while shrinking the M body (and potentially cost) letting me use my M lenses on a body intended for M lenses I would be thrilled. It could be at the least a great backup body and potentially one where I would never have to adjust the rangefinder mechanism again.

[Jeff S]

That is indeed a bit confused. The whole article is about an alleged Q series camera

No it isn't.   You still might not agree with it, but he makes clear in the first paragraph that there was an earlier article on the Q (he links to it), but this one is about the M.

 

Jeff

[Herr Barnack]

If the Q were offered as a stand alone camera at perhaps 60-70% of the list of the M rather than a replacement for the flagship M line, that would seem to be a viable strategy.  The Q would be sort of a "gateway drug" to the M addiction for those who are not yet hooked. 

Edited May 8, 2015 by Carlos Danger

[tenmangu81]

If you look at this website :

http://konost.com/?page_id=6654

 

which is mentioned in the article of lavidaleica, you will see how it could work. But we must expect this electronic RF to work faster than the EVF. Otherwise.....

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[tobey bilek]

I may not like it,  but plain and simple the RF is past its prime because of digital which requires super precise focus.

 

There can be NO focus shift in the lens design or RF will not work.  The RF cam has the match the camera RF all the way from infinity to .7 meter.

 

Shock will get one out of calibration easily.  I have had some new  lenses that needed to go back for calibration at close focus.

 

I can probably take a digital RF much like the lighted arrows to indicate focus on Nikon.  But it better work faster because that is slow.

 

I will not tolerate an electronic view screen. NO WAY, NO HOW  AND I DO NOT CARE HOW GOOD THEY SAY IT IS.  There is lag if nothing else.  Plus they are plain annoying.