Dear Leica, some throughts on an M pro

[Angora]

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Great idea.

 

Small digital display for shots left and battery (even better if it appeared analogue)

 

An e-ink display would be perfect for that. Insignificant consumption, permanent information.

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[AlanJW]

Quite honestly, losing the screen sounds more the sort of thing that would appeal to a purist enthusiastic amateur rather than a pragmatic pro.

 

I would say an enthusiatic amateur collector. This is just another of those "the camera has too many 'features' for me" posts. The answer is ignore the features you don't want. Turn off the screen if you don't want to look. I ignore the movie button and I'll bet I am not alone there.

 

As for menus, yes, you don't really need them most of the time -- especially after the camera is set up, but when you do need them (as in turning on bracketing for example) you really do need the monitor. I think there are lots of tradeoffs between menus and submenus and dedicated and changeable buttons and wheels. You just have to get used to them. Nikon ergonomics are not Leica ergonomics. I happen to prefer Leica for its simplicity but they are both pretty good after you get used to them. I recently picked up an Oly E-P5 as a backup camera and it has its own idiosyncracies but it did not take long to figure out how to set it up to my liking. Haven't we progressed from Kodaks with just one button? Anybody besides me old to enough to remember? I happen to prefer the 2013 cameras, even if they are now complex computers with lenses.

[intermediatic]

yes, this is not an M pro, it's an M mini. i doubt a screenless camera would sell.

 

but dear leica,

 

why is it that the canon g series of point and shoots has an ISO dial but you do not? if you emulate film so well, why in gods' name is there no ISO dial? i suppose the M never had one, but since the M 8, 9, and 240 do have automatic exposure, an iso dial is only sensible.

 

sadly, that alone would have me upgrade my M 240. otherwise it is by far the best camera i have owned.

[NZDavid]

I will go as far to say that under difficult lighting circumstances it is sheer luck to get a properly exposed digital image without histogram. Using the histogram is best practice. Yes. for serious work you do need it. Unless you carry and use an incident light meter.

 

Yes, an incident meter like the Sekonic 308 is very helpful. In difficult light it is hard to see the image on the LCD.

[Paul J]

I don't care if it doesn't change much from where it is, just hurry up and make it 40MP or more already!