Guest nafpie Posted December 18, 2009 Share #41 Posted December 18, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) A Leica M camera with AF? NO, NO and NO! Stefan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 18, 2009 Posted December 18, 2009 Hi Guest nafpie, Take a look here Who would like an M 9 autofocus?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
swamiji Posted December 19, 2009 Share #42 Posted December 19, 2009 AF... NO!!!!!!! As far as focus confirmation, we have it, it's called a Photo. Remember all photos are in focus, it's just that the focal plane my not be where we want it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mc_k Posted December 19, 2009 Share #43 Posted December 19, 2009 would like to see a better and more robust (rangefinder) focusing system. Many cameras and lenses arrive far off from calibration, or won't stay calibrated. The user should be able to calibrate the rangefinder. Viewfinder magnification/correction could be implemented better. Etc. Autofocus is dumb from the standpoint of heritage, but the existing system does need improving. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 19, 2009 Share #44 Posted December 19, 2009 Och, well, Leica have only been developing the rangefinder system for 90 years, so what do they know? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sailronin Posted December 19, 2009 Share #45 Posted December 19, 2009 An auto focus lens on an M camera is like a Ferrari with an automatic transmission. Isn't that what a paddle shift is?? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted December 20, 2009 Share #46 Posted December 20, 2009 I don't have the same violent negative reaction as others. I must admit that I would love to have autofocus with M quality glass. The one variable people have mentioned here but glossed over is "assuming you have good vision". Unfortunately, mine is not so good -- at least until I get a cataract removed -- and I have had trouble with focusing where the subject is not still (like fast moving grandkids). My concession on this has been to use a 5D mkII for such subjects, but my preference is for Leica. S2 is beyond my pay grade; however a M with autofocus that requires new lenses would also without a doubt be in the price stratosphere. So I am resigned to not having it. There are many who thought AE was an abomination too and that the M7 was therefore flawed. Somehow, we all survived. My own view is as long as I can turn this kind of feature on or off, it is fine. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J_Thompson Posted December 20, 2009 Share #47 Posted December 20, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I get many more "keepers" with my manual focus Leicas than I ever did with autofocus Canons. I'm not opposed to technological improvement, so if Leica can come up with anything to aid in the manual focussing department, I'd probably be all for it. At this stage of the game, though, autofocus shines only in the area of fast-action sports photography when using long lenses. That's my opinion. YMMV. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlatkob Posted December 20, 2009 Share #48 Posted December 20, 2009 At this stage of the game, though, autofocus shines only in the area of fast-action sports photography when using long lenses. ... and fast-moving children & grandchildren with normal lenses too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted December 20, 2009 Share #49 Posted December 20, 2009 Yawn. To answer the questions posed (yet again): No, no, no, no no,....... If you can't focus with a rangefinder then what's the point of having it? There are a plethora of alternatives to the M9 which don't have a rangefinder ....... .Why, oh why would anyone want to clutter up a perfectly usable RANGEFINDER camera with more superfluous features? Perhaps it should also be modified to allow the old MR meter to be mounted on top because the inbuilt meter doesn't always give perfect results . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym911 Posted December 20, 2009 Share #50 Posted December 20, 2009 yes please.....then maybe I would get some images of me taken that are in focus:D seriously would love it...on any M. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
redbaron Posted December 20, 2009 Share #51 Posted December 20, 2009 Autofocus is about as useful as an ash-tray on a motor bike. ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mc_k Posted December 20, 2009 Share #52 Posted December 20, 2009 not having autofocus is the whole point of the camera. And I don't think "just turn it off if you don't want it" is the same thing. The camera already maybe has too many extras that are a kind of dilution of what it could be. Everything you surrender to the camera, including focusing, is an opportunity lost on the creative side. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GMB Posted December 20, 2009 Share #53 Posted December 20, 2009 Who would like an M9 with optional autofocus or aided focus with viefinder help?In case of not or yes why? Nothing againt autofocus. But why would I want a rangefinder with autofocus:eek: A M9 with autofocus would neither be a M9 nor a M. In other words, I think the question is besides the point. It should be who wants a Leica with M-style glass and M size and autofocus. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrid Posted December 20, 2009 Share #54 Posted December 20, 2009 No. It would no longer be a rangefinder. If I wanted AF, I would get an SLR. AF stinks for street photography. The lenses would be bigger. Focus confirmation is not THAT accurate wide open. AF would turn the M series in to a digital Contax G-series. Nice camera, but not a Leica M. You would have a $6000 point and shoot with interchangeable lenses. No thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjr Posted December 20, 2009 Share #55 Posted December 20, 2009 No need for such nonsense...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanJW Posted December 20, 2009 Share #56 Posted December 20, 2009 No. It would no longer be a rangefinder. If I wanted AF, I would get an SLR. AF stinks for street photography. The lenses would be bigger. Focus confirmation is not THAT accurate wide open. AF would turn the M series in to a digital Contax G-series. Nice camera, but not a Leica M. You would have a $6000 point and shoot with interchangeable lenses. No thanks. I ditched Contax G for Leica many years ago as I wanted to know where the camera was focusing --- and control it. And notwithstanding my bad eyes I do not use the mindless AF that selects focus point when I use my 5D. I use one central point, select the focus point and then hold it while I recompose. If that makes me a dumbbell so be it. I know I can't get that on an M -- at least not in its current state and the current state of the lenses. That is not the point. The point is AF can be a useful tool, and I like having a lot of tools at my disposal and can hope for it some day. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted December 20, 2009 Share #57 Posted December 20, 2009 Autofocus is about as useful as an ash-tray on a motor bike. ;-) I used to have an ash-tray on my Lambretta. But then again, I also had a windscreen, mirrors, a luggage rack and a spare wheel on it too. Ahhh, now that's an idea. How about a screw on rack to carry a spare battery and memory cards? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted December 20, 2009 Share #58 Posted December 20, 2009 Yawn. To answer the questions posed (yet again): No, no, no, no no,....... If you can't focus with a rangefinder then what's the point of having it? There are a plethora of alternatives to the M9 which don't have a rangefinder ....... .Why, oh why would anyone want to clutter up a perfectly usable RANGEFINDER camera with more superfluous features? Perhaps it should also be modified to allow the old MR meter to be mounted on top because the inbuilt meter doesn't always give perfect results . +1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlatkob Posted December 20, 2009 Share #59 Posted December 20, 2009 But why would I want a rangefinder with autofocus:eek: If you can't focus with a rangefinder then what's the point of having it? There are a plethora of alternatives to the M9 which don't have a rangefinder The point is that a rangefinder is much smaller than an SLR, especially when carrying a few lenses. Alternatives that offer autofocus are either much bigger (like the Nikon D700) or have a small sensor, no interchangeable lenses and/or no viewfinder. A rangefinder-sized AF camera with AF lenses would offer a great combination of quality, size and practicality. AF lenses for this camera would not be SLR-sized. Without a mirror box, the lenses can be relatively small, even with AF. I believe Leica's X1 has an APS-C Sensor, the same as Nikon's D300 camera, and yet the X1's built-in 24mm AF lens appears smaller than a Nikon 24mm AF lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted December 21, 2009 Share #60 Posted December 21, 2009 The point is that a rangefinder is much smaller than an SLR, especially when carrying a few lenses. Alternatives that offer autofocus are either much bigger (like the Nikon D700) or have a small sensor, no interchangeable lenses and/or no viewfinder. A rangefinder-sized AF camera with AF lenses would offer a great combination of quality, size and practicality. AF lenses for this camera would not be SLR-sized. Without a mirror box, the lenses can be relatively small, even with AF. I believe Leica's X1 has an APS-C Sensor, the same as Nikon's D300 camera, and yet the X1's built-in 24mm AF lens appears smaller than a Nikon 24mm AF lens. zlatkob... I think I'm finally getting it. I think it could be done pretty easily with a few adjustments to our M system. For example, Leica could make these new AF lenses out of plastic so they could be light, fast focusing, and not too much larger than the current M lenses. Say, only two or three times larger than comparable M manual lenses. To save weight and offset the increased price, the range finder optics and mechanics could be replaced by a tiny plastic window (non-coupled RF) because, well, why use the RF if you got AF! Throw in an AF switch on the body and a new larger M-AF mount (also plastic to save weight and price). Next, add a higher resolution and brighter live view screen, because we won't be looking through the range finder window, because we got AF! Leica will need to add a larger battery to power all this new electronics, motors, and live view screen. And, of course, a larger body will be needed to hold the new large battery to run all of this. But hey, plenty of folks want a bigger battery and a newly designed battery-grip M body. Lastly, we'll need some new menu screens, nested under all of the screens we already got, to control all this cool AF stuff. I'd say, I think I'm almost with you on this. Please Leica, fix the current poor manual focus system you call "range finder." I can't stand this crappy range finder anymore. If you don't, I'm going to buy a DSLR. Hey, there's an idea zlatkob. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.