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Thoughts on Leica's APS-C System


Wojtek

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I have said before and will say again, Leica could become THE APS-C system. 

 

[...]

 

It will be interesting to see if Leica go down that route or stick firmly in the amateur camp for the TL/CL bodies/lenses. 

 

I believe there is a huge opportunity here with Sony focusing on 35mm and Fuji more and more shifting its attention away from APS-C towards medium format.

 

For me Leica still sees the TL2 and the CL too much as an additional body that they can sell to M-shooters and not as a separate system in its own right.

 

Hopefully that changes over time.

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You probably missed the interview by LuLa with Maike Halberts. I think SL, TL-CL and M are, by now, interlocking systems allowing users to switch around.

M lenses fit SL and TL/CL, SL lenses fit TL/CL,  TL/CL lenses fit SL. R lenses fit all. The only hiatus is the M being unable to take L lenses, due to its heritage status. What is there not to like for users with a drawer full of various lenses?

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You probably missed the interview by LuLa with Maike Halberts. I think SL, TL-CL and M are, by now, interlocking systems allowing users to switch around.

M lenses fit SL and TL/CL, SL lenses fit TL/CL,  TL/CL lenses fit SL. R lenses fit all. The only hiatus is the M being unable to take L lenses, due to its heritage status. What is there not to like for users with a drawer full of various lenses?

 

 

That's certainly how I see my cameras - Monochrom (7 M lenses), SL (4 larger M lenses and 2 SL zooms) & TL2 (2 smaller M lenses and 2 TL lenses) as an interchangeable system.  Obviously, none of the TL or SL lenses work on the M, and I don't use the TL lenses on the SL (I don't see the point), but the lenses are the system, and the bodies secondary.

Edited by IkarusJohn
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Perhaps there comes a moment though that there are too many bodies and too many mounts (4 if you include the S-mount...).

 

And that continuously supporting all those mounts takes resources away from implementing useful features like image stabilization and releasing more native lenses...

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R doesn’t count. It’s discontinued.


I suppose that the factory R adapters and R lenses being incorporated in our present day's firmware don't count either? R lenses are still very much alive for many of us, and are mentioned as being designed-in in the interview I referred to.

 

 

Perhaps there comes a moment though that there are too many bodies and too many mounts (4 if you include the S-mount...).

 

And that continuously supporting all those mounts takes resources away from implementing useful features like image stabilization and releasing more native lenses..


Retro- and intercompatability are essential for the Leica design philosophy. They don't take away resources, they create resources by selling cameras.
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sony's FE pancake lens isn't really that big..and it has AF

 

even the RX1R's Zeiss 35mm FF lens with Af is not so big!

 

a Tight 18mm pancake lens upto f2.0 would be amazing on the SL

 

 

see this >

 

the lens isn't so big :)

 

 

Might have been a bit on the large side in that case.

Edited by frame-it
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Well, who knows? However, the development of SL lenses does not appear to move in high gear, it seems. :( Not a high priority, I should think. Even with a small lens the body of the SL would not shrink to a pocketable camera.

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I was indeed counting the M-mount as well.

 

The lenses might be discontinued but 23+ lenses continue to be supported through the adapter so it very much remains an active mount IMO.

 

I assume that with every new body and sensor combination they would need to go through a fair amount of testing.

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Perhaps there comes a moment though that there are too many bodies and too many mounts (4 if you include the S-mount...).

 

And that continuously supporting all those mounts takes resources away from implementing useful features like image stabilization and releasing more native lenses...

Well in the context of the entire quote, I see little point in including the R mount as a reason for restricting further development.

 

I’m rather impressed that Leica has one mount for three cameras. Leica is outstanding for the support it provides for R cameras and lenses, and continues to develop and sell the M system.

 

PS - perhaps include the LTM cameras as well?

 

With two systems sharing the L mount, it would be great if some of the more compact lenses were actually full frame, so that they have a larger format than APS-C on the SL.

 

The way in which the APS-C lenses have been called T lenses, the TL suggests to me that Leica’ development strategy is somewhat haphazard. Now we have the CL, what will the new lenses be called? Still TL? Does that suggest the CL is part of the TL line and somehow subsidiary?

Edited by IkarusJohn
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The way in which the APS-C lenses have been called T lenses, the TL suggests to me that Leica’ development strategy is somewhat haphazard. Now we have the CL, what will the new lenses be called? Still TL? Does that suggest the CL is part of the TL line and somehow subsidiary?

 

I think there was a legal issue about the ownership of T . . 

But beyond that I don't think it's haphazard, I guess the mount should be called L, so that SL = full frame TL = APS-C . . sounds good to me.

What is good is that instead of Sony (who designed a small APS-C mount and then used it for full frame) Leica designed a large mount for full frame and used it for APS-C as well.

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I think there was a legal issue about the ownership of T . . 

But beyond that I don't think it's haphazard, I guess the mount should be called L, so that SL = full frame TL = APS-C . . sounds good to me.

What is good is that instead of Sony (who designed a small APS-C mount and then used it for full frame) Leica designed a large mount for full frame and used it for APS-C as well.

Is L mount big enough for future MF sensor?

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