Rolo Posted August 14, 2006 Share #1 Posted August 14, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have recently been contemplating the addition of a Motor M to my Leica and with it, it appears to remain balanced with this additional height and extra weight. If the Leica M8 designers have taken advantage of this extra volume opportunity, they could fit a tremendous amount of additional electronics, battery capacity and 2 CF/SD disk drives into it. It could really set a new standard for shooting time and frames captured (8 gig !). In fact, it now seems an obvious thing to do and it retains the promise of being "Leica M format", whilst overcoming a VERY small package problem. Has this been debated previously ? Whad ya' think ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 14, 2006 Posted August 14, 2006 Hi Rolo, Take a look here M8 height. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
wizard Posted August 14, 2006 Share #2 Posted August 14, 2006 The M8 will have the same height as previous M cameras (whether that will be the height of the M6TTL/M7 or of the M3 to MP models remains to be seen), it will just get a little thicker to accomodate for the display at the back. Cheers, Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
h2o2 Posted August 14, 2006 Share #3 Posted August 14, 2006 And with the same height, maybe my Visoflex still fits on it. Not that it is on the top of the technology, but I mean it would be just cool to use my 30 year old equipment at a digital camera.... Holger Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted August 14, 2006 Share #4 Posted August 14, 2006 One of the lenses that can be coded is the 135mm f2.8. Since that lens uses goggles, it implies that the mount and rangefinder windows will be in the same position relative to one another as the current Ms. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 14, 2006 Share #5 Posted August 14, 2006 It would certainly be good if there was some sort of connectivity through the base to allow for such things as a docking cradle, an auxiliary power pack, a wireless LAN adapter. I don't think it would be a problem if the camera was a little taller even than an M7. This thing has probably been a packaging nightmare, but I'm looking for it to be smaller overall than an R-D1. The handgrip of the motor M takes two CR-123 cells, so I could quite easily see such a grip providing additional backup battery power. All depends on what the standard battery life is like of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted August 14, 2006 Share #6 Posted August 14, 2006 Since that lens uses goggles, it implies that the mount and rangefinder windows will be in the same position relative to one another as the current Ms. Correct. I assume Leica has tried to keep the M8 as much "M" as possible, so I expect it to look just about like any old M camera we have got used to. And that includes cocking the shutter manually Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted August 14, 2006 Share #7 Posted August 14, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Andy, they've already stated that shutter advance will be electronic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolo Posted August 14, 2006 Author Share #8 Posted August 14, 2006 "The handgrip of the motor M takes two CR-123 cells, so I could quite easily see such a grip providing additional backup battery power. All depends on what the standard battery life is like of course." That's the first accessory defined then - extra batteries & a CF port, & a power lead with a 3 pin plug. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff Posted August 14, 2006 Share #9 Posted August 14, 2006 I have recently been contemplating the addition of a Motor M to my Leica and with it, it appears to remain balanced with this additional height and extra weight. If the Leica M8 designers have taken advantage of this extra volume opportunity, they could fit a tremendous amount of additional electronics, battery capacity and 2 CF/SD disk drives into it. It could really set a new standard for shooting time and frames captured (8 gig !). In fact, it now seems an obvious thing to do and it retains the promise of being "Leica M format", whilst overcoming a VERY small package problem. Has this been debated previously ? Whad ya' think ? I would be interested in seeing the use of the same removable base plate design, employed on previous film-Based Ms, to provide access to both the battery and memory card compartments. Then, I could envision a combination high-capacity battery/extra memory storage pack, in a similar housing to that of a motor drive unit. This device would provide multiple battery compartments and memory card slots. Such a device would enable extended shooting without the disruption of battery and memory card changing. Well , that my dream, anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 14, 2006 Share #10 Posted August 14, 2006 Geoff, I agree. If you can run the camera from a pack of 4 AA batteries, you never need to worry about running out of juice. For the same reason, a car charger would be useful. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted August 14, 2006 Share #11 Posted August 14, 2006 The downside to AA batteries is that when you need to change batteries in the middle of a shoot, you need to jostle four different objects and get them all inserted with the correct orientation. A single dedicated battery makes for faster and easier swaps and that can be very important for fast-paced work. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 14, 2006 Share #12 Posted August 14, 2006 Providing you remembered to charge that single dedicated battery of course. Current Duracells are dated something like 2012 so keeping some handy means that, if all else fails, you'd have a backup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted August 14, 2006 Share #13 Posted August 14, 2006 It''s the width, the width the width and size that makes cocking {levers} easier Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoff Posted August 14, 2006 Share #14 Posted August 14, 2006 Geoff, I agree. If you can run the camera from a pack of 4 AA batteries, you never need to worry about running out of juice. For the same reason, a car charger would be useful. Actually, my thought would be that the add-on device would house multiples of the same dedicated battery used in the camera itself. Environmentally, I'm down on disposable batteries anyway. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicapfile Posted August 15, 2006 Share #15 Posted August 15, 2006 It is easy to imagine (and would appear to make eminate good sense), for Leica to have a base attachment containing additional battery power, and perhaps memory storage of some type. Something along the size of the Rapidwinders or Leicavits. If Leica hopes to make inroads with PJs in particular. (And I suspect they'd really like to). "Back to the Future" anyone? Jerry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
etrigan63 Posted August 15, 2006 Share #16 Posted August 15, 2006 I for one wouldn't mind the addition of a Digital M Booster if it adds more battery life and faster shooting speeds. I'm certain PJ's would like that as well. They would just have to get used to focusing again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted August 15, 2006 Share #17 Posted August 15, 2006 Shooting speed is interesting. The use of a motor to wind the shutter might create the expectation of a high speed camera but the speed is likely to be limited by the sensor, if it's based on the Kodak sensor, about 2.5 fps. Still respectable, but an aux battery would have more impact on stamina than speed. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
twom4 Posted August 15, 2006 Share #18 Posted August 15, 2006 I wonder if it will make a nice cup of cappucino. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rolo Posted August 15, 2006 Author Share #19 Posted August 15, 2006 "It is easy to imagine (and would appear to make eminate good sense)" Well, I just hope they give due recognition and name it after me - ROLO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted August 15, 2006 Share #20 Posted August 15, 2006 Andy, they've already stated that shutter advance will be electronic. Oops, I must have missed that. Where does that information come from? What I do know is that the shutter will be essentially the R9 unit, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will have auto-winding, or cocking rather. Andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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