EVF M rumoured

[dkmoore]

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On 5/4/2025 at 7:48 AM, jaapv said:

And most importers are panicking...

You mean, licking their lips 

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The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[jaapv]

I doubt it. 

[jaapv]

At least one can use the lenses. Now that lenses have firmware too, that will compound the problem. 

[THEME]

Wouldn't get an EVF M

Call it nostalgic retroism, and the mechanical digital M just works

But good on Leica to broaden their offerings

[jaapv]

19 hours ago, adan said:

I completely understand!

But this is the Deal we make with the Devil by using camera-shaped computers for photography. They simply are not a "camera for a lifetime" 1954 M3.

I wonder if Leica even knows in which drawer they stashed their "latest" M-CCD firmware master file (in 2017). And whether they still have the in-house software to recompile firmware for an M9/Monochrom, even if new lens data is added.

And where does it end? Some M9s will likely still be functional in 2040, if they still have functioning batteries (the far side of the expected-lifetime bell-curve, but some will reach the far side). But should new-lens support extend until then?

Can you get 2025 software to run on a 2009 desktop computer, without jumping through hoops? Or run 2009 Photoshop on a 2025 computer?

I figure firmware counts as "spare parts" - we get 10 years support after production ends.

I think Stefan Daniel said, when someone wanted some similar upgrade for the M8, that "the M8 is a 'finished' product." And Leica fired a CEO for (among other reasons) suggesting that the M8 could be eternally upgradeable.

Well, welcome to 21st century technology, I suspect. I can still get all parts for my 1963 Triumph TR4, but it is more than unlikely that my 2021 PHEV will be usable after 62 years, or even far before that. 

[erl]

Well, I am 1941 vintage and still going (reasonably) strong. But that is thanks to several upgrades. 👍

[Smogg]

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It looks like Leica engineers, after reading what we wrote on 86 pages, realized that they were preparing a completely different EVF-M. Therefore, Leica decided to postpone the release until the next anniversary😂

[Smogg]

Engineer A: They want IBIS!
Engineer B: They want rangefinder emulation!
Engineer C: Now they want help with eye focus too🤯
Chief Engineer: Just paint the M11 camera green, we should have that by May 3rd if the paint container arrives from China on time and the beta testers don't let us down.

Edited 8 hours ago by Smogg

[marchyman]

18 hours ago, erl said:

In my very early days of photography, I carried a notebook and recorded all my relevant shooting parameters. I still have it, somewhere. Today, all my film cameras shoot without record of 'critical' data. I wonder if Leica will consider an upgrade for them, sometime in the future? 😉

Nothing to do with an EVF-M, but this comment reminded me that I still use a notebook on the rare occasions I shoot film.  I find a lack of data is better than incorrect data. Incorrect aperture data is probably what  annoys me most about shooting with an M.  That doesn't mean, however, that it annoys me a lot.

When digitizing negatives my solution is to transcribe the info from my notebook into the caption of the digital image.  That and setting the image capture data/time to the noted values so at least the images correctly sort by date.

 

[evikne]

4 minutes ago, marchyman said:

Nothing to do with an EVF-M, but this comment reminded me that I still use a notebook on the rare occasions I shoot film.  I find a lack of data is better than incorrect data. Incorrect aperture data is probably what  annoys me most about shooting with an M.  That doesn't mean, however, that it annoys me a lot.

When digitizing negatives my solution is to transcribe the info from my notebook into the caption of the digital image.  That and setting the image capture data/time to the noted values so at least the images correctly sort by date.

With the LensTagger LR plugin you can both correct the aperture of your digital files and add any EXIF data you want into your digitized negatives.

[Stuart Richardson]

3 hours ago, Smogg said:

Engineer A: They want IBIS!
Engineer B: They want rangefinder emulation!
Engineer 😄 Now they want help with eye focus too🤯
Chief Engineer: Just paint the M11 camera green, we should have that by May 3rd if the paint container arrives from China on time and the beta testers don't let us down.

I think it is quite unlikely that the engineers are the ones making these decisions. I am sure they are deeply involved in informing the executives as to what can be done and what kind of effort/budget, but I would guess the engineers are probably closer to the users' camp than the marketing team.

[Jeff S]

3 minutes ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I think it is quite unlikely that the engineers are the ones making these decisions. I am sure they are deeply involved in informing the executives as to what can be done and what kind of effort/budget, but I would guess the engineers are probably closer to the users' camp than the marketing team.

I linked to an online interview of Leica team members awhile back, discussing the process leading up to the 35mm M APO. The marketing team had the specs, and budget, prepared and design was well under way.  Then the technical team later presented the idea, and feasibility, of adding close focus capability.  They agreed to go back to the drawing board, so to speak, and changed course to incorporate the design, which then became integrated to some subsequent lenses.  The process was described as very team oriented, with a healthy bit of debate and competitiveness.

[Stuart Richardson]

Yes, that seems completely plausible. But what I mean is that the engineering team probably is excited to do really interesting and innovative things and wants to do everything with the best quality, best practices etc, and then the other teams come in and pour a bucket of cold water on it, based on market research, budgets and practicality etc. That is all I meant by them probably being most on the side of the user. I have never met someone who is an engineer or craftsman who doesn't want to make the best things they can. On the other hand, many of the executives I have experienced are more concerned with delivering the most profitable product consumer pain will bear, even if it means compromising features and the product quality.

Edited 4 hours ago by Stuart Richardson

[Smogg]

50 minutes ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I think it is quite unlikely that the engineers are the ones making these decisions. I am sure they are deeply involved in informing the executives as to what can be done and what kind of effort/budget, but I would guess the engineers are probably closer to the users' camp than the marketing team.

Apparently the budget was only enough for a can of green paint😀

[lct]

4 hours ago, Smogg said:

Engineer A: They want IBIS!
Engineer B: They want rangefinder emulation!
Engineer 😄 Now they want help with eye focus too🤯
Chief Engineer: Just paint the M11 camera green

Chief Lawyer: Calm down dudes i never promised anything

[UliWer]

1 hour ago, Stuart Richardson said:

But what I mean is that the engineering team probably is excited to do really interesting and innovative things and wants to do everything with the best quality, best practices etc, and then the other teams come in and pour a bucket of cold water on it, based on market research, budgets and practicality etc.

When the Leica II was introduced Oskar Barnack wrote a lengthy text in which he promised that all present Leica camera could be upgraded with every future novelties introduced with new models. He really wrote "all" and "every future novelties". Most of his text was used for an official brochure to advertise the new camera - but they "censored" this passage which did not appear in the official text. The original manuscript was only published in 2008 in Kisselbach's book "Barnacks erste Leica". During the times of the M8 Mr. Lee was Leica CEO and he publicly made the same promise with almost identical wordings Barnack had used long before: the M8 could be upgraded with all future novelties. His promise wasn't censored, but Mr. Lee was fired some time later (not alone for this reason).

In both cases the promise wasn't "innovative" and made "to do everything with the best quality, best practices etc." but just unrealistic phantasy.

At the beginning there is an idea to achieve something. Then technicians start to develop something. But soon reality creeps in. If you look at the different digital M models you always find this same pattern. It is not some unknown wisecrack from the marketing department but just simple reality which shows where the limits are. 

Edited 3 hours ago by UliWer

[DadDadDaddyo]

In theory, there's no difference between theory and practice. 

In practice, there is.

[Derbyshire Man]

4 hours ago, marchyman said:

Nothing to do with an EVF-M, but this comment reminded me that I still use a notebook on the rare occasions I shoot film.  I find a lack of data is better than incorrect data. Incorrect aperture data is probably what  annoys me most about shooting with an M.  That doesn't mean, however, that it annoys me a lot.

When digitizing negatives my solution is to transcribe the info from my notebook into the caption of the digital image.  That and setting the image capture data/time to the noted values so at least the images correctly sort by date.

 

I realise this would cause a meltdown for most here but one thing that my canon cameras often had was a record voice note button. It's potentially quite useful, especially for some forms of photography to be able to record a short story, to save getting out the phone or a recording device. I never used it on the canon's of course but I'm in the process of moving to more project work where it would actually be useful.

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Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear