barjohn Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1141 Posted August 24, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Given that camera sales are down generally and it appears based on inventory that Leica sales are also down considerably, they need to announce something more than a new X or T to bring in the revenues they need. I expect a new M will be announced; however, it may be a while before they can deliver it (nothing new). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 24, 2016 Posted August 24, 2016 Hi barjohn, Take a look here New Leica M in September 2016? The speculations.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Jeff S Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1142 Posted August 24, 2016 If it is to be announced, one would think that mjh (Michael Hußmann) would have written something for the LFI Photokina issue, and he implied in an earlier post that he has not. Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thestatesman Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1143 Posted August 24, 2016 Given that Leica is the "official partner" of Photokina 2016 and their focus is the "Professional" Do you think they would take such an opportunity to announce a new X and a T? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IkarusJohn Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1144 Posted August 24, 2016 A sensible post - I have no idea whether and when a new M will come, but given that it is long overdue would indicate that they are incorporating some technology that takes a lot of effort to develop. Of course, there will be a new M at some stage, and it does look like there will be two new cameras released soon. The rather intriguing question is, what will they do to the M? I do rather hope they stick with the formula that has stood the test of time since 1954. If we want greater technology, it is pretty much covered by the SL. If the new M is made from a single billet of CNCed aluminium or carbon fibre, does away with the anachronistic baseplate and has a radically improved hybrid OVF/EVF rangefinder with single framelines and a moveable focal spot, improved sensor and processor, while going back to the size and form factor of the M4, that would be a huge achievement. That premium M camera could then be followed by a more traditional version, a monochrome version and a limited edition luxury version from ST Dupont, with a 35 Noctilux ... As it is, my suspicions are that the improvements will be incremental. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
adli Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1145 Posted August 24, 2016 Since Leica now has the SL to cover bells and whistles, my guess is that a new M will focus on the essentials, to quote Leica. Better sensor, some cosmetic changes, but no ground breaking. The M will be even more a camera for the purists. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giulio Zanni Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1146 Posted August 24, 2016 The M will be even more a camera for the purists. Purists or not, if the priority is getting the shot and less the tool by itself I don't think that nowadays they could avoid introducing some features...The SL is not an M and not everybody that own M lenses are willing to buy the SL to get these features, at least I am not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
helged Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1147 Posted August 24, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) The new incarnation of the M must sell. Hard to see how that will happen without real "upgrades" - like it or not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1148 Posted August 24, 2016 I The M is not about more features. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ski542002 Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1149 Posted August 24, 2016 Since Leica now has the SL to cover bells and whistles, my guess is that a new M will focus on the essentials, to quote Leica. Better sensor, some cosmetic changes, but no ground breaking. The M will be even more a camera for the purists. I had the M240 with MF grip and detachable EVF, and now love the updated capabilities of the SL, using only M lenses. Taking away AF (which I obviously don't use with M lenses) I don't see the SL possessing any appreciable bells and whistles over the current M with the grip and EVF. I'd love to see a larger MP sensor with at least the fidelity of the SL. Some clients demand more MP, even though realistically they don't need the additional size. I've been experimenting with "res'ing up" the SL files with some success, but one can only carry that so far. It'll be an exciting September! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giulio Zanni Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1150 Posted August 24, 2016 I The M is not about more features. Well then there is ample room for improving the current ones: better EVF, better TTL flash system, longer bulb mode, possibility to turn off LENR, fastest maximum speed in order to avoid using ND filters for shooting wide open in daylight, a working gps option as somebody might need it professionally and possibly more mpx as somebody might need to sell big prints.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1151 Posted August 24, 2016 No longer bulb mode. Too many undesirable consequences. EVF Shmee Vee F. That's not rangefinder photography. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
platypus Posted August 24, 2016 Share #1152 Posted August 24, 2016 No longer bulb mode. Too many undesirable consequences. EVF Shmee Vee F. That's not rangefinder photography. I concur! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Photon42 Posted August 25, 2016 Share #1153 Posted August 25, 2016 I The M is not about more features. It is about more features. Only then they can be taken away one by one for stripped "essence of photography" models, to be sold at a higher price . Non-colour model. Non-live-view model. Non-LCD model. Non-IBIS-model. Non-AF-model. Non-sensor model. Oops. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giulio Zanni Posted August 25, 2016 Share #1154 Posted August 25, 2016 No longer bulb mode. Too many undesirable consequences. EVF Shmee Vee F. That's not rangefinder photography. What is rangefinder photography? Never saw this category in the main contests. The only thing I know is that rangefinder is one of the mechanisms to focus a camera Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CYBORA Posted August 25, 2016 Share #1155 Posted August 25, 2016 The next M will definitely have some tech improvements over the current one , because it always has been like this. On the other hand , there will be another D model for the pure form after a while. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted August 25, 2016 Share #1156 Posted August 25, 2016 Hard to get a slimmer and faster body if Leica adds features having nothing to do with rangefinders though. For IS, AF and other things like that there are excellent cameras elsewhere, some of them working fine with M and R lenses BTW. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giulio Zanni Posted August 25, 2016 Share #1157 Posted August 25, 2016 Hard to get a slimmer and faster body if Leica adds features having nothing to do with rangefinders though. For IS, AF and other things like that there are excellent cameras elsewhere, some of them working fine with M and R lenses BTW. Ok about AF we know is not an option, for IS it can be implemented on a small body, as Olympus shows (even if I don't care about IS). The Q, which is much smaller than the M, has faster maximum speed. To me having a slimmer body is not a priority either. I believe that most of the Leica shooters would expect Leica to continue to upgrade its bodies to match up its lenses, as they bought into a system. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter H Posted August 25, 2016 Share #1158 Posted August 25, 2016 This weekend I'm the official photographer at a music festival and I'll be using my M as usual, (a pair is ideal) and I'll take four lenses with me; 28 Summicron, 35 & 50 Summiluxes, and 75 Summicron. A tight range and I'll probably end up using only two of them as usual, but no zoom would substitute because I need wider apertures for this type of work. I also want the easiest-to-focus MF lenses because no AF would be as reliable as MF either, and M lenses are perfect in so many ways. So the M, just as it is, is nearly the perfect camera, except:- There will be times when I'll struggle to get perfect focus on faces on stage (I have stage access, but I have to be quick so as to be as unobtrusive as possible), with the 50 or 75 at large apertures and, as in the past, the EVF will come to my rescue. But the EVF is so slow that the SL would be the better camera, but I don't, ideally, want to invest in all that high-level video and AF technologogy and the less comfortable body for this one, albeit very significant, EVF benefit that I'll only need in some specific situations. So If Leica does the right things with the M, keeping it simple, and just make the upgrades that improve what's already there, I'll be a happy M use. If they fiddle around with it too much, or decide that it's some sort of ossified digital homage to a film camera instead of being the best and most modern MF camera in existence, I won't be so keen. I'm optimistic that Leica won't be tempted to follow a dogmatic "purist" marketing line and will find the best way to enable the most relevant of up-to-the-minute technology to preserve the simple functionality that is the real advantage of the M. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted August 25, 2016 Share #1159 Posted August 25, 2016 Ok about AF we know is not an option, for IS it can be implemented on a small body, as Olympus shows (even if I don't care about IS). The Q, which is much smaller than the M, has faster maximum speed. To me having a slimmer body is not a priority either. I believe that most of the Leica shooters would expect Leica to continue to upgrade its bodies to match up its lenses, as they bought into a system. Well this is not only a matter of shutter speed but of general slowness of bodies taking too long to startup and wakeup and incapable to shoot more than six or seven raw pics in fast succession w/o interruption, let alone the slowness of the EVF. So far digital Ms have not reached the level of film Ms from this standpoint. Also many Leica users would like digital Ms to be non only as fast but also as small and slim as film Ms. Those photogs will be heard by Leica hopefully otherwise i will keep my M240 for its superior RF capabilities and enjoy the modern features of my Sony and Fuji mirrorless bodies. YMMV. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paulus Posted August 25, 2016 Author Share #1160 Posted August 25, 2016 Ok about AF we know is not an option, for IS it can be implemented on a small body, as Olympus shows (even if I don't care about IS). The Q, which is much smaller than the M, has faster maximum speed. To me having a slimmer body is not a priority either. I believe that most of the Leica shooters would expect Leica to continue to upgrade its bodies to match up its lenses, as they bought into a system. The Q doesn't have a rangefinder, so it's easier to make it small. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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