How about a line of M Autofocus Lenses for the EV line of M cameras?

[Kwesi]

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I think it would be a welcome addition for future EV cameras. small light autofocus lenses with manual capability. Doesn't have to be now but perhaps by the third generation?

Remember, there was a time when we thought we wouldn't see a full-frame M.

What are your thoughts?

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[LocalHero1953]

It would need a new mount. The camera has to tell the lens how to focus. The M mount has no electronic communication with the lens.

In theory the M mount could be modified to include electronic communications, but Leica already has a mount that does this: the L-mount. Would they design a fourth mount? (After M, L and S).

[lct]

Not so clear what an M camera can be these days. A messsucher? Outdated definition since the M1 (1959) and now the MEV1 (2025). A least it should remain an M-mount camera and such a mount has no electric contacts.

[Sharpdressed]

Long live to manual focus M lenses!

[FrozenInTime]

26 minutes ago, Kwesi said:

I think it would be a welcome addition for future EV cameras. small light autofocus lenses with manual capability. Doesn't have to be now but perhaps by the third generation?

Remember, there was a time when we thought we wouldn't see a full-frame M.

What are your thoughts?

External AF M lenses with gearing are already available - see Thypoch Simera-C and 0.8 MOD Summilux ( which evolved into Leitz Hugo LPL ).

The DJI Focus Pro LIDAR could be hooked up to a M camera. For a M camera the breakthrough would be to create a miniaturised external motor drives, without ugly rigging.

Internal motor driven autofocus lenses call for vastly different optical, and mechanical construction; they always end up being much larger for the same aperture of lens. ( Do you remember the horrible plastic build of AF lenses from the 1980/1990's, with screwdriver drives ).

Both the Leica DG series of m43 Lumix lenses, and the Leica TL lenses, presented compact AF solutions - a lot easier with a smaller image circle and less glass to move.

 

 

[Pieter12]

Whole lot of reengineering would be required. Might as well buy a Fuji X-Pro. Excellent camera and lenses.

[IkarusJohn]

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What would left to call an “M” camera?

You seek a full frame CL, with smaller SL lenses, but with the ability for manual focus … in the decades it takes for that to happen, I will have been using my X2D with V lenses, and my M cameras with the lovely little M lenses.

[Segal]

They should make an M-mount camera with Techart Pro built-in - you'll get an autofocus Leica M that supports almost all old lenses. Best thing - it's going to be cumbersome and slow, so not to take away from the classic experience  

[jaapv]

I am quite sure it will never happen - it would throw a way any pretence of a niche camera and make it into an me-too product.

[FrozenInTime]

10 minutes ago, Segal said:

They should make an M-mount camera with Techart Pro built-in - you'll get an autofocus Leica M that supports almost all old lenses. Best thing - it's going to be cumbersome and slow, so not to take away from the classic experience  

That’s getting remarkable similar to the Contax / Nikon S rangefinders helicoid mount.

[zlatkob]

Of course, there should be M-shaped, M-sized, M-styled camera with a line of compact interchangeable autofocus lenses. And most importantly, with great autofocus. It can be called an SL or a Q or something else. It can't be called an M because people will get upset if it's called an M.

Some will say that compact interchangeable autofocus lenses don't exist, but many compact interchangeable autofocus lenses are on the market from various brands.

It will certainly happen, but it may take a few decades. Leica has introduced new cameras, and autofocus lens lines, and none of them threw away the M niche or turned the M into a me-too product. In fact, the new autofocus products are very happily sold right alongside the M, and they even outsell the M.

[Kwesi]

1 hour ago, IkarusJohn said:

What would left to call an “M” camera?

You seek a full frame CL, with smaller SL lenses, but with the ability for manual focus … in the decades it takes for that to happen, I will have been using my X2D with V lenses, and my M cameras with the lovely little M lenses.

Good question, well one could ask the same of the current model but that's not the point of this thread. I guess my question is wether one thinks the move toward small M mount AF lenses is a natural progression for a future M with a built in EVF

[Stuart Richardson]

1 hour ago, Segal said:

They should make an M-mount camera with Techart Pro built-in - you'll get an autofocus Leica M that supports almost all old lenses. Best thing - it's going to be cumbersome and slow, so not to take away from the classic experience  

They can't, because many of Leica's best lenses use floating elements and moving optical cells to focus, not a simple back and forth of the entire lens. So using a techart style adapter would kill performance on those lenses. It is just not the kind of stuff Leica does. 

[Segal]

2 minutes ago, Stuart Richardson said:

They can't, because many of Leica's best lenses use floating elements and moving optical cells to focus, not a simple back and forth of the entire lens. So using a techart style adapter would kill performance on those lenses. It is just not the kind of stuff Leica does. 

I was kidding just in case it was’t clear.

[Pieter12]

 

1 hour ago, zlatkob said:

Of course, there should be M-shaped, M-sized, M-styled camera with a line of compact interchangeable autofocus lenses. And most importantly, with great autofocus. It can be called an SL or a Q or something else. It can't be called an M because people will get upset if it's called an M.

Some will say that compact interchangeable autofocus lenses don't exist, but many compact interchangeable autofocus lenses are on the market from various brands.

It will certainly happen, but it may take a few decades. Leica has introduced new cameras, and autofocus lens lines, and none of them threw away the M niche or turned the M into a me-too product. In fact, the new autofocus products are very happily sold right alongside the M, and they even outsell the M.

See my post mentioning the Fujifilm XPro. M-shaped, M-sized, M-styled with a line of excellent, interchangeable autofocus lenses, all at a fraction of Leica prices. Plus it has a hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder, something Leica has never done.

 

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Edited 17 hours ago by Pieter12

[Stuart Richardson]

1 minute ago, Segal said:

I was kidding just in case it was’t clear.

I guess I raced to the comments before I read your second line. 

As for adding AF to M mount, it just makes zero sense to me. You would have to completely redesign the mount to add electronics. And you would wind up with what is essentially....drumroll....the L mount. If the idea is to make more compact AF lenses for L mount, that makes more sense. But this would also likely impact the quality of M mount lenses. L mount lenses are already on the whole quite a bit sharper than the M equivalents. If you wanted to retain the rough size of M mount lenses and also add AF motors, they would be even harder to design. Then you are basically left with two options : extraordinarily expensive and good, or expensive and not as good as either M or L mount lenses. It really makes the most sense to just use M mount lenses on M mount bodies, and L mount lenses on L mount bodies. 

[rramesh]

Leica doesn’t have the deep pockets or the resources to develop something that been developed and enhanced over several iterations by others. 

Leica’s best bet here would be to partner with a mainstream company like Nikon who already have mirrorless cameras that work reasonably well with M lenses with thinner sensors. 

In parallel, work to make the SL line smaller in size. 

[jaapv]

I am missing a word that is one of Leica's core values: retro-compatibility.

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[Segal]

33 minutes ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I guess I raced to the comments before I read your second line. 

As for adding AF to M mount, it just makes zero sense to me. You would have to completely redesign the mount to add electronics. And you would wind up with what is essentially....drumroll....the L mount. If the idea is to make more compact AF lenses for L mount, that makes more sense. But this would also likely impact the quality of M mount lenses. L mount lenses are already on the whole quite a bit sharper than the M equivalents. If you wanted to retain the rough size of M mount lenses and also add AF motors, they would be even harder to design. Then you are basically left with two options : extraordinarily expensive and good, or expensive and not as good as either M or L mount lenses. It really makes the most sense to just use M mount lenses on M mount bodies, and L mount lenses on L mount bodies. 

We have several great options for compact cameras with interchangeable lenses from other manufacturers. Even full-frame ones - A7CR, Lumix S9, Sigma BF. The Sigma and Lumix take Leica L-mount lenses! 

I think we should just ask for compact L-mount lenses from Leica instead - something similar to Sony 40/2.8 or Sigma 45/2.8. Not every lens needs to be f/1.4 or f/0.95  

On this note - I own a Sigma 90/2.8, and it's an absolute delight to shoot with.

[Pieter12]

47 minutes ago, Segal said:

We have several great options for compact cameras with interchangeable lenses from other manufacturers. Even full-frame ones - A7CR, Lumix S9, Sigma BF. The Sigma and Lumix take Leica L-mount lenses! 

I think we should just ask for compact L-mount lenses from Leica instead - something similar to Sony 40/2.8 or Sigma 45/2.8. Not every lens needs to be f/1.4 or f/0.95  

On this note - I own a Sigma 90/2.8, and it's an absolute delight to shoot with.

The OP and subject line is wanting an autofocus M camera.