What do you want in the next digital M?

[jmahto]

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With 42mm thickness, current digital Ms are obese compared to both M8 and M9 cameras (37mm). Before the M240, all M bodies were thinner than 39mm if memory serves. I do hope that Leica will return to its tradition from this standpoint.

 

I went out and measured it myself just now... only the thickness that matters to me. Which means the part I hold between my thumb and fingers.

 

What does the measurement say?

 

From Russell - "Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives’ mouths.”

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[lct]

Compare the baseplates folks. I have not my M8.2 with me here but last time i checked it sounded obvious. 

Edit: Just read John's post above. "less than 3mm, but it is there" he said. He doesn't care much but i do.

Stop this inflation Mr Leica please. Cameras grow smaller and smaller. The traditional small size of Leica Ms won't be an asset anymore if things go on like that. 

[Mornnb]

Apple has the thickness of the LCD assembly down to a mere 1mm. The challenge in making the M thinner will not be the LCD, it will be the Rangefinder and digital sensor assembly. For this reason I suspect the body will not become thinner, although we may expect a lighter body with alternative metals to brass such as titanium or aluminium.

 

I expect the main improves going forward will be:

• Electronic RF. There may be numerous advantages to it, such as ability to compensate for focus shift and field curvature with awareness of the lens that is mounted via the barcode. A hybrid EVF/Optical viewfinder may even be possible as well, to avoid the requirement for an external EVF.
• Higher resolution, 36MP or 42MP would be my preference. The quality optics Leica produces deserve more than 24MP.
• Longer exposure times

[IkarusJohn]

I don't have calipers, but I will do a photograph comparison when I get home in 10 days (unless someone else beats me to it).  I have done the comparison in the past, and the baseplate of the M60 is clearly wider than the Monochrom.

 

Jaap has all his digital M cameras - surely it's a simple test.

[Jeff S]

1mm difference...  http://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/229709-m8-to-m9-worth-it/?p=2629296

 

Jeff

[jaapv]

Actually I measured 0.6 mm, but that was not a precision caliper. The "feel" of the camera is much affected by the covering. The smooth Cameraleather skin on my M240 makes it feel thinner than the more resilient a-la-carte leather on my Monochrom.

[Peter H]

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When I had my M9 and first got my M240 I put them bottom- to-bottom and because they felt more or less the same I didn't bother measuring them. Finger-tips are quite sensitive when judging this sort of thing.

 

Certainly the shaped quick-release plate that I used at the time with lips to grip the base plate fitted both cameras.

 

I can believe a 1mm difference though I expect it's slightly less as Jaap's callipers suggest.

 

Maybe after 7 years of using M9 and M 240 I've become completely acclimatised to the extra few mms compared with film Ms, but they feel just right to me.

 

If weight makes such a difference to the perception of depth, and the high- capacity battery accounts for most of the extra weight, maybe those who don't like the feel of the M240 should be asking for a light-weight battery option, presumably a lower- cost and more practical solution that an entire depth-reducing re-engineering project with minimal prospects of significant benefit.

 

Having written all this it does feel like an awful lot of fuss about a millimetre, especially since the first thing so many people do when they order their new camera is dash of to buy a new half- case to wrap around it.

[IkarusJohn]

I like the feel of the M60 with half case.

[ramarren]

I'm really tired of people calling my M-P "fat and bloated". It's got feelings, ya know? 

 

The thickness difference between my M9 and M-P is less than a mm at the baseplate. Yes, I measured it. The M9 felt thicker and more awkward because of the honky big four way controller and thumb wheel assembly. The position of the shutter release on the M-P moved slightly, which might also change how it feels to some folks' hands, but to me the M-P feels slimmer and more comfortable even it is obvlously very nearly identical in size. 

 

The M-P battery is two whole ounces - about 50g - heavier. OMG! But I happily accept that for the extra 600 exposures per charge I get out of it. Now I only need to carry two batteries and one charger vs four batteries and two chargers. That's a plus for me. 

[Giulio Zanni]

I would like to get a better EVF

[Mike Rawcs]

Despite making many posts about wanting a digital M camera body to be the same dimensions as a film M camera, if making the camera body slimmer, requires the lenses to be bigger, I'll accept the current size of the digital M camera and have the lenses stay as they are. Without any doubt.

 

Mike.

[FlashGordonPhotography]

Personally, I would like the dimensions to be exactly the same as the current one. Simply so my current accessories can be used on it. I don't need to buy a thousand dollars of grips because Leica change the baseplate size by a few mm.

 

Same camera, Better EVF. Exposures up to 15 minutes with selectable dark frame reduction. Display shutter speed in the viewfinder and a Sony 42MP BSI sensor.

 

That'd make me a very happy camper indeed.

 

Gordon

[stevieg]

If one was simply to have a new M body with the same dimensions and 24MP of the current M240/M-P, but with the following additions:

 

SL sensor and processor to enable:

 

Ultrasonic cleaning

"B" up to 30mins

 

external add-on EVF with same 4.4MP resolution

 

Shutter display in manual mode

Zoomable/moveable live-view....

 

...my order's in!

[Steve Ricoh]

I'd urge the designers to make the next M simpler, and thus more reliable. Return shutter timing, actuation and control to be pure mechanical like the MP or MA. Only use electronics where it's absolutely essential, for the recording of digital images and display. ISO as a dedicated control of the amplifier gain. Result: simple, effective and more reliable.

 

Leica, please do not make your products more like the Japanese computer-cameras, the market is already flooded with bloated technology for the sake of technology.

[Giulio Zanni]

Also, longer exposure time in bulb mode for long exposures and landscape shooters please

[FlashGordonPhotography]

Actually, I think I'd like the back of the new M to be the same as the SL. Four buttons. No markings. long press programable. Touch screen. Keep the wheel but replace the 4 way controller with a joystick (much smaller and more discrete).

 

Plus the other stuff I mentioned before.

 

Actually I hope they don't make that camera. Absolutely no way I could resist that.

 

Gordon

[keithlaban.co.uk]

Actually, I think I'd like the back of the new M to be the same as the SL. Four buttons. No markings...

 

The only reason I'd like to see back of the new M to be the same as the SL is there's no way I'd buy it and thus saving me loads of money to spend elsewhere.

[lct]

haha funny i could not agree more

[ynp]

Actually, I think I'd like the back of the new M to be the same as the SL. Four buttons. No markings. long press programable. Touch screen. Keep the wheel but replace the 4 way controller with a joystick (much smaller and more discrete).

 

Plus the other stuff I mentioned before.

 

Actually I hope they don't make that camera. Absolutely no way I could resist that.

 

Gordon

I want a joystick from the SL. The rest of the back arrangements can be traditional.

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[LocalHero1953]

The SL has 8 option buttons to press including the video button, plus a joystick and a wheel. The M240 has the same, with a 4 way controller instead of a joystick. I prefer the SL's button layout as it is easier to press the correct one without looking. I would be happy with either a joystick or 4 way controller.

 

However, I don't believe the M240 needs as many buttons. It could have just 4 (unlabelled), like the SL, and have the same functionality with short and long presses, thus giving a much cleaner interface, more appropriate to the M.

 

Now I've got over the new toy period with the SL and its magnificent lenses, I am using both M and SL fairly equally: the M for travelling light and casual ("going commando") and the SL for dedicated photo sessions or expeditions when I need its full control, reach and versatility ("weaponed-up"). It has made me realise what a great lightweight system the M is (my next size down, carry all the time, point and shoot, camera is my smartphone). And I'm sorry to disagree with those who have posted otherwise, but I do not feel that the SL plus M lenses is at all close in size and weight to a M plus M lenses - totally different feel and carry, IMO.

 

So I also hope that Leica keep it simple in the next M. IMO, the SL's interface is simpler at the front end, even if the menus and options are not, so I'd like to see that transferred across.