karl_keung Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 would anyone care to contribute some idea as to the sharp and size of any future digital back for M? the one for R is almost complete, but I can't image sticking such a large digital back at M's back. Maybe Leica will now work with Epson and dump Panasonic yet again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brambor Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 I think that the panasonic connection was kond of ok for the D2 but Leica better use a full frame chip for the Digital M to keep the respect of it's customer base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Blackwell Images Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 Due to the integrated electronics necessary for a digital M back, based on the current configuration of M bodies (including the M7) such a device is not possible (today). However, I'm in total agreement that the digital M (slated for a February 2006 release) had better have a full size sensor. Anything less will spell disaster! “When you come to a fork in the road, take it ...” – Yogi Berra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricks Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 whatever answers you get they will just be speculations as no one really knows. what i've heard/read is that Leica AG is working on 2 digital bodies (not backs per se as with the R system), a non full frame that will hit the market first, perhaps in 2005 and then full-frame high MP one to be out in 2006. I would assume that they will try to keep the size/style of the classic M. Unfortunately it looks like it will have SC cards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_white2 Posted June 30, 2004 Share Posted June 30, 2004 If they can't make a full frame back for the R Whatever, the wide angle lenses for which are all retrofocus designs to clear the mirror, I don't see how they're going to manage a full frame back for the M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watts Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 My understanding is that the technical reason for the less than full frame sensor in the R back is the proximity of the film gate. Presumably there isn't enough room between the film plane and the film gate to accommodate the various filters that are stuck on top of the chip. Whether this issue affects the M or not I've no idea but I doubt very much whether the forthcoming digital M will be full frame. I would imagine that Leica will want to make the most of the joint development work they have already been doing with Kodak and Imacon and will try to shoehorn the R-back's '1.37x crop' chip into some kind of M shaped/styled body. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k_l5 Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Leica Solms have already stated in previous interviews that there are major problems with developing a full-frame digital M with the current back focus distance, due to the angle of light falling on the sensor in the edges. This is a cause of prominent image aberrations not present with film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted July 1, 2004 Share Posted July 1, 2004 Ian's probably pegged it, I would expect Leica will at least strive to use as many components as possible from the R module, for the sake of economy (theirs, not ours). At first I was hopeful for a digital back for the M, so that one could use it on any M body. However, I recognize that would likely entail adding some significant appendage to the body, perhaps as much as one of the older-version winders, to house the electronics and batteries, which would negate one of the M's better attributes, its compact size. Now, having seen how Leica instituted a retrofit program for the MP rangefinder upgrade, I am hoping that the Digital M will be simply an M with the digital components fitted into the space where the cassette and takeup spool now reside, and the chip and LCD replacing the backplate. Furthermore I am hoping that they will make availble a digital conversion program, similar to the model conversions they did back in the LTM days, so that someone could send their M body in and have it converted to digital. I think Leica would sell many more of those than complete digital bodies, and it would be comforting to those who own many Leicas (a significant portion of the market) and expect that film could become a scarce commodity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr._kenny Posted July 3, 2004 Share Posted July 3, 2004 i would hope that leica makes the camera thicker rather than longer. sometimes i think my m is too narrow for my hands. but that would entail a good cooling system for the ccd, unless they went to a CMOS system, and leica's probably not ready to show up hat in hand to canon's doorstep. when i mean thick i don't mean canon slr thick either, i'm hoping for pentax d*ist thick. but yeah, who the hell knows, besides that the price will be leica sized. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert gordon Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Does anyone (can anyone) make a cylindrical storage medium that could pop into the space in a Leica M that now holds the film canister? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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