NEXT! M-EV1 with a L-mount

[lct]

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On 11/14/2025 at 8:03 PM, Stuart Richardson said:

[...] To me the whole point of the system is those absolute image quality lenses and the bodies needed to get the most out of them [...]

This is probably what Leica used to think when they designed the superb and bulky Leicaflex in the 60s, while the main competitor was Zeiss with the even bigger Contarex. Been there, i was dreaming at those marvels i could not afford then. The commercial sucess has not been huge as far as i recall so Leica decided to make more reasonable bodies in joint venture with Minolta (R3 to R7). Nowadays a joint venture is planned with Panasonic and Sigma already. Both are making compact mirrorless cameras that are lacking a built-in EVF Leica could provide eventually. A compact body able to fit SL, CL, Pana and Sigma AF lenses could interest amateurs and perhaps pro photographers, but i'm no armchair CEO.

[jrichie]

1 hour ago, lct said:

This is probably what Leica used to think when they designed the superb and bulky Leicaflex in the 60s, while the main competitor was Zeiss with the even bigger Contarex. Been there, i was dreaming at those marvels i could not afford then. The commercial sucess has not been huge as far as i recall so Leica decided to make more reasonable bodies in joint venture with Minolta (R3 to R7). Nowadays a joint venture is planned with Panasonic and Sigma already. Both are making compact mirrorless cameras that are lacking a built-in EVF Leica could provide eventually. A compact body able to fit SL, CL, Pana and Sigma AF lenses could interest amateurs and perhaps pro photographers, but i'm no armchair CEO.

A compact body to fit L mount AF lenses is all I want from Leica - 24MP, EVF and minimal styling.

[SrMi]

10 minutes ago, jrichie said:

A compact body to fit L mount AF lenses is all I want from Leica - 24MP, EVF and minimal styling.

Check, check, and check: Leica CL. You may still find good second-hand CLs. They are still great cameras.

[jrichie]

4 hours ago, SrMi said:

Check, check, and check: Leica CL. You may still find good second-hand CLs. They are still great cameras.

I had the CL and I agree was/is a great camera, but for some reason I never could love it so I got rid of it.......  Ideally I am talking Q3 body, SL3S sensor and L mount - a bit larger than the CL and easier to work with [the CL was a bit too cramped for me when using the EVF]

[jaapv]

Q body is not a camera, unfortunately. The camera is the Integrated single Lens~Aperture-Shutter-Sensor Unit.  Remote that and you are left with a few disconnected body parts and some electronics. A Q shaped L camera would have to be a completely nee design with all the attendant  costs. Better to hope for a shrunk SL. 

[LocalHero1953]

5 hours ago, jaapv said:

A Q shaped L camera would have to be a completely nee design with all the attendant  costs. Better to hope for a shrunk SL. 

A shrunk SL would not be a complete new design compared to a Q-shaped body???
I don't see a difference. (Yes, of course an actual Q with L-mount is a different animal, for the reasons you give).

[jaapv]

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I think that a bloated L mount EV 1 would be a better description but it all comes to the same thing. 

[lct]

The MEV1 is an M camera designed solely for manual lenses, as opposed to an L camera designed primarily for AF lenses. A good description of such a camera could be a full-frame CL that would use not only SL and other big AF lenses but also CL lenses and other compact AF ones such as the excellent Sigma 18-50/2.8 which already works well on my FF Sigma FPL.

[Markey]

9 hours ago, jrichie said:

I had the CL and I agree was/is a great camera, but for some reason I never could love it so I got rid of it.......  Ideally I am talking Q3 body, SL3S sensor and L mount - a bit larger than the CL and easier to work with [the CL was a bit too cramped for me when using the EVF]

I would welcome such a camera if it were possible.

I have two SL zooms ( 2490 / 90280) and CL 35 /60/55135 and the 1123.

I`ve lost count how many times I`ve boxed the CL lenses up to sell them only to unbox them again.

They`re nice lenses but don`t seem to lose something when mounted on my SL2s

 

[jaapv]

Yes, and a simple adapter can dumb down an AF camera sufficiently.

10 minutes ago, lct said:

The MEV1 is an M camera designed solely for manual lenses, as opposed to an L camera designed primarily for AF lenses. A good description of such a camera could be a full-frame CL that would use not only SL and other big AF lenses but also CL lenses and other compact AF ones such as the excellent Sigma 18-50/2.8 which already works well on my FF Sigma FPL.