What would be the features of a Leica M8?

Now that we are comfortable with the Leica M7, what features would you like to see on a Leica M8?

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Personally I would like to see the additional 1/2000 and 1/4000 shutter speeds plus more mechanical shutter speeds like the Nikon FM3A with a hybrid electronic shutter.

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Plus I would like to have more brass fittings and a titanium baseplate as long as aperture priority remains.

Alfie, please, Erwin has spoken. You don't need those high shutter speeds. You

only think you do, but Leica knows best. Unless you go to an R8, when they

suddenly become worth having. Don't question the logic, there is none, this is

gospel handed down from on high.

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Personally, I'd like to see something that takes medium format film. It's a

constant embarrassment that my $400 Fuji rangefinder takes pcitures of far

higher technical quality than my Leica, which cost 5 times as much.

I personally hope very much that it has not only a built-in

motordrive that can rev up to at least 15 fps but a

non-interchangeable 8-200mm 1.0 lens that is really sharp and

only 1'" long. Do any of you ever go out and shoot photos or do

you just sit here and keep rehashing your hopes of what the M12

will have on it?!

Are we talking about a 10 - 20 years project? By Leica std this is

the normal.

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Min 6M full frame CCD with X3 technology. God knows what we have in

digital technology in 10 years.....

Hmm... how about a higher mag finder like .93! And a "less is more"

viewfinder offering 50, 90 and 135 frames. Of course brass top and

bottom, but also engraved top plate too. Get rid of the features

that speed up my shooting too much, like single stroke advance, like

rapid rewind crank, like motor capability, and like rapid film

loading.

I'm with Charles, but .91 mag should be sufficient. And get rid of

that stupid meter! ; )

Masatoshi Yamamoto "You don't need those high shutter

speeds. You only think you do, but Leica knows best"

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Firstly, "I" need the faster shutter speeds, to make use of my fast

lenses for isolating subjects in daylight. Secondly, Leica doesn't

always know best. If Oscar Barnack was around today I think he

would be:

1. Greatful Leica has maintained the traditional essence of the

Leica camera, and 2. Think, "why haven't they moved on? I

created new technology during my time, and it hasn't progressed

much?"

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Not needing a faster shutter is like saying "you don't need a

Leica to take a sharp shot!" True, you don't, but some of us here

choose to because we are happy with the performance, even at

high costs. Like this example, I don't need a faster shutter to take

a shot, as I can stop down. But I do feel creatively limited at

times, as isolating subjects is my style of photography.

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Some people need it and others don't. Me, I'd be happy to settle

for a faster shutter that is noisier. Because the times where I

need a faster shutter, I don't care about the noise of the shutter

because I am oustide somewhere.

Allen, Charles and Mike are being humorous. They are describing the

M3.

I think the M8 should have autofocus and image stabilization. I

believe that many of us, myself included, will need those features by

the time an M8 comes around. Perhaps a built-in defibrillator too.

I would design from Lycra or any strong, soft and durable plastic, a

vest for the M, thin and ergonomic, like an EOS shape but much

smaller, added to the M body, like a globe, very helpful when knocks

and sweat, designed to take out base plate and back door, and access

to all functions, you coul play ball with it, a hard work to design

mmm...

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why... I don´t know, why should add a thing to some of the best

designs of all times.

Now that we are comfortable with the M7 and have some

reasonable suggestions for an M8, what features would you like

to see on a Leica M9?

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Personally I would like even more titanium. Why stop at the

baseplate, though I agree with Alfie that a titanium baseplate

would be a tremendous improvement. I think titanium strap lugs

would be great. So would a titanium shutter release button, but

the engineering for that might be too expensive.

Mostly importantly, it must be able to "automatically" produce

images which is not fussy even in the hands of Alfie :D

Maratoshi, I know what you mean. It really ticks me off that my

$200 4X5 Speed Graphic takes way better pictures than my Fuji med.

format rangefinder. C'mon, lets compare oranges to oranges.

I like Charles and Mike's suggestions, but I think a more radical re-

design is in order:

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- The whole body needs to be significantly smaller, so that (e.g.)

the camera plus collapsed 50mm Elmar will fit easily in a jacket

pocket, and be more easily concealed for candid work.

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- Built-in diopter adjustment for the rangefinder would be a welcome

addition.

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- The distracting focusing patch should be removed and replaced by a

separate higher magnification rangefinder, preferably adjacent to the

main viewfinder.

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- The current film advance lever is difficult for left-eyed

photographers to use. Replacing it with a simple wind-on knob would

rectify this problem.

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- The structual integrity of the body could be improved by devising a

film loading system that only requires the bottom plate to be

removed. The back of the camera could then be fixed solidly in

position.

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- The little-used slow shutter speeds could be removed from the main

dial, and perhaps transferred to a separate secondary dial.

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- Engraved brass top and bottom plates would be a very nice touch.

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- The current Voigtlander lenses provide an excellent, economical

alternative to Leica glass, but currently can only be attached to M

Leicas by fiddly adaptors. Changing the body to a lens mount that

allows these lenses to be attached directly would be a significant

step forward.

Richard, I have your camera all set to go - of course instead of M8

engraving it has IIIg.

Bob, I should also have mentioned that I'd like the 'M8' to be priced

so that it's easy to pick one up secondhand for, say, half the price

of an M3. Unfortunately I suspect this would exclude all

except 'Canadian University Surplus' M8s. :-)

Kristian, try using slower film. If that don't do the trick add a

neutral density filter!

definitely must have a cupholder!! but alas, the m7 is the last film

camera that leica will ever make, just as the f5 is the last pure

film camera that nikon will ever make.

The only hope for the M8 that I have is that it will be half as good

as my Leitz (Wetzler) M6.

Well, how about a digital body that accepts M lenses? Since they can

make a DigiLux for $850 complete with 3:1 Summicron zoom lens, I

would think they could manage to fit an M bayonet ring and no lens,

for even less. Then they could add an R-toM adapter.

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With one of those, we could have something sufficiently different

from the M6/M7 to make it worth getting excited about.