New FF AF digital rangefinder & 35mm 1.2 lens

[ShyTot]

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Jeff Ascough responds

 

"I seemed to have upset a few RF geeks on the Leica & RF forums"

[Gentleman Villain]

the whole thing is pretty funny

[Rona!d]

You know what NDA stands for? No Doubt, April joke.

 

But it was also a great research study for the jap manufacturers that the market cries for such a camera. YES, people prefer an AF-RF over the Leica M´s

and next april they want a big double live-view (two big monitors for RF-focussing with an eye-distance of >30 cm´s). Serious, they will.

[felipe-m]

Jeff Ascough responds

 

"I seemed to have upset a few RF geeks on the Leica & RF forums"

 

 

Really? Did somebody get upset in a real way by such an obvoius April fool's joke?

Now that's upsetting!

[wattsy]

the whole thing is pretty funny

 

Agreed. As an April Fool's joke it's crap (has there ever been one that isn't?) but as a kind of (presumably unintentional) 'meta-joke' (causing various knickers to get into twists) it's turned out to be quite funny.

[egibaud]

If people would be indeed happy with their M8 / M9 and felt that nothing can better it, they would surely have the same sense of humor as Jeff....

 

But people start to realises that the ONLY advantage of Leica's M8/M9 is its size and the possible use of quality lenses.... The bodies are completely outdated technically speaking.

 

That is the bad and sad side of this of the whole story.... Leica's M8 / M9 are NOT giving their owner what their money could give them buying other brands.

 

I did not realised it until I happily moved onto Canon's 5D MKII, worry at first and so happy after.

[stunsworth]

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I did not realised it until I happily moved onto Canon's 5D MKII, worry at first and so happy after.

 

People are different. I was more than happy to abandon my 5D for an M8.

[adan]

While we are on the subject of the day (so to speak): Rokton Circular sensors

 

(courtesy dpreview.com)

[Jamie Roberts]

{snipped}

 

I did not realised it until I happily moved onto Canon's 5D MKII, worry at first and so happy after.

 

Sorry--I disagree. Nothing would entice me to a 5d2 except their movie mode (seriously), and I'm considering selling my D3 after using the M9, and that's no April fool.

 

It's not just about the lenses, either, though that's certainly a factor.

 

I think Jeff's prank has at least shown how much real interest there is more choices with optical greatness in a non-dSLR package...and I found it funny too

[Rona!d]

While working with all systems from EOS to M, from 24x36 to large format, from film to digital professionally, i cannot understand why a certain camera system or brand does matter so much. You take your best tool for the job and that´s it. Saying happy to have switched from M9 to 5D Mk2 - well, just be happy, i doesn´t really matter at all.

 

btw. the latest two cameras are the EOS 7D and the Leica X1 - both great in their field, but i would never compare them although i have used them both recently.

[Stan Raucher]

In my opinion, Ascough's attempt was rather lame.

 

I think this one is more in the spirit of an April Fool's joke:

 

M9 Discontinued

 

Stan

[Guest imported_torben]

If people would be indeed happy with their M8 / M9 and felt that nothing can better it, they would surely have the same sense of humor as Jeff....

 

But people start to realises that the ONLY advantage of Leica's M8/M9 is its size and the possible use of quality lenses.... The bodies are completely outdated technically speaking.

 

That is the bad and sad side of this of the whole story.... Leica's M8 / M9 are NOT giving their owner what their money could give them buying other brands.

 

I did not realised it until I happily moved onto Canon's 5D MKII, worry at first and so happy after.

 

+1

[griffster]

The bodies are completely outdated technically speaking.

 

How so? Isn't the body just a box to hold the lens to the sensor? How does a box become technically outdated?

[egibaud]

How so? Isn't the body just a box to hold the lens to the sensor? How does a box become technically outdated?

 

well if it is just a box I do not see the reason for this price tag.....

 

I do see outdated features from day one such as high ISO.

 

Pushing people to have Saphire glass on an M8 upgrade but then on the "definitive" product have the old glass back...

 

Remove the very handy battery level and shot indicator to save on costs

 

etc. etc. etc.

 

The M9 is a wonderful camera with many limits and in any case not worth its 5500 Euros price tag.... If we speak about Lecia lenses, then YES it is a different story.

[roydonian]

Jeff Ascough says

 

"However, I am fully aware that a lot of people have absolutely no sense of humour, and that some have chastised me for actually having a sense of humour, but alas that is really their problem and not mine."

 

The problem isn't that some people lack a sense of humour - one problem is that in a recession, many employers are demanding "more, better, quicker". As a result, some people lead professional lives which can (at least temporarily) give them so little spare time that they don't want to waste part of what little time they can devote to forum visits with reading hoaxes - especially when a hoax involves linking out to another website to search for the relevant posting there.

 

As a journalist, I was checking the progress of this 'story' as part of my daily 'information trawl'. All I achieved was to lose a little bit of time out of my schedule.

[jsrockit]

 

But people start to realises that the ONLY advantage of Leica's M8/M9 is its size and the possible use of quality lenses.... The bodies are completely outdated technically speaking.

 

That is the bad and sad side of this of the whole story.... Leica's M8 / M9 are NOT giving their owner what their money could give them buying other brands.

 

I did not realised it until I happily moved onto Canon's 5D MKII, worry at first and so happy after.

 

Features aren't everything though... the reason I use Leica is because they stick with a classic, simple design that I'm comfortable with. I don't like DSLRs and their gimmicky options. However, if you like DSLRs just as much or more than rangefinders, then you'd be a fool to buy a Leica instead.

[farnz]

.... But people start to realises that the ONLY advantage of Leica's M8/M9 is its size and the possible use of quality lenses.... The bodies are completely outdated technically speaking.

 

That is the bad and sad side of this of the whole story.... Leica's M8 / M9 are NOT giving their owner what their money could give them buying other brands.

 

I did not realised it until I happily moved onto Canon's 5D MKII, worry at first and so happy after.

Eric,

 

Is there really any point in coming to a Leica forum and preaching to M8/M9 owners about what you think their cameras shortcomings are? Or is it actually a little bit of self-justification for having exchanged your M8's for 5D2's?

 

You must understand that every M8 and M9 owner who reads what you've written will inevitably take a little bit of it personally because the subtext sounds like that you think we're foolish for buying a camera with a body that's "completely outdated technically speaking". I feel sure that's not the message you intended to give but that's how it sounds. And it wasn't so long ago that I remember your enthusiasm for your M8's.

 

Fwiw I also have a 5D2 that I use for macro and tele work with R lenses and both cameras are excellent side-by-side but for different uses. I contentedly work round the technical shortcomings of both cameras.

 

Pete.

[Guest]

It's easy to dismiss Jeff's message as a 1st of April hoax.

But he insists that there might be more to it. That's how I read his explanation. Time will tell, talking of months. Canon's known to announce new products towards the end of August, before the Fotokina.

 

I'm very happy with my 2 M8s. Didn't buy them first thing when the M8 came out and they make wonderful pictures. I'll wait for substantial improvements before I replace them. If it'll go with a price adjustment, I won't mind.

 

Cheers!

[mjh]

It's easy to dismiss Jeff's message as a 1st of April hoax. But he insists that there might be more to it. That's how I read his explanation.

It was a hoax – he admitted as much. However, ostensibly his intention was to demonstrate to the likes of Canon and Nikon that there was genuine interest in a digital rangefinder alternative. He didn’t imply there was any actual development underway; rather his intention was to instigate such develop efforts. It is highly doubtful he was successful; I suppose we will never see a digital rangefinder camera from Canon or Nikon (or Zeiss for that matter).

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[egibaud]

Eric,

 

Is there really any point in coming to a Leica forum and preaching to M8/M9 owners about what you think their cameras shortcomings are? Or is it actually a little bit of self-justification for having exchanged your M8's for 5D2's?

 

You must understand that every M8 and M9 owner who reads what you've written will inevitably take a little bit of it personally because the subtext sounds like that you think we're foolish for buying a camera with a body that's "completely outdated technically speaking". I feel sure that's not the message you intended to give but that's how it sounds. And it wasn't so long ago that I remember your enthusiasm for your M8's.

 

Fwiw I also have a 5D2 that I use for macro and tele work with R lenses and both cameras are excellent side-by-side but for different uses. I contentedly work round the technical shortcomings of both cameras.

 

Pete.

 

 

Your are misunderstanding me, I only explain why people were upset about Jeff's joke. And my opinion is that the market is asking for a better RF.

 

I do not need to justify my buying decision, although I am free to comment my experience.

 

And I repeat I do beleive that market is asking for a better RF, I would consider returning to RF for the reason I've always said, weight, discretion, size etc. But the RF would need to be more versatile and higher image quality at high ISO. (at 160 ISO it is hard to beat a Leica M8/M9 with a Leica lense, not hard, I'd say impossible, but I usually work over 2500 ISO)

 

I'd says that thanks to my experience with M8, I only use prime lenses, my longuest is 85mm, I use a single central AF spot and reframe, singleshot mode etc.

 

So as you can see if RF would be as Jeff's announced (as a joke) it would probably be the perfect RF and I'd says the perfect camera for what I do. But at the moment M8 nor M9 are as good tool for what I do. They mabe be better tools for other things, but I do not do them.