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What to make of the new Leica slim M?

Jager

Member
Ever since the introduction of the M8, Leica has struggled to shoehorn all the necessary electronics into their M bodies, trying to get as close as possible to the form factor of the decades-old film bodies. As good and ergonomic as the digital M's are, and as much as we might laud Leica for not making them grow too much, there's no question that if you pick up a film body M you instantly see what has been lost.

It doesn't surprise me at all that Leica would be striving to get back to that form factor. Especially in the context of figuring out what they should do as an encore to the M240/M-P.

I love the current digital M form factor. But I'd love even more getting back to that in the M6 and M7. Consider me heartened by the rumor...
 

algrove

Well-known member
Jono heads off to China in a week or so and I wonder what he has in his camera bag that we have never seen? I still remember his fish monger shot with the MM1 and 75/2.0.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Jono heads off to China in a week or so and I wonder what he has in his camera bag that we have never seen? I still remember his fish monger shot with the MM1 and 75/2.0.
China is not the best place to go for photography, especially the cities. Too much pollution to show anything beyond a few meters. Personally, I would pick some south american country.
 

algrove

Well-known member
China is not the best place to go for photography, especially the cities. Too much pollution to show anything beyond a few meters. Personally, I would pick some south american country.
Just make sure you have smog cutting filters on each lens.
 

algrove

Well-known member
I have plentyu of filters for sale and I am sure we can find one if you ever travel to the smog capital of the earth.
 

algrove

Well-known member
They can't do it because "there is not enough room inside the camera body for a sensor cleaner". My eye!:banghead:

Sounds like an RX-1 clone. If the images can be had DNG then it might be interesting. That said the RX-1 lens has that nice quiet leaf shutter. Bet they can't emiulate that with a copal. If it is a 28mm that is interesting since it could be half the price of the new Summilux 28/1.4 M lens alone.:D
 
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Vivek

Guest
There are good reasons for the absence of a dust shaker, etc. This is to minimise the glass stack in the optical path to record the maximum IQ offered by a lens.

It would be nice if they would add a PTFE (Teflon) or many other new coatings available to protect the sensor cover glass from exfoliating or being a magnet for dust and grime.

The leaf shutter (it is actually a silent copal like a focal plane shutter and not a real leaf) in RX1 can be bought from Copal. :)
 

D&A

Well-known member
"It would be nice if they would add a PTFE (Teflon) or many other new coatings available to protect the sensor cover glass from exfoliating or being a magnet for dust and grime."

The heck with the sesnor cover glass being a magnet for dust and grime....how about it simply doesn't corode ala M9/MM :)

Dave (D&A)
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Ever since the introduction of the M8, Leica has struggled to shoehorn all the necessary electronics into their M bodies, trying to get as close as possible to the form factor of the decades-old film bodies. As good and ergonomic as the digital M's are, and as much as we might laud Leica for not making them grow too much, there's no question that if you pick up a film body M you instantly see what has been lost.

It doesn't surprise me at all that Leica would be striving to get back to that form factor. Especially in the context of figuring out what they should do as an encore to the M240/M-P.

I love the current digital M form factor. But I'd love even more getting back to that in the M6 and M7. Consider me heartened by the rumor...
Bolded stuff: Shouldn't that be "... you can see instantly what has been gained"?
:)

I have the CL, the M4-2, the X typ 113, and the M-P typ 240 now. While there are clearly differences in size/weight/ergonomics between them, they're all in the "sweet zone" of size/weight/functionality as far as I'm concerned. The M4-2 and the X typ 113 are the closest in overall size, weight, and shape. I don't know how Leica can make a digital M of the same thickness as the M4-2 since the sensor stack is necessarily quite a bit thicker than film and pressure plate and the mount register cannot change if the lenses are to be compatible. At least, not without putting a big bulge in the front of the camera to allow more mount register.

Although the M-P is 50-60g heavier than the M9 was, I find it trimmer and more comfortable to use—to the point where I can actually get the M-P and M4-2 confused when I'm shooting, except for the lack of a manual wind lever and despite that the M4-2 is physically smaller. They just feel similar in my hands now, and curiously more similar than the M9 to the same M4-2.

funny stuff. :)

G
 

henningw

Member
The leicarumours site mentions a fixed lens camera, not an ILC. That rather changes the whole thing and becomes a lot less interesting.

On slimming down the M's; why not just continue doing what they've already started - projecting the lens mount further from the body. Yes, the total depth of lens plus camera back to the LCD screen (or not) will be the same, but the body could otherwise go back to M3 to 7 thickness. I would go for that.
 

uhoh7

New member
There are good reasons for the absence of a dust shaker, etc. This is to minimise the glass stack in the optical path to record the maximum IQ offered by a lens.

It would be nice if they would add a PTFE (Teflon) or many other new coatings available to protect the sensor cover glass from exfoliating or being a magnet for dust and grime.

The leaf shutter (it is actually a silent copal like a focal plane shutter and not a real leaf) in RX1 can be bought from Copal. :)
My dust shaker was removed from my A7 last Jan, and I have still not needed a wet clean. Many lens changes.

My personal conclusion: A7 dust shaker totally superfluous. :)
 

aDam007

New member
I've never cleaned any of my M cameras, never needed to... Though I've never shot above f/5.6 and even that's rare for me. Most of the time I'm somewhere between 1.4 and 2.8
 
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