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New camera system from Leica ?

PeterA

Well-known member
$8,000 is a lot of cash for a first generation Leica digital camera.
You forget the bling factor though Vivek - people have to pony up for bling - I'm wetting my pants just thinking about coughing up 50-60K for a new range of autofocus M glass/image stabilization/EVF hybrid and all the the gizmos that I don't have now - an are really negatively impacting on my typical shooting experience - my cat and dog are getting prepped now for all the shots I have planned - sheeesh I might need to buy a new Porsche to match the set!! Well of course I do...

You know - I threw out all the photographs I ever made with old gear - when Sony brought out their wiz bangers- they all somehow were so last years photography ...shameful to have to post pics whose metadata showed just out of sync with what you have to have to make a decent shot!
 

Knorp

Well-known member
$8,000 is a lot of cash for a first generation Leica digital camera.
$8k - Just a guess I think ;), still - it won't be reasonably priced for sure.
BTW - what is 'Auto Focus in Camera' ? Some kind of screw-driver mechanism à la Pentax ?

Kind regards.
 

D&A

Well-known member
Unless possibly its autofocus is ala Contax AX body where the film plane (or in this case the digital sensor/platform) moves back and forth to achieve focus. If this was the case, any lens mounted would achieve focus this way and therefore almost any lens mounted would in effect become an AF lens.

Body though I suspect would be rather chunky as was the AX although the Contax worked splendidly. Even allowed most lenses to focus closer than its usual minimum focusing distance, often into macro territory.

If Leica could pull something like this off that was both ergonomic and within a reasonably priced range, I suspect they'd please a lot of people. As it is, its probably wishful thinking (and some pipe dreaming).

Dave (D&A)
 

ptomsu

Workshop Member
I think that will become just another very expensive system from Leica. Why in all the world should they suddenly change, especially if it is true what we all expect - FF, mirrorless with excellent EVF, great sensor like Q, Af lenses with Leica quality etc.

But what will turn me down is when they start again like with the T system - new body and 4 initial lenses, lot of promises for more glass and then - NOTHING .... :confused:

Just my 5c
 

Knorp

Well-known member
The T is an oddball, so is the Q.
Perhaps they've got it right this time with the SL !

Kind regards.
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
Unless possibly its autofocus is ala Contax AX body where the film plane (or in this case the digital sensor/platform) moves back and forth to achieve focus. If this was the case, any lens mounted would achieve focus this way and therefore almost any lens mounted would in effect become an AF lens.
Dave (D&A)
There was a heated but not very well-informed debate in the Olympus forum about how the promised firmware coming for the E-M1 will implement focus bracketing (automatically!). A 5-axis image stabilization system has to have enough actuator degrees of freedom to also move the imaging chip in the z-direction, although there is no need for this "6-th axis" in image stabilization at fixed focus. And it was eventually noticed that the chip has to move by as much as the lens would move to achieve a range of focal settings, and this for the longer lenses could be a cm or so, not easy to accommodate in a narrow camera body. How much motion did the Contax AC achieve? over what range of distances could it focus this way?

scott
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I know it is an old debate but I just have to say it: I just wish so much it would have an OVF. But I am afraid it will have one of those TV-viewfinders.
I can tolerate EVf in small cameras like the T where we dont have enough space/room for an OVF.
But for a FF camera...my dream would be a downscaled Leica S.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Unless possibly its autofocus is ala Contax AX body where the film plane (or in this case the digital sensor/platform) moves back and forth to achieve focus. If this was the case, any lens mounted would achieve focus this way and therefore almost any lens mounted would in effect become an AF lens.

Body though I suspect would be rather chunky as was the AX although the Contax worked splendidly. Even allowed most lenses to focus closer than its usual minimum focusing distance, often into macro territory.

If Leica could pull something like this off that was both ergonomic and within a reasonably priced range, I suspect they'd please a lot of people. As it is, its probably wishful thinking (and some pipe dreaming).

Dave (D&A)
Hmm, I wonder if it'd be that bulky given that it probably won't have a mirror box.

- Marc
 

Knorp

Well-known member
There was a heated but not very well-informed debate in the Olympus forum about how the promised firmware coming for the E-M1 will implement focus bracketing (automatically!). A 5-axis image stabilization system has to have enough actuator degrees of freedom to also move the imaging chip in the z-direction, although there is no need for this "6-th axis" in image stabilization at fixed focus. And it was eventually noticed that the chip has to move by as much as the lens would move to achieve a range of focal settings, and this for the longer lenses could be a cm or so, not easy to accommodate in a narrow camera body. How much motion did the Contax AC achieve? over what range of distances could it focus this way?

scott
I've found an informative article that mentions a movement of 10 mm.
Link here

source: photo.net
 
Last edited:

Knorp

Well-known member
Interesting, and complicated. Your link didn't work right for me. Maybe this is better:Contax AX - photo.net
Article from 1998!

scott
:OT: Yep, I found this Contax AX feature pretty awesome, but it also implies it is very much unlikely something similar happening in the OMDs.
It seems Olympus' solution is to drive the lens' AF motor meaning all MF lenses are out and probably all other 𝜇43 lens manufacturers as well.
Still bugs me why only those supported three lenses ...

Kind regards.
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
:OT: Yep, I found this Contax AX feature pretty awesome, but it also implies it is very much unlikely something similar happening in the OMDs.
It seems Olympus' solution is to drive the lens' AF motor meaning all MF lenses are out and probably all other 𝜇43 lens manufacturers as well.
Still bugs me why only those supported three lenses ...

Kind regards.
Olympus description of how the auto focus bracketing will work involves specifying the range of distances that you wish to step through and how closely spaced you want to make the (up to 99) shots. So the lenses that they propose to support are probably the lenses Olympus makes that have the most precise information about actual focus distance available electronically to the camera's firmware. Other lenses (esp. the 45 and 75) are rumored to have been designed and made by Sigma or Panasonic. And just as the image stabilization has noticeably improved over time, it may be that the degree of control over focus that is available in the older lenses is less than in the latest Pro models. You can do AF without knowing the focal distance -- just shift the lens until the image gets sharp. Focus bracketing is tougher. But this is all speculation. However, if Leica wishes to support AF with classic manual lenses, whether M or R, they might find Contax's solution interesting, implemented with magnetic suspension and electromagnetic actuators pushing and pulling rather than motors and ceramic guides. Personally, I find the idea of doing rough focus manually, and letting the electronics optimize, kinda appealing.

scott
 

Bernard

Member
Correction: the article speculates that the camera with lens could list at three times the street price of a new Sony without lens. Leica lenses are never cheap, so the body alone might only be slightly more expensive than a Sony body.
 

ashwinrao1

Active member
Correction: the article speculates that the camera with lens could list at three times the street price of a new Sony without lens. Leica lenses are never cheap, so the body alone might only be slightly more expensive than a Sony body.
Gosh, I hope it's just speculation...$10,000 would push many away (myself included). I do recall that there was similar speculation around the M240 and M9, prior to their release, and yet both came in at "better than expected" prices, albeit still pricey.

If (...a big If) this camera is based off the Q, and uses similar materials, sensor, an production lines, I see no reason for the SL to cost this much. The Q costs $4250 USD (lens included, of course), so I imagine that Leica would bring to market a SL, o with a "kit" lens included for about the price of the M240, or around $7K USD ($4000-$5000 body, $2,500 $3,500 lens). Besides the S, the M line is their mature, premium camera lineup, with plenty of lenses from which to choose. I seriously doubt that Leica would release a 1st generation body at an unreasonable price, pricing even huge fans as myself out of the purchase. They were reasonably fair in pricing out the T system (lenses were too expensive, in my opinion) and the Q, so I suspect they will be wise in terms of pricing the SL aggressively, especially with viable competitors on the market and in a "similar" (albeit non-luxury) segment....
 

iiiNelson

Well-known member
Gosh, I hope it's just speculation...$10,000 would push many away (myself included). I do recall that there was similar speculation around the M240 and M9, prior to their release, and yet both came in at "better than expected" prices, albeit still pricey.

If (...a big If) this camera is based off the Q, and uses similar materials, sensor, an production lines, I see no reason for the SL to cost this much. The Q costs $4250 USD (lens included, of course), so I imagine that Leica would bring to market a SL, o with a "kit" lens included for about the price of the M240, or around $7K USD ($4000-$5000 body, $2,500 $3,500 lens). Besides the S, the M line is their mature, premium camera lineup, with plenty of lenses from which to choose. I seriously doubt that Leica would release a 1st generation body at an unreasonable price, pricing even huge fans as myself out of the purchase. They were reasonably fair in pricing out the T system (lenses were too expensive, in my opinion) and the Q, so I suspect they will be wise in terms of pricing the SL aggressively, especially with viable competitors on the market and in a "similar" (albeit non-luxury) segment....
Body price SHOULD be in the $2500-4000 range IMO. This camera will compete more with the A7II more than the A7RII. The lenses should be in the $1000-3500 range. Much more than that and most (outside the Leica faithful) will most likely ignore it.
 
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