Overall Disappointing photkinia for Leica

[Kent10D]

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If both the camera and lens are in good shape and everything works on the camera it's not bad.

 

Thanks for the info!

 

I'll check all of that out when I go in to take a close look at the thing. Looks like a fun little not-too-obtrusive camera. I'm already set up for film, so that part will be easy.

 

Better stop now or we'll get booted over to the film forum.

[andybarton]

What's missing from their line up is the R10...

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[wlaidlaw]

What's missing from their line up is the R10...

 

I agree Andy but cross fingers, they have done the ground work with the S2 and it is then really a matter of choosing the right sensor, scaling down and developing a new bayonet to take legacy R lenses and new AF lenses. Now you would have to ask how much it would add to the cost of an R10 to accommodate legacy lenses and does it therefore make sense to do so. It would be a complicated equation of how many sales you would lose to traditional R users with a non-backward compatible camera and how many extra sales you would gain by a more competitive price. Given that the price is very unlikely to be competitive with Nikon/Canon/Sony anyway and Leica would therefore assume a good proportion of sales would be to current or past R users, I guess the equation would show that backwards compatible is the way to go.

 

Wilson

[Jack MacDonough]

It must have been a very good photkinia for Leica based on the amount of posts Guy has made recently. I thought we had lost him to the Nikon forum forever.

[Guest guy_mancuso]

The S2 woke me up a little.LOL

[wattsy]

I agree Andy but cross fingers, they have done the ground work with the S2 and it is then really a matter of choosing the right sensor, scaling down and developing a new bayonet to take legacy R lenses and new AF lenses.

 

Which has to be two years away at least - most likely Photokina 2010. Don't forget that the S2 isn't planned to ship for another year.

 

Despite some of the noises coming from Solms about how dear the R system is to their heart, Leica have allowed the system to become pretty much moribund.

[wlaidlaw]

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Which has to be two years away at least - most likely Photokina 2010. Don't forget that the S2 isn't planned to ship for another year.

 

Despite some of the noises coming from Solms about how dear the R system is to their heart, Leica have allowed the system to become pretty much moribund.

 

Ian,

 

They were saying at Photokina "hopefully under a year".

 

Wilson

[Guest guy_mancuso]

I heard August more than likely.

[stevelap]

I rang Leica UK today but like the official dealerships they would only say "summer next year" (for the S2).

[Guest DuquesneG]

I can see why Leica might not have had a choice but to reveal the S2 now, but I have to wonder if there isn't a downside to revealing a digital camera a year ahead of time...especially since this particular system is not being aimed specifically at brand loyalists as an M9 or R10 would have been. Leica's sort of working without a net here...something they aren't used to doing.

[Vieri]

Actually Nikon already had/has this. All you have to do is start turning the focus ring and the AF will disengage, that is IF you keep the shutter release at half press. If you let go of the shutter button and then hit it again the lens will try to focus again.

 

Not if you use AF-ON to focus - as many pros do - in which case you can just override AF any time you need without worrying about keeping your shutter pressed

 

I would tend to agree, with the exception of the 85/1.4. That's a different animal in the Nikkor lineup....

 

Let's not forget the WA zooms, as well - 17-35 is great, and 14-24 is even better. In DX terms, the 10.5 is a fantastic little fisheye as well. And the sleeper 2/35 that most overlook is a very good lens too.

 

I can see why Leica might not have had a choice but to reveal the S2 now, but I have to wonder if there isn't a downside to revealing a digital camera a year ahead of time...especially since this particular system is not being aimed specifically at brand loyalists as an M9 or R10 would have been. Leica's sort of working without a net here...something they aren't used to doing.

 

Which is what makes it interesting. I am sure they did their homework, and they probably foresee people will start moving more and more towards digital MF in the pro area and in the advanced (and rich) amateur area as well; thus, saying "we'll be there with a revolutionary product, just wait for us" might be a very good way to "book" customers that would have otherwise gone to Hasselblad, Mamiya, PhaseOne, or so. I agree with Guy here, the main point will be pricing - too high, and they will have lost the bet. This time, Leica should do something revolutionary (for them) on the price side as well, sell at cost or with a symbolic 1 euro profit to get customers into the system and sell them lenses for a profit (small here too); then, once the customer base is established, I am afraid we will see traditional Leica pricing...