leica rumours

[marknorton]

But . . . it's nearly as expensive as the WATE, and at 310 grams, it isn't much smaller either (WATE is 335), added to which, the WATE is absolutely at it's best at 18mm.

Jono, maybe you haven't seen the latest WATE price, an eye watering €4495 from Leica Berlin or £3399 from Red Dot, so the new lens should come in at £1000 less, with luck.

I think it will steal sales from the WATE - when I put it on a G1 to see live View, I'm struck how little difference, really, there is between 16 and 21mm. I think a dedicated 18mm is a happy compromise and none of the fiddling around with menu, filters, adjustable finders you get with the WATE. Mount the lens and the finder and you're set.

With this new lens, I think we have all we need, aside perhaps from a 28mm Summilux if and when a FF camera comes, the 28/1.4 is a favourite lens on Nikon FX, even if it's a bit past it optically.

[It will, incidentally be interesting to see whether the Super Elmar is a completely new optical design or whether it borrows from the WATE and is just a mechanically simplified version of it.]

 

[ecliffordsmith]

Hi All,

Wow, the flash is up on the reddotcameras.co.uk site. Bearing in mind its proportions versus the S2 I dont think this is the flash wanting a small, tiltable unit for their M.

 

[DougDolde]

Is this one of the rumor subjects?

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0902/09021712leicam18mm.asp

 

[marknorton]

That flash is huge and so is the price. It will be interesting to see if the head zooms and adjusts to the focal lengh of an M lens which was one of the original benefits cited for coded lenses.

Can't help feeling 60%+ more than a Nikon SB-900 which does a great job on an M8. I assume it's a re-badged Metz...

 

[jonoslack]

Jono, maybe you haven't seen the latest WATE price, an eye watering €4495 from Leica Berlin or £3399 from Red Dot, so the new lens should come in at £1000 less, with luck.

I think it will steal sales from the WATE - when I put it on a G1 to see live View, I'm struck how little difference, really, there is between 16 and 21mm. I think a dedicated 18mm is a happy compromise and none of the fiddling around with menu, filters, adjustable finders you get with the WATE. Mount the lens and the finder and you're set.

With this new lens, I think we have all we need, aside perhaps from a 28mm Summilux if and when a FF camera comes, the 28/1.4 is a favourite lens on Nikon FX, even if it's a bit past it optically.

[It will, incidentally be interesting to see whether the Super Elmar is a completely new optical design or whether it borrows from the WATE and is just a mechanically simplified version of it.]

HI Mark
Red Dot are advertising it at £1995, plus 550 for the finder so I guess you're right, it's around £1000 difference, whether it'll be worth twice the price of the excellent Zeiss is another matter.

Still, I've been having an epiphany with my WATE recently. The trick is simple, have a bag which fits an M8 with the WATE and viewfinder, I've been using it a lot, but I don't change focal length's a great deal, rather as if one were going out with a prime, I'll leave it as it is unless there is something that really demands a change. If I do want to change, it's 1,2,3 (lens / menu / viewfinder) certainly quicker than taking another lens out of the bag. Of course, it does help if you have another body in the bag.

As for the difference being small between 16 and 21 on a G1, of course it is! It's the difference between 32 and 42 (who cares), but having a 21, 24 and 28 in one lens is significant (at least, I think it is!).

Mind you, I'm not knocking the new lens, it'll be interesting to see how good it is.

 

[etrigan63]

I assume it's a re-badged Metz...

Oh yeah, it looks EXACTLY like my Mecablitz 58A-1 with a Leica dot on it. Probably has a Leica foot on it for the connections as this is not a modular model. Mine is the Nikon edition. Still, it's nice to see a decent flash for the M & S series (although it makes the M8 look a bit top-heavy).

 

[dhsimmonds]

Couple A900's to those that don't have a 35mm system but do have a MF system. i qualified immediately. LOL

Well Gordon Brown will have to give us guys at least an S2 plus three lenses to all of us without M/F and only 35mm systems, just to keep the Union Jack flying then!:angel:

 

[Erik Five]

That flash is huge and so is the price. It will be interesting to see if the head zooms and adjusts to the focal lengh of an M lens which was one of the original benefits cited for coded lenses.

Can't help feeling 60%+ more than a Nikon SB-900 which does a great job on an M8. I assume it's a re-badged Metz...

Does the new Leica flash cost 60% more than the SB-900? WHOA. Its insane how much they want extra just because of that red dot. Glad I dont use flash on my M´s

 

[innerimager]

Does the new Leica flash cost 60% more than the SB-900? WHOA. Its insane how much they want extra just because of that red dot. Glad I dont use flash on my M´s

I do rarely... an SB800 ;>)