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Will digital Leicas get slimmer?


Westend_jon

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RE: weight

 

Leica M4-2 (lightest film M with an RF - no meter weight, no battery, no self-timer, more plastic parts) - in usable condition (containing roll of film) - 573 grams

Leica M6 (with meter and battery and film) - 608 grams

Leica M7 (without battery or film) - 610 grams

Leica M9 (in usable condition - with battery and SD card) - 595 grams

 

Facts are so - inconvenient.

 

@ pico: Not such a simple lever. It has to - very precisely - convert an exact amount of linear motion (lens moving in and out) to an exact amount of angular motion (rotation of the shaft the lever is attached to, and thus the moving prism that deflects the RF image). Can't change that geometry (which includes the length of the lever - the lever arm) without redesigning the whole mechanism.

 

Leica has already made one concession to keeping the digital M bodies as thin as possible - moving the shutter forward slightly to allow more room behind for the sensor, LCD, and the circuit boards on which they are mounted. It's the reason for the warnings about using some collapsible 50s and 90s on the digital bodies - they may crush the shutter if retracted, because the clearance is no longer there, compared to the film shutters.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Things only grow, they never get smaller. Now the Q may be able to be small for awhile but the digital M will never return to its film M size.

 

Besides, were it to actually get smaller I would much prefer it returned to the Barnack Leica size. Enlarge the viewfinder a bit to match the one provided in the Ambi-Silette and it would be perfect!

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"It's the reason for the warnings about using some collapsible 50s and 90s on the digital bodies - they may crush the shutter if retracted, because the clearance is no longer there, compared to the film shutters."

 

The 50 Elmar M is my favorite lens so not using it on my M9 would such a waste as the signature is very unique. My solution is to use black rubber hair ties. Wrap one band around the barrel twice so it's nice a snug and it prevents the lens from going too far into the body. At the same time it collapses just enough to cover the exposed barrel when retracted.

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Leica has already made one concession to keeping the digital M bodies as thin as possible - moving the shutter forward slightly to allow more room behind for the sensor, LCD, and the circuit boards on which they are mounted. It's the reason for the warnings about using some collapsible 50s and 90s on the digital bodies - they may crush the shutter if retracted, because the clearance is no longer there, compared to the film shutters.

 

I would have thought that the register distance between film and sensor is identical.  My understanding is that the warning not to mount them collapsed stems from a possibility to damage the side of the throat. There are very few lenses that come even near the shutter mechanism collapsed.

However, there are a couple of light baffles that are not present in the cloth shutter that will bring one or two old lenses in the danger zone. The full facts are in the FAQ:

 

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/216580-leica-m8-m82-m9-m9p-mm-mtyp240-faqs-questions-with-answers/?p=2464157

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Hi - just a thought on reading that the 240 is a little bit bigger than the M9 - will future digital M's ever get back to the same form factor as the M4P or even the M6? As battery technology advances I wonder if it will become possible to slim down a little. 

 

PS I addition to the M4P and the M6 that I enjoy using I have a Leica 1 and an R8 and the difference in size between these two is staggering given that both are essentially light tight boxes that hold film...

 

1mm depth

 

knock yourself out ;)

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