NEXT! M-EV1 with a L-mount

[SlowDriver]

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12 hours ago, BigBabyEarl said:

The 35mm format can exist next to a camera that competes with the X2D line and accepts SL primes (with compromise).

Leica most likely would need to find its own niche within medium format.  It won't be able to directly compete with Hasselblad and Fuji.  The Hasselblad X2dii is already lighter and cheaper than the SL3 right now.  Both Hasselblad and Fuji also work at a faster pace than Leica, they are 100% committed to their product lines (Leica the past decade has only shown commitment to M and Q) and both are quite frankly more innovative than current day Leica.  

[jaapv]

That niche would have to be a substantial development of the S series I suppose. Up until now it is more of an upgrade into the professional market to compensate for the loss of the R series but with only limited penetration into the market. Not that Leica expected it to be more  at the time. 

[cnguyen]

Leica M EV1 camera with L mount ? ------- no way Jose. This will kill sale of Leica SL lines .

[pgk]

10 hours ago, cnguyen said:

Leica M EV1 camera with L mount ? ------- no way Jose. This will kill sale of Leica SL lines .

The SL already has serious competition. Looking at all the offers of discounts on cameras from makers at the moment it should be obvious that the costlier cameras are not selling as well as might be hoped. The SL is no doubt being squeezed because you can but very good alternatives at lower cost. Leica's part of the market has been niche for a long time and in order to survive they probably need to continue to fill niches rather than compete directly.

[charlesphoto99]

14 hours ago, cnguyen said:

Leica M EV1 camera with L mount ? ------- no way Jose. This will kill sale of Leica SL lines .

It would also kill many of the Q sales, as well as M sales, including the just released EV1. Leica know their base are well heeled customers that feel the need to own one of each. If those were distilled into a single line, that wouldn't behoove them, as each line (except the Q of course) also need their own cadre of lenses and accessories. 

[BernardC]

17 hours ago, cnguyen said:

Leica M EV1 camera with L mount ? ------- no way Jose. This will kill sale of Leica SL lines

It would be part of the SL line, so the overall sales of the line would go up.

2 hours ago, charlesphoto99 said:

It would also kill many of the Q sales, as well as M sales, including the just released EV1.

A big part of the Q's appeal is that it's an integrated solution. That might not be a selling point for camera geeks like us, but most people don't want to sort through tedious threads comparing Summicrons to Vario-Elmarits.

[jaapv]

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On 12/1/2025 at 1:18 AM, cnguyen said:

Leica M EV1 camera with L mount ? ------- no way Jose. This will kill sale of Leica SL lines .

Does Leica care whether they sell a L or a M (or Q) camera? As long as they sell a camera 

[IkarusJohn]

48 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Does Leica care whether they sell a L or a M (or Q) camera? As long as they sell a camera 

Good question.  What’s the answer?

Are the profit margins the same for each camera? And does the sale of one system camera to the cost of another impact on future returns when Leica has more invested in these lines?  And does Leica make more if they sell a system camera, and make even more out of future lens sales?  And are some lenses more profitable than others? And does the sale of an M camera yield more long term profit?

So many questions!

[BernardC]

11 hours ago, IkarusJohn said:

Good question.  What’s the answer?

Are the profit margins the same for each camera? And does the sale of one system camera to the cost of another impact on future returns when Leica has more invested in these lines?  And does Leica make more if they sell a system camera, and make even more out of future lens sales?  And are some lenses more profitable than others? And does the sale of an M camera yield more long term profit?

Even those many questions over-simplify things, because they don't take into account the synergy between different product lines. We already know that the halo product sells a lot of cheaper models. That's especially true for Nikon and Canon who sell a lot of entry-level kits based on their (Leica-priced) professional models, but it's also true of the M.

It's not a one-way street. R&D is amortized over the M, Q, and SL lines (same family of processors and software stacks), which means that the "less profitable" lines contribute more toward the bottom line than one might assume. They also keep factories busy in-between M releases.

Leica isn't trying to sell one camera per customer. Many of us own more than one Leica at any given time, and we will probably buy several over a lifetime. Buying an SL today makes it more likely that you will buy a Q, or M, or D-Lux in the future, not less. They would lose that if they only offered one line.

[colonel]

Why would anyone want to put AF lenses on a MF camera. 

[LocalHero1953]

13 minutes ago, colonel said:

Why would anyone want to put AF lenses on a MF camera. 

Er....because it could then be used for AF?
It's just a simple firmware change for the camera.
See post #1.

[rdiaz]

Put me down for a Leica L EV1

[andybarton]

On 12/1/2025 at 2:44 PM, charlesphoto99 said:

Leica know their base are well heeled customers that feel the need to own one of each

I don't. Even if I had the money, I wouldn't follow that direction. 

[Irakly Shanidze]

On 10/26/2025 at 3:28 PM, LocalHero1953 said:

Leica has made a small investment (by its own account) in replacing the opto-mechanical rangefinder with an EVF. What could be simpler than taking the next step, with another small investment, to replace the mount with a L-mount? For the shorter L-mount registration distance, they would bring the sensor forward in the body, thereby making space for IBIS as well. The higher power demand would be mitigated by a higher capacity battery (as they did for Q and SL by switching from BP-SCL4 to BP-SCL6).

They have conveniently drawn the ire of the RF adherents by the launch of the M-EV1, so the only people who could be upset are those who bought the latter, but would really really like AF - and IBIS.

What not to like?

(Yes, maybe this should be in the L-mount forum - or half way between - but this is where the M evolution excitement is)

Right, Lumix S9, eat your heart out! 🙂

[jaapv]

A but some would draw them over hot coals for the L-M adapter. Anathema!!

[rdiaz]

Wishing and playing with Acorn imaging software...just dreaming big?...no small

Cheers

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