Medium format Leica?

I pulled this out from the MF Digest, courtesy of Marco Zwierenberg: http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/essays/index.htm.

 

<p>

 

Medium Format Leica? Time to save up your pennies.

Make sure to delete that period at the end of the above URL,or you

won't reach the article. Sounds like the possibility is in the

earliest stages you can imagine, and is very far away from a Photokina

show near you. My dream camera would be a compact Leica 645

rangefinder, with lines built in the finder for 45, 75, and 140. For

me, all the lenses could be 3.5 apertures and sharp as a pin wide

open. Then they wouldn't be any bigger than the 35mm Leica M lenses.

Knowing Leica though, they'd figure out a way to get an f1.4 lens in

there somehow. Someone at Leica is probably keeping tabs of the new

Contax 645 sales.

FWIW Leica is "upset" at the Hasselblad 35mmm camera.While a medium format camera would be nice,it makes no economic sense.The market is saturated.Leica would be unable to deliver a FULL Working system.Unless they link up with one of the Japanese manufacturers.The only ones left links are Minolta and Nikon.Pentax has its own 67 and 645 systems.The possibilities are good though.Pentax is possibly planning a RF.There have been patents.I think that Leica has lost its way and mind contemplating this idea!

I completely agree with Andrew, My guess is either a Mamiya 6 type or

RF 645 could be a real hit. I would certainly be interested, like the

author of the article I think it would not be wise of Leica to take

on Hasselblad/Mamiya/Bronica/Contax and Rollei with a reflex system.

I am somewhat amused by the CEO pondering on electronic M-Leica's as

if they have just thought of it! If they HAVE only just thought of it

then that IS worrying! Their main fear I suspect is replacing the

venerable Leica shutter with a modern electronically controlled

version and this being rejected by the traditional Leica user as

being unreliable etc. They should keep both M6s and the new M7s in

production simultaneously in case they have another M4 - M5/CL

debacle. For a small company this kind of change is very risky - it

may break the company, or it could be a great success. To fail would

be catastrophic (as was the M5 situation), so I hope they do their

sums and get it right. Mind you the Hexar RF does pretty well what

many would want an M7 to do with the exception of the absence of TTL

flash. To go to MF is natural though as this is where so many "keen

amateurs" are going these days.

Mark my words, someone will come out with a very compact and simple

645 rangefinder system with interchangeable lenses, and it will be a

huge success. It should be Leica in my mind, but it is more likely

that Cosina will do it, ( the bessa 645?) as they seem to be willing

to take chances more than Leica.

Leica was the cutting edge for half a century or so. I think they

should license the Nikon FM2 shutter (proven), adding hybrid

electronic control, and offering an M7 with swing open back, Aperture

priority and manual, true Spot and matrix metering TTl, 3d TTL flash

at 1/250th (distance info is already provided by the lens) , and a

choice of 50/75/90/135 or 24/28/35/50 veiwfinders. Hell this is what

Konica should have made with the RF. If they had, Leica would be

history (again).

The trouble with spot metering in an RF is that you never really know

what it is metering - look at the somewhat confusing information

given for the M5 and CL - you might know for one lens but once you

change it you have to work it out again. Reflexes are much better at

this sort of thing. So would a spot metering mode on an M7 really be

that useful in practice? I suppose matrix might be good, if one

believes that matrix metering really does work better than good old

center weighting....

You are all wrong. What I would save up for would be a Leica that

uses the existing lenses and changes somewhat the format of the

existing 35 mm film by removing one side of the sprokets. They could

make then a square 30 by 30 mil. Leica that would beat enything on

the market. Perhaps the film base could be made thinner.

 

<p>

 

That would be some camera. If 8 by 10 is your thing, you'vee got the

same quality as of today. If square you'd have a Hasselblad quality,

or better yet, small format camera. Leica could offer eventually such

camera as a reflex and more lenses.

 

<p>

 

Leitz, give me a Leica M of that spec. with a single 30 to 50 to 75

mil lens with a max. f stop of 2.8 throughout and pinsharp and I'd

save the $10,000.00 can. to buy it. This is not a contract, but a

suggestion.

 

<p>

 

What a camera that would be! A SQUARE LEICA!!!!!!!!

 

<p>

 

Wlad

I had asked the MF question of Leica when I toured their plant outside

Wetzlar last November. They said at that time, there were no plans to

move into the MF world. Things could change but I am skeptical that

they will. SR

Wladimir, I had a camera, about 1952 or so, that used 35mm film

guage, but with sprocket holes only on one side, as you suggest. I

believe the film size was 626, if memory serves. I think it was a

Kodak Pony.

 

<p>

 

Now, as long as we're all being amateur camera designers, how about

this: 20th Century Fox once developed a deluxe version of

Cinemascope (anamorphic widescreen process) which used 55mm film,

supplied by Kodak. How about a Leica-type camera in this guage,

using approximately a 44 x 54mm image size? Same idea as the Mamiya

6x7, but in a 645 format with horizontally travelling film so the

camera would retain Leica-type ergonomics.

Heyup guys. Just been gandering the not much used forum and noticed

the Leica MF question. So far as I know, (Solms insiders) this isn't

gonna happen. But they should have considered the concept and tried to

get off the mark some years back. Now that we are all panicking

digital, seems the boffins there are somewhat confused as to what to

do next. Another 'O' camera ? Let's hope not, unless of course it is

to keep them going. photokina 2002 will probably see digital back for

M series, if not R. Big question about what is actually needed. Good

shooting all of you. New book on way. details by e-m

Not even Leica's current management could be that stupid! Er...could

they?

Robin, is there a M7 coming out? I thought I was keeping up. What's

it about? Andrew, regarding a rangefinder 645, I saw one last

weekend. It's a Fuji. I didn't ask to see it. It looked nice, but

I think I'd have a problem holding a camera vertically to take a

horizontal picture!