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Mini M? [MERGED] AKA X-Vario


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Apple's chief designer Jonathan Ive supposed to design a Leica camera - Apple developers conference starts in SF June 10th - launch of "mini M" June 11th - is there a connection here, that can lead to something ENTIRELY different?

 

And the M Mini becomes an iPhone dock with full access to Leica M mount lenses. ;-)

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What if Blackstone sells their stake to Apple. Imagine a world:

 

  • Where you can enjoy the sleek metal designs of Jonathan Ivy.
  • Where lenses have meaningful names like iLux, iCron, iRit, iElmar etc.
  • When you can take a picture, automatically upload to iCloud and share with friends.
  • When you can take a video, edit on your camera, upload and your family sees it instantly on Apple TV.
  • Where you can sell you photos and videos on an App Store.
  • Where you can entertain yourself whenever your camera hangs with games like Candy Crush.
  • Where you loved ones will all want your precious M
  • Where the waiting list for deliveries will stretch generations
  • And did I just see drool on my Galaxy 4s?

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Leica still makes the only rangefinder camera. Leica now has lots of mirrorless competition (EVIL, CSC, and other names).There is a good round-up of models here: Mirrorless Central - My reviews of all Mirrorless Cameras | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS. In many ways, these cameras are heirs to the original Leica concept of a compact yet capable camera. A new Leica M Mini should go well.

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Other than legacy lens compatibility and the DOF debate, for many applications the smaller sensors are more than good enough. I think the vast majority of images are mostly for web use these days.

 

Recently I started shooting aerial GoPro videos from a small RC quadcopter. I felt that I also had a market for stills but figured I'd need to get a bigger craft to fly a Nex at minimum for stills. When I showed some GoPro stills to my ad agency clients, they said the quality is more than good enough for web work and that the amount of print work they do was insignificant these days. Besides the GoPro stills hold up to 11x14 depending on how much I crop in from the fisheye. My point being that I have been re-thinking this. So when I shoot lifestyle images... such as the amenities and nightlife to promote why you'd want buy a home in a community, APS would be more than good enough too.

 

I don't think Leica would be wise to turn away from this potential market and they surely don't want to see their customers buying these from Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and others.

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Guest willjanurgucken2000
Other than legacy lens compatibility and the DOF debate, for many applications the smaller sensors are more than good enough. I think the vast majority of images are mostly for web use these days.

 

Recently I started shooting aerial GoPro videos from a small RC quadcopter. I felt that I also had a market for stills but figured I'd need to get a bigger craft to fly a Nex at minimum for stills. When I showed some GoPro stills to my ad agency clients, they said the quality is more than good enough for web work and that the amount of print work they do was insignificant these days. Besides the GoPro stills hold up to 11x14 depending on how much I crop in from the fisheye. My point being that I have been re-thinking this. So when I shoot lifestyle images... such as the amenities and nightlife to promote why you'd want buy a home in a community, APS would be more than good enough too.

 

I don't think Leica would be wise to turn away from this potential market and they surely don't want to see their customers buying these from Sony, Olympus, Panasonic and others.

 

And yet by your own statements you have chosen a $500 APSC Sony NEX rather than a $2000 APSC Leica x2.

 

Leica would be insane to attempt to battle it out against APSC mirrorless. Consider that most of mirrorless makers like Ricoh (GXR), Fuji (XE1/XPro), Samsung (NX), SONY (NEX3,5,6), Nikon (Coolpix A), Canon (EOS-M), Pentax (K01) are *losing* money.

 

It would be easier to revive the R line and contest the DSLR market where only Nikon and Canon exist as the two dominant incumbents.

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Guest rivercityrocker

It's going to the size of the X2 with a medium format sensor. A full size 645 medium format sensor. Not CCD Not CMOS. It will be made of magical pixie silicon with clean images at ISO 10 million.

 

No rangefinder, no EVF. No viewfinder at all.

 

It won't be manual focus. I won't be autofocus. It won't even have a lens. The first lensless camera.

 

Just a solid milled piece of brass with electronics inside.

 

The selling point is that to take a photograph you simply use your imagination. You won't even have to leave your computer. You just hold the camera to your forehead, imagine the photo you're taking, then describe your photo to all your friends on the internet.

 

I heard all of this from a good source on a Rumors website. There was a glitch in the Leica website where the specs appeared for a nanosecond and someone saw it, but couldn't get a screen-grab in time. Rest assured that this is all true. 100% true. :cool:

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Because there is no FF NEX and even the APS-C ones seem to struggle at the corners with M lenses, if I remember the user reports correctly.

 

Peter

 

I think the user reports identified corner problems with the NEX-7 using M-mount lenses 21mm or wider, including the CV 12mm and 15mm. These aren't present on the NEX-5N which I use with the Super-Elmar 21mm f/3.4 as its default lens. I also use a CV 15mm on it without colour smearing at the corners but serious vignetting but that is even worse when using it with my M3. For some reason Sony must have dropped the 5N's microlenses from the pricier NEX-7. Perhaps the higher resolution is also an issue. I don't know about the NEX-6.

 

Anyway apart from the NEX-7's problems with Leica 21mm lenses all Leica M lenses are highly usable on NEX cameras once you get used to focus peaking. Even without in camera correction, vignetting is minimal because of the crop. For an FF NEX this might be more of an issue and Leica would have a competitive advantage with an FF EVIL in using Leica M glass, as it would be able to correct in camera for its own lenses.

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I doubt it. Few who buy this Mini-M for reasons of cost are IMO likely to be buying many new Leica lenses at current prices.

 

If this new product is indeed a rangefinder-less M camera, it will not be something I will be getting excited about.

 

Price might not be the only reason people would buy a FF Leica EVIL M and it wouldn't be that cheap. Sony can sell the RX1 for over USD3,000 without EVF but with fixed Zeiss lens. So there is no reason that Leica with its brand couldn't sell a FF EVIL body only for somewhere between the RX1 and Typ 240. Some people would want it for its sleeker, lighter body without the bulky rangefinder mechanism and to ditch the annoying RF calibration problems, as much as for saving money, particularly if it adds a better quality LCD and EVF than the Typ 240 to aid focus.

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Guest willjanurgucken2000

I believe this is a shop. But one can dream ;-)

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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I believe this is a shop. But one can dream ;-)

This photoshopped picture probably was meant as a joke ... but in fact, I believe this is pretty damn close to what is about to come. M lens mount, 35-mm full-frame, no built-in rangefinder, no built-in electronic finder, no viewfinder at all, just the display on the back and an optional accessory EVF. Basically an M (Typ 240) without the rangefinder.

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I think this is a great idea. There are places that I do not wish to take my M240 because of its weight, price and size but would love to take a smaller camera that would use my M lens. For example I do not bring my M240 on a long hike in the mountains here in Korea because of its wieght. On canoe trips I would rather take a ccamrea that I do not have to worry about so much because of its price. Also a smaller size would be great for street shooting. I do not mention the R lens as they are not as compact as the M lens and I generally do not use them in the mentioned venues. .

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Tough to tell what Leica has up their sleeves. They've been a bit adventurous as of late ... no one expected the S system, the S = Surprise! ... and the M Monochromatic was also an unexpected delight.

 

Perhaps Leica wasted the ME name, they could have used it for a M Electronic.

 

A Barnack sized Leica that takes M lenses would be delicious ... granted, not a rangefinder, but there sure are a lot of folks bolting their M lenses on other mirror-less cameras, why not one of theirs?

 

Anyway, it seems they are making a lot out of this announcement. If it turns out to be a variable aperture zoom variation of the X2, I guess that would be a surprise also ... given the hoopla being built up around this "black box".

 

-Marc

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I believe this is a shop. But one can dream ;-)

 

I would get this in preference to an M240 any day. I have a Monochrom as my RF camera and would really be buying the M240 for the EVF to be able to use my Olympus OM lenses (esp 18mm and 300mm) without having crop factors.

The long M240 delay may be a blessing in disguise....

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