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Is it time for an M mount Zoom?


macpants

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With the arrival of the new M with Live View and an electronic VF etc is it time that Leica considered perhaps a dedicated mount wide - tele zoom or two?

 

Just wondered if this would be a good thing to do.

 

It's a nice dream.

To stay with the tri frame line system, mY dream would be 28-75-135 f2.8, and 35-50-90 f2.

I can take 28-50-90 if Leica can display to differentiate 28 and 90 in the frame line.

No, I don't want to rely on the live view.

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Leica need to do something. The decent R lenses are already running out and we have only just started M deliveries. I am very glad I got an 80-200/4 Vario Elmar when I did, as prices have doubled since last year. Prices for the 28-90 Vario Elmarit and 70-180 APO have gone astronomical. Other R lenses are often old and the Minolta built zooms are nothing to write home about, just like the now elderly manual focus lenses from other makers. Lenses do not have an infinite life at optimal performance and the M240 demands top optical performance. Just look at DxO's scathing report on Nikon's current zooms on the D800, where they said that the effective pixel output was halved or more by many lenses. If Leica make a zoom or stepped lens good enough, even at a high price, people will buy it.

 

Wilson

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R lenses on the M seem to perform admiralty. There is a R lenses on M thread somewhere. Lost track of it, but it's here.

 

Even if Leica came out with a new APO zoom, I do not believe it would be any cheaper than the R zooms. The R lens zoom designs are terrific especially with the rotating lens/camera arrangement for shifting between kandscape and portrait.

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With the arrival of the new M with Live View and an electronic VF etc is it time that Leica considered perhaps a dedicated mount wide - tele zoom or two?

 

[Anorak Mode On] No, of course it isn't! If you can't use an M lens on any M camera ever made, you can't have it; and Leica won't make it! It isn't an M otherwise! [/Anorak Mode Off]

 

:)

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R lenses on the M seem to perform admiralty. There is a R lenses on M thread somewhere. Lost track of it, but it's here.

 

Even if Leica came out with a new APO zoom, I do not believe it would be any cheaper than the R zooms. The R lens zoom designs are terrific especially with the rotating lens/camera arrangement for shifting between kandscape and portrait.

 

Leica's move with EVF clears shows some lenses in the plan that are not compliant to legendary fixed M frame system. It could be wider, longer or zoom.Given the popularity and the trend moving more and more towards zoom, it's hard to believe the zooms would be left out. Using Leica S2 and old R for reference, the first zoom should cover the range 35-70 or 28-90. I hope it to stay away from 24-xxx. 24 is too wide to be included in the standard zoom. See what people get with 24-70mm f2.8, regardless Canon or Nikon or Sony.

 

Price, you bet!

,

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At Photokina Leica all put sealed the fate of the 28-90mm zoom as they prominently displayed it on their new M-R adapter. Why didn't they use a prime? A quick count of the lenses with codes in the R menu shows 1/3 to be zooms. Leica is not shying away from zooms. My guess is they are watching the R lens (second hand) market very closely to determine future product.

 

Concerning prices for R lenses, some are still good value compared to their original cost and the prices on the used market when the R was viable. Despite their age many are optically as good if not better than the current Japanese brands. Kudos to Leica for producing lenses decades ago that are now being appreciated with the newest sensors.

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