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New M at PhotoPlus Expo 2015?


Rick

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Ok, this is just speculation from putting together several sources and ideas.  Leica announced the M8 at Photokina and three years later announced the M9 at PhotoPlus Expo in the US and then announced the M240 three years later at Photokina.  Now, here we are three years later and PhotoPlus Expo is coming in October 22-24, New York.  Leica is coming over and has a pretty big display planed.

 

Secondly, Leica has most or all of its USA reps. coming to the event to man the show. 

 

Thirdly, my source tells me that Leica is planning a big announcement of a product at the show.  It seems like the new M would be the product Leica would announce in this time frame.

 

Leica has sure been moving fast with camera announcements; The T and then the Q.  Pretty fast for Leica.  I bet the new M will be announced in October and we will see it in March.  

 

Jono where are you,

 

Rick

 

 

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Sounds like a good bet. Leica's timing with the M system has been clockwork and the new M is due. The M246 was announced in May, wasn't it, just as the first Monochrom was announced in May (2012?). Would be nice to see it available sooner than ~6 months later.

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A bit OT but how do the prototype field testers maintain secrecy? Are the prototypes built in an older model's cases? Do they only use them in remote places? If you bumped into Jono using an unrecognisable camera would he have to kill you? What does he do with the bodies?

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A bit OT but how do the prototype field testers maintain secrecy? Are the prototypes built in an older model's cases? Do they only use them in remote places? If you bumped into Jono using an unrecognisable camera would he have to kill you? What does he do with the bodies?

Wouldn't you like to know where he buries them...:D. Usually they go back to Leica, in some rare cases the betatesters are allowed to keep or buy them.

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This could well be correct. But Leica didn't announce the M9 at PhotoPlus.  They used the symmetry of 9/9/9 to announce it -- if memory serves, at the Time Warner Center -- on September 9, 2009. 

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This could well be correct. But Leica didn't announce the M9 at PhotoPlus.  They used the symmetry of 9/9/9 to announce it -- if memory serves, at the Time Warner Center -- on September 9, 2009. 

 

Yes, and it was shown weeks later at PhotoPlus.  I remember members here reporting handling it and shooting it.

 

Other than the obvious (the M comes every three years), mostly, I  know that Leica is planning a big announcement of a new product at PhotoPlus.  I'm just guessing (hoping)  it will be the new M.

Edited by Rick
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I expect it this year, but won't bite it most likely. There seems to be nothing much better in the market at the moment and knowing Leica, it won't offer the newest technology.

 

My expectations for 2018 are huge, though. At that time I'd expect few more stops in usable ISO and at least two more stops in dynamic range.

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I expect it this year, but won't bite it most likely. There seems to be nothing much better in the market at the moment and knowing Leica, it won't offer the newest technology.

 

My expectations for 2018 are huge, though. At that time I'd expect few more stops in usable ISO and at least two more stops in dynamic range.

I don't know how one could either say they are going to buy or not going to buy a camera that is unknown in its specs.  I am waiting for some more leaks so we can have speculation on top of secrecy on top of the unknowns.  Then I will know better.  Sort of.  My dealer has probably already put me on the list because he knows I am a junkie he can rely on.

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:-) I can as I am already sure the sensor won't behave close to film in handling highlights and it won't have 2-3 stops more in the dynamic range.

 

I am not saying Leica is bad, just the M240 I own is good enough for me and I'd only purchase next iteration when the specs in my first post are met.

 

Of course, I don't know the specs of new camera and I might be wrong, but highly doubt it. I am sure there'll be many who'll embrace next M and its capabilities.

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Given that film has a DR of maximally 10 stops (FP4) and the M240 over 13 I cannot understand this obsession with extreme dynamic ranges....

 

If you read it again carefully you'd notice I was referring to the film's way of rendering highlights and what I like there it's a more graduate transition. 

In regards to the dynamic range one of my assumption was one would need more dynamic range for the smooth transition to work on digital, but yes I guess I'm obsessed with more dynamic range anyways even though I need it in less than 10% of my shots.  

 

Photography is as much about taking things out as putting things in.

 

I am sorry, but can you elaborate this, please?

Edited by mirekti
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Maybe the development of the Q will delay release of a new M.

 

 

 Quite the reverse ...... what's in the Q already is mature technology and has almost certainly been stuffed into the new M as well ....... and the appearance of the Q tends to indicate the M is imminent .... all the pieces needed are already there ....... and I have already stuck my neck out before at suggested it will have a derivative of the Maestro 2 processor with dramatically improved speed, the facility to use AF lenses with a fast high res EVF and still retain RF compatability .... we will see.......

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Given that film has a DR of maximally 10 stops (FP4) and the M240 over 13 I cannot understand this obsession with extreme dynamic ranges....

Landscape and architecture photographers are always running into more than 10 stops or even more than 13 stops of range. More dynamic range in the sensor adds flexibility, and provides cleaner shadows.

 

Also in terms of film it is true that film handles highlights a lot better than digital. However, digital handles shadows a lot better. Hence a good rule with digital is to err on the side of under exposure rather than over exposure. With the 13.4 EV of dynamic range in the M240's sensor, one can raise the shadows without issue.

Edited by Mornnb
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If you read it again carefully you'd notice I was referring to the film's way of rendering highlights and what I like there it's a more graduate transition.

Sensors are linear devices. While it is conceivable that a future sensor might show a more film-like characteristics, for the time being we have to deal with what we have got.

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