photokina - Your Questions To Leica

[Hythe]

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Is Leica honest enough to admit there has been a significant skin peeling problem with the X1 and if so can they advise the cause and the remedy?

 

Can Leica give an assurance that future new cameras will not have skin peeling problems?

 

If they answer these questions, can they answer with something better than, "they would say that .. wouldn't they?"

 

dunk

It's not just skin peeling on the X1 that got my goat. (I am on my third X1 - the two previous having peeled skins although this third one has a detectable slight peel on a corner). I bought a pair of Ultravid binoculars and they went back to the shop with the same skin peel problem. Although on the bins the peel was more serious. Will Leica say something about the problem?

[GreyCoupe]

Good God! Can you imagine the uproar if Leica had decided to sustain the R line and dump M??? Now that would have really produced some whining!

[mgreernz]

There appears to be (or has been) a quality control problem in manufacturing the M9. Has this been resolved and have there been lessons learned from it?

[zlatkob]

Leica owe R users _nothing_, IMHO.

 

I too was disappointed when the R10 was cancelled, but I understood exactly why, and I moved on. I did not take this personally, nor do I see it as disgraceful behaviour.

 

Leica might possibly not even be here at all if they'd continued down that route. Who knows?

 

I am not an R user, but watching this from the sidelines it seems to me that Leica put a lot of effort into building a new high-end DSLR, the S2 — just not one that uses R lenses. I hope it turns out to be a good business decision. If they could just "shrink" the S2 into an R, they could also make some R users happy. In the meantime, it seems that the only R solution is a third-party solution. Zeiss is now building lenses for Canon and Nikon with their ZE and ZF lenses, and Cosina is making a few with their SLII lenses. Lacking a DSLR of their own, it seems that Zeiss and Cosina have adopted Canon and Nikon as their third-party solution.

[ruiespanhol]

I quite agree with Filiatrix

 

Whatever the reasons, it is really very sad to see that in fact the good financial situation of Leica has been acquired at the cost of sacrificing the R-line and therefore at the cost of those naïve R-users who have been trusting such an unfaithful and disrespectful company.

 

Not even one of my cents will go to Leica's pocket unless they repair this offence

 

Gérard

 

Gérard,

 

I fell the same like You no more money for Leica unless they change the way about the R line

[hhk]

Dear Friend,

Good Mooring how are you,

This will be my first time in my life to attend Photokina. I have Leica R9+ digtel back+35-70mm leans+flash and I would like to exchange it to a new module or leans. I do not want to carry with me very haevy camera to Colonge and do not knew weather I will get something in rutern.

thank you very much and please respond.

Hanan Hassan

form Bahrain.

[octo]

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I have the new version of the 1.4/35 Summilux and I am trying to find a slimline medium yellow filter. The only slim filter that permitted the sunshade to be screwed on the lens was a Leica one, but it was a UV, yellow doesn't seem to exist in slim E46. I tried 2 other brands advertising 'slim' but they were too large.

Will Leica make filters for this particular lens?

[wlaidlaw]

I have the new version of the 1.4/35 Summilux and I am trying to find a slimline medium yellow filter. The only slim filter that permitted the sunshade to be screwed on the lens was a Leica one, but it was a UV, yellow doesn't seem to exist in slim E46. I tried 2 other brands advertising 'slim' but they were too large.

Will Leica make filters for this particular lens?

 

Octo,

 

My guess is that there will be very little in the way of new B&W filters for Leica from now on. If you are using digital, you can always add very easily, the effect of a yellow filter at a later date. You can do it manually with an extra layer in PS or there are lots of plug ins to do it for you. If you are using CS5, make sure plug in is a 64 one or you will have to run PS in 32 bit, which is a pain.

 

The other way is to use any e46 yellow filter and then buy a cheap ventilated 46mm lens hood on eBay. They are only about €10.

 

Other than the very neat built in sliding lens hoods, this is an area, where I feel Leica is a tad weak. I much prefer the external bayonet-on hoods of the Zeiss ZM series lenses, which leave the filter thread free to do with as you will. The Leica hoods seem to jump straight from flimsy and small, with "fall-off-omatic" lens caps (old 35 ASPH lux, WATE) to clunky with battle proof caps (Summicron 28). The worst design is the screw on hoods for the Summarit 75 and 90, where the cap always falls off in the bag and the lens with hood attached rather than reversed is huge. Why they could not stick to the very neat slide hood like my 90 Elmarit has, beats me. It could not have increased the cost that much more than the £60 that Leica charge for the Summarit hood. On my 35 Chrome ASPH Summilux, I use a Contax GG2 titanium hood and cap, which is 100% filter friendly.

 

Zeiss have finally after 6 years, improved the release tabs on their lens caps but still only a half job. They have deepened the tabs, so you can actually hold them but unbelievably have still left the grip lines the wrong way, i.e. axially rather than the more sensible tangential, so that the cap tends to pop out of your grip, when you squeeze the tabs. I usually stick half moons of the hook side of Velcro onto the tabs to provide more grip.

 

Wilson

[octo]

Wison,

I am afraid you're right. If I really want one, the only solution seems to get a genuine slimline Leica filter and a B & W yellow one and try and switch the glass: expensive and, probably, a little tricky...

It seems to me the folks at Leica could have designed the sunshade a little wider to accommodate filters; yet, I am aware they had the M9 in mind for this particular lens but I am using non digital M bodies. No big deal, though, I'm pretty happy to have managed to get one and appreciate the extra speed in low light, theatre, conditions or the DOF effect to focus the attention at full aperture.

[wlaidlaw]

Wison,

I am afraid you're right. If I really want one, the only solution seems to get a genuine slimline Leica filter and a B & W yellow one and try and switch the glass: expensive and, probably, a little tricky...

It seems to me the folks at Leica could have designed the sunshade a little wider to accommodate filters; yet, I am aware they had the M9 in mind for this particular lens but I am using non digital M bodies. No big deal, though, I'm pretty happy to have managed to get one and appreciate the extra speed in low light, theatre, conditions or the DOF effect to focus the attention at full aperture.

 

Octo,

 

Be careful with trying to change filter glasses. Leica seem to use strange diameters of glass. I tried to make a series VII UV/IR filter to use on a Televit/Telyt 560mm/Visoflex with my M8. Although the series VII is nominally a 49mm filter, the glass I took out of a 49mm filter was too small to fit in the series VII ring. I also tried to make a 43mm UV/IR Leica filter to fit on a Zeiss Biogon 35mm when I had one at the time I first got an M8 in Jan 2007. Again I had a Schneider 43mm x 0,75mm ring and I took the filter glass out of a Leica 43mm x 0,5mm filter (Leica change from 0,5 to 0,75 mm threads at 46mm, whereas the rest of the industry changes above 39mm). The glass from the Leica did not fit in the Schneider ring, being fractionally too wide. I just ended up buying a B+W 486 filter, which on Capture One, gave a slightly green cast to each picture until I got the profile tweaked.

 

Wilson

[menos I M6]

When Leica finally announced the new Summilux and Erwin Puts finding was, that the new optics add performance over the old design, but just very little so (close up), I was very, very happy.

 

I have been waited, to decide for a new 35 Lux after the announcement and happily went to buy a new in box "old" Lux ASPH for full retail price instead of the new version.

 

I hate the new lens hood design. This might be a solution for you as well.

Go and get a few second hand 35 Lux ASPH to test on your camera, buy one, that works dead on, sell the new one with a small mark up to one of the "must have all latest, all best, cost play no role guys" and never look back.

 

The old ASPH still rules in my book. I hope, Leica doesn't decide, to bring over this faulty lens hood design to a new 50 Lux ASPH overhaul, to damage the value of my mint sample just for the sake of a new lens hood design.

[hoppyman]

This filter dimension problem does not happen with the Elmar M 24 that uses a similar (but not identical) external hood. My B+W's fit fine. No I don't know why they are not standardised as they are very similar.

If you would like to use any filters other than the Leica UV I suggest that the best solution is simply take the supplied hood off. You would most likely want to remove the UV anyway. When I want to use the Polariser I have to take off hood and filter anyway of course.

 

There are some very inexpensive aftermarket cylindrical hoods available (around $10 I think) if desired. Seems an extremely economical and simple workaround to solve this minor annoyance for you. Not too many people would routinely leave a yellow filter on, I imagine.

[giordano]

Not too many people would routinely leave a yellow filter on, I imagine.

 

Back when I kept B&W film in my Leica I wasn't the only one who kept a Leitz Yellow 0 (pale yellow) filter on the lens for just about all daylight photography.

[bill]

Not too many people would routinely leave a yellow filter on, I imagine.

 

I do.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[hoppyman]

Well that's understandable for your circumstances, John and Bill. You are talking about shooting BW film. I like BW film too, no need to feel aggrieved

The OP is shooting with an M9. This isn't a film vs. digital skirmish. I simply meant that many people using the M9 would not be having a yellow filter routinely fitted. Fair enough?

 

My post was just suggesting a simple and very cheap solution for the OP.

The lens has a standard E46 filter thread. If you want to fit filters that don't fit inside the external hood you take the hood off. If you still want a hood when you use those filters you can spend $10 for a nice metal one that screws into the front filter thread. Easy heh?

I sometimes use the Leica Polariser with this lens and with my 28 and 24 too. In every case I pop the hood off for the time being.

[octo]

Geoff,

I should have made it plain that I shoot B&W film, therefore the wish for a yellow filter; otherwise I totally agree that the best way will be to use a 'normal' filter and shoot without the hood. It so happens that I have one for the 24 Summicron, so, problem solved!

[hoppyman]

I made a mistake in my responses, sorry guys. I had in my head that Octo was using the M9. I should have said more clearly that it is not common for people to routinely use a yellow filter with the M9. As a penance I shall shoot some landscapes with filters on this lens soon and post.

[sfage]

+13

 

R machine in between the price of the X1 and M9. Some of us don't want a rangefinder. We -artistically- like the way SLRs work.

 

+946.

[pico]

Let us put the titanium pimp model behind us. It will only bring a gross 11 million to Leica which is a pittance to their overhead. Let it go there.

 

May I pose a question?

 

In the general market paradigm there are new customers and traditionals.

 

What we have here are taditionals.

 

Might there be a huge, untapped resource of persons who are just begging to pay too much money for a camera with huge prestige - which is truly Leica's market - and the next step is to ramp it up to the very weathy?

 

Perhaps Leica could continue with models like the MP, the M7 and then go ballistic with the digital thing. Understand that Leica does not have to be competitive in features with the Asian market. They only need to be competent and impressive in terms of product-image tightly coupled with absurdly high prices. (Prices which actually correspond to Asian cameras targeted to 200% retail gains .)

 

I'm bailing from Leica. Over forty years with them is enough. And I need not purchase another camera - Leica WAS that good.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[menos I M6]

Let us put the titanium pimp model behind us. It will only bring a gross 11 million to Leica which is a pittance to their overhead. Let it go there.

 

May I pose a question?

 

In the general market paradigm there are new customers and traditionals.

 

What we have here are taditionals.

 

Might there be a huge, untapped resource of persons who are just begging to pay too much money for a camera with huge prestige - which is truly Leica's market - and the next step is to ramp it up to the very weathy?

 

Perhaps Leica could continue with models like the MP, the M7 and then go ballistic with the digital thing. Understand that Leica does not have to be competitive in features with the Asian market. They only need to be competent and impressive in terms of product-image tightly coupled with absurdly high prices. (Prices which actually correspond to Asian cameras targeted to 200% retail gains .)

 

I'm bailing from Leica. Over forty years with them is enough. And I need not purchase another camera - Leica WAS that good.

 

I am one of these

new customers

.

I do love the Leica, as it is with some small things which need to be improved on the digitals.

 

I would hate to see the border between old products and new up prized high tech stuff, to be between traditional film bodies and digitals.

I do see, what you mean there and see it happening right in front of us with projects like the S2 line and the regular (ridiculous, but turnover generating) special edition cameras.

 

I do see, that Leica needs to do a high tech line, not to compete with current market leaders in still imaging in 35mm, but to show expertise not just in the reknown optics.