photokina - Your Questions To Leica

[Nicoleica]

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Before anybody gets too wildly carried away with the prospect of add-on software for their camera, please remember that the M8 and M9 have small dedicated processors and available memory, with very little spare capacity for anything more than that already contained in the current firmware. They don't have gigabytes of extra space in the way that 'phones do, and were not designed for much more than the highly efficient code that is already contained in the firmware. Just look at the size of the firmware file, and compare that to the firmware on a 'phone or iPod.

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please remember that the M8 and M9 have small dedicated processors and available memory, with very little spare capacity for anything ...

 

Thank you, Nicole. That's the reason why I said it probably couldn't be done with existing models.

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[andybarton]

So, Leica release the OS for the M9 as open source, and some clever Trevor makes it run at 15 fps. Naive Norman installs this fw, and breaks the shutter after 1 day's shooting.

 

And that's something that Leica will fix under warranty? I don't think so.

[jmdco]

Can you ask them whether it is true that they have stopped making the M7 and MP, please?

 

Can we have a simple answer to the question have you or have you not ceased production of the Film M's? (this means completely ceased, please be clear with the answer, i.e. if you have stopped production temporarily or are only now making to order/a la carte models).

 

If the answer to the above question is Yes, will you sell off the machinery/designs to someone else (Russian/Chinese manufacturer) instead?

 

Yes so that Leica gives a clear and precise answer on the future of the production of the M analog.

 

To answer its many users and to make conceal the rumour and the discussions without end, Leica should confirm, contradict or specify the declarations of Herr Kaufmann published in the magazine Asahi camera.

 

They would be too nice and respectful with many consumers

[lct]

So, Leica release the OS for the M9 as open source, and some clever Trevor makes it run at 15 fps. Naive Norman installs this fw, and breaks the shutter after 1 day's shooting. And that's something that Leica will fix under warranty? I don't think so.

Neither do i but using some internal screws to fix an RF misalignment may beak the warranty as well. At least the screws are available and the user has a choice.

[barcoder]

Open sourcing the M8/9 firmware is an intriguing idea. The benefits are numerous, but the challenges by Leica are also numerous.

 

Adding features to the firmware is expensive apparently. As Mr. Daniels explains in the Leica M9 intro video adding the manual lens selection to the M9 firmware was "a question of money" [1]. The image board and sensor board PCB's are from Inoptic (spelling?) [2]. Leica defines the specification and Inoptic implements it [3].

 

[1] 2:40 An Interview with Leica's Stephan DanielKarbe

[2] 4:02 An Interview with Leica's Stephan DanielKarbe

[3] 4:55 An Interview with Leica's Stephan DanielKarbe

 

It's worth suggesting to Leica, but I wouldn't hold my breath for it. Licensing agreements and proprietary technology used by Inoptic (sp?) may prevent the firmware from being open sourced. Plus their tools for development may be proprietary or at least very complicated to use, develop, and test. Speaking of testing, I would not want to do firmware development on my iPhone and would never want to do it on my M9. The risks are too much.

[andybarton]

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They have already confirmed to BJP that they are still making film cameras.

[gautier]

The image board and sensor board PCB's are from Inoptic (spelling?)

Jenoptik, not Inoptic. See their website.

[tdschofield]

Will you please provide a supply of DMR batteries in support of that fine piece of Leica equipment?

 

+2

[phancj]

Will there ever be a possibility of a digital M with AF?

[bill]

Will there ever be a possibility of a digital M with AF?

 

-1

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[redbaron]

An autofocus M is not an M.

Just as a goat that says woof is not a goat, it's a dog.

[andybarton]

-1

 

Regards,

 

Bill

 

Plus One on the Minus One.

 

If Leica want to develop an expensive auto-focus camera, then let them. But, please, don't mess with the M...

[andybarton]

An autofocus M is not an M.

Just as a goat that says woof is not a goat, it's a dog.

 

My dog thinks she's a tree. She goes "bark".

[albert75]

My questions about the S2?

-Do other lenses will have a central shutter?

-50mm lens?

TSE-adapter, extension tube, Teleconverter?

-Wireless flash commander for the SF58

-Wireless transmitter

-True-focus

-Frames for framing such a square, 16x9, 2x1 displayed on the LCD and the software?

The DOP-calculator, pre-shot on the Apple iPhone?

-Reduce noise and improve dynamic range by means of decreased number of frames per second?

 

-Lens for Canon and Nikon, such as Carl Zeiss Primes CP.2 Compact with central shutter?Słuchaj

Zapis fonetyczny

[adan]

Barcoder: just for the record, it's "Jenoptik" Jenoptik - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - formerly Zeiss Jena. the German pronunciation would be "yenoptik" (I think) so your guess wasn't too bad. And yes, Leica has to pay them for every firmware rewrite. [Edit: I see Gautier beat me to that one, at least partially.]

 

On the same lines, to earlygallery: which machinery for making films M's are you thinking Leica might sell? (leaving aside the question of whether they still need it or not).

 

Would that be - the sewing machine used for the silk shutters (in Portugal?)

Or the CNC metal-machining equipment for top/bottom plates (and also lens barrels) - which isn't owned by Leica. They already sold that equipment in 1994 to Uwe Weller Feinwerktechnik GmbH, who now does their machining for them - click "history" tab> Weller Feinwerktechnik GmbH

 

Not trying to dis you - but most of Leica's own "tools" for building film M's are also used for building digital Ms (e.g. making the rangefinders themselves, testing RFs and shutters, or the hand tools used for final assembly)

Edited September 2, 2010 by adan

[ptarmigan]

Just one.......

 

With Leica's commitment to continue to support its LTM and M cameras of old, what degree of support and for what period and what limitations should Digital M users expect.

[wlaidlaw]

Just one.......

 

With Leica's commitment to continue to support its LTM and M cameras of old, what degree of support and for what period and what limitations should Digital M users expect.

 

Ian,

 

The issue may to some extent be out of Leica's hands. For circuitry, chips etc, they are dependant upon third party suppliers still being able to supply parts. You cannot just build up a large inventory of these as spares. Apart from the capital cost, many electronic components deteriorate faster unused than they do when being used.

 

I came across this in the early 1990's when I was using an IBM 36 mini-computer in my business. We sent our 1980 vintage IBM 34 to our off-site back up, so that if we had a fire or flood, we would still be able to run, albeit with a very limited number of terminals and slowly. We used to run the 34 once a week. It became very unreliable and eventually IBM service were unable to find parts for it. They would turn up with 4 brand new but old stock hard drives and would find that none of them would work. In the end we had to buy another second hand 36.

 

Wilson

[stunsworth]

The second system I ever programmed was a System 34. The first was its predecessor the System 3.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[sarav]

 

Will there ever be a possibility of a digital M with AF?

 

 

-2

 

Bye.