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*4* New Summarits


jflachmann

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Guest guy_mancuso

Honestly I did talk to them about this line a long time ago and repeated it recently but i am not taking any credit for it, It's all leica and i really think this is about as smart a move as they can make , now just choke up the 15 f4 i asked for than we will have something. This is really a great sign from them. This just builds a leica future and frankly that is something i really want is for them to grow and bring on more great product for my career.

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The new Summarit could retire the 50mm Elmar and the 50mm Summicron.

 

IMHO the Elmar and the current cron are better choices ... first of all they're both proven great performers, and both are very affordable, last but not least, both of them look more beautiful than the new Summarit.

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Guest guy_mancuso

If I remember the count on coding i think there were four available codes to be used , so as far as coding maybe nothing would be discontinued but I have a feeling something might because they still need to build a 15mm F4 and also a 21 f2 and 24 f2, so they will need those spaces

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...Good explanation... by myself I would have preferred they had named them as Hektors... Hektor was Leitz first 6 elements design (like these new lenses) and the first Hektor was a f 2,5...

 

That would make more logical sense but less marketing sense. The "Summ-" prefix is strongly associated with Leica's brand image via Summicron and Summilux; calling the new lens set "Summarit" is a better way to build easily-recognized brand equity than calling it "Hektor" (alas. I'd prefer Hektor too.)

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Maybe the Elmarit name will be retired in this

 

That seems unlikely to me. I think it's more likely that there will be only three prefixes in the future:

 

Noct - superfast (1.0) Noctilux

Summ - fast (1.4 - 2.5) Summilux, Summicron, Summarit

Elm - slow (2.8 - 4) Elmarit, Elmar, Tele-Elmar, Macro-Elmar, Tri-Elmar

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Guest guy_mancuso

Okay it's for real . I asked for confirmation on this

 

Yes, we will send out US pricing tomorrow.

---

Best regards

Christian Erhardt

 

Leica Camera Inc. / Director of Marketing Photographic Division

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Guest guy_mancuso

Okay it's for real . I asked for confirmation on this

 

Yes, we will send out US pricing tomorrow.

---

Best regards

Christian Erhardt

 

Leica Camera Inc. / Director of Marketing Photographic Division

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How will the lenses be coded - I thought the combinations were all used up....

Howard--

Carsten calculated something like 2617 different possible values from the six bits as I recall, plus the ability to increase the number of bits in the future without any change to current codes.

 

Mark Norton or Carsten Whimster will doubtless correct my faulty recollection. :D

 

--HC

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Okay it's for real . I asked for confirmation on this

 

That really is great news, and not just because there are new, hopefully "perfect" lenses coming. It also means that Leica really is looking toward the future, and have been occupied with more than just catching up.

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This is a good move for Leica. The font for the lens designation is indeed less angular, but the angular font goes back to all on my Leitz lenses from the 70's and 80's.

 

If the prices are indeed lower, it will entice new Leica owners. I am glad they are going back to the Leitz name on the lenses.

 

I would love to own a set but with private school coming this year for my kids, I will have to live with my current lens lineup for some time. At present, I have the 24, 35 Summicron, 50 Summilux and Noctilux, 75 Summicron, 90 Summicron and Elmarit, 135 Apo Telyt and the 28, 35, 50 Tri Elmar.

 

Leitz/Leica is on the comback trail.

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...The new Summarit could retire the 50mm Elmar and the 50mm Summicron.

Hi Ruben. The Elmar is collapsible and has a Tessar look that is hardly replaceable IMHO whereas the Summicron is open at f/2. I would rather expect the latter to be replaced soon or late by a (dearer) Summicron ASPH.

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Very good move by Leica. The current pricing was very high, particularly with the sinking US$ against the Euro.

Like the name too- the Summarit has always been one of my favourites in the old Leica lens line.

The slower speed does not bother me at all as i have already have all the high speed lenses I will need and with age, I am more interested in being able to comfortably carrying a shoulder bag with 2 bodies and three to four lenses.

A small 21 (VC 21P or the ZM 21/4.5), the 35/2.5 Summarit and the 75/2.5 Summarit would be a good kit.

Congratulations Leica and with a November release - Christmas could be interesting this year!

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Howard--

Carsten calculated something like 2617 different possible values from the six bits as I recall, plus the ability to increase the number of bits in the future without any change to current codes.

 

Mark Norton or Carsten Whimster will doubtless correct my faulty recollection. :D

 

--HC

 

2^6 is only 64 binary possibilities

-bob

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... Shouldn't there also be a 24/3.5 and 28/3.5 and maybe even 21/3.5 Summaron? or 21/3.5 and 25/3.5?

Hey! We just got four totally new lenses out of Leica that none of us expected--and you're lamenting that we didn't get more? :p

 

... have they done anything in the design differently wrt. IR ...

Am I the only one who accepts Leica's explanation of why you can't design IR-cut filtration into a lens? I don't think we're likely to see something like that. Of course, it would be a great irony if CV or Zeiss were to issue a lens line with built-in IR filter! :rolleyes:

 

Fourthly, relatively affordable lenses ..., like mid-range Canon L lenses...

A very major point. Canon and Nikon users are used to seeing lenses in this range, even if the less expensive ones sell better: Here's Leica offering a starter set in the same range as the 'big boys.' All the more reason to find out what 'this rangefinder thing' is about!

 

.... Will there be a budget M8, perhaps stamped from alloy instead of milled from brass, and 8MP instead of 10MP? ...

I doubt it. Maybe later, but right now the M8 is probably still selling too well. I'm not even sure it would be possible to do it. But I like the acronym--"BM8" for "Budget M8." :(

 

... I presume these lenses are made to be easy to manufacture with lower required precision....

EP's review of the 28/2.8 ASPH said that it incorporated some features that would make its production less expensive. I guess we shouldn't have been blindsided by this new batch.

 

...I presume that means that they will all be bang on as delivered, and none of this back and forth we have to deal with now?...

Carsten, this forum will always find something to complain about. :D But this does seem to be a return to everything Leitz was known for. Seeing Zeiss offer their 50 Sonnar-C would doubtless be a thorn in Leica's side, saying, "Let's make our traditional lenses as an alternative." I think you're likely right, looser parameters like Zeiss', and therefore ready to go out of the box. And with the traditional Leica look to boot.

 

... I wonder if Leica is looking forward here at all, in that there is some way that these lenses can transfer aperture information to the camera...

Mechanically impossible IMHO, and at least not at a lower price. Look at how different the diaphragm linkages are in various lenses. And in many cases, the focus mount or lens mount would likely block any space there is. I would say, just enable the aperture approximation the M8 already has instead.

 

We are seeing one of two things here: Either a new line of lenses to run as an adjunct to the 'standard' Leica lenses, or a cheapening of the line. Or maybe both. There's already one niggling aspect: Stating how many diaphragm blades each lens has, à la Nikon. But I'll vote for it; it has already stirred that acquisition passion that Leica used to give us.

 

And again, Leica has done what they do so well. They've totally surprised us with something new that most of us already want

 

--HC

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