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Poll. Would you buy a Leica Digital M?


andyaitken

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If it did in camera digital stiching so that we could overlap our wide angle lenses that have been cropped and get back the wide angle coverage. Otherwise a zoom digicam like the 9mp Fujifilm E900 and genuine fractals and noise ninja should do well since at least it can give you a 32mm lens and iso 800 for $350. Maybe in 5 years we will get a full frame camera since prices of sensors are shrinking 20% a year per size/ MP.
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No...

 

I'll likely sit out round one. However, I'm very eager to put my M lenses on a vaguely Leica-sized and shaped digital camera at some point if I can have equivalent quality to, e.g., a Canon 20D (I'm not finding myself needing much more than that truthfully).

 

Whatever it is (and I'm not even sure Leica are the ones who should be making the M-mount digital) would have to have that "feel" though -- the ergonomics and haptics need to be tuned just so to reproduce the experience of using an M camera and lens combination. Obviously, this is the hard part.

 

I have to say, based on the specs. confirmed so far, that I'm much more excited about Huw's project than I am confident that Leica will "nail" what the M Digital should really be on their first try.

 

Someone will eventually get it right though -- if it isn't Leica, in a sense so much the better since it will likely be a good deal cheaper (which matters to many if not most of us). Whoever does get it right will then be the digital enabler of one of the largest variety of lenses in the history of photography (if not the largest). Somebody has to want that bad enough to make it happen if Leica stuffs it.

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Yes

<p>

To the question <em>Would you</em>, not <em>Will you</em>. In fact, I would already have bought the R-D1 were it not for the gimmicky dials and shutter cocking lever in a battery-bound body.

<p>

I'll make up my mind when it is a real product and the reviews are out, including high-ISO performance. The R-D1 is simply amazing at ISO 800 and may be a hard act to follow. A Zeiss Ikon Digital ZM would be another nice option to have to choose from.

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No.

 

1. That's a lot of money for this 63 yr old retiree.

 

2. After 50 years of shooting film I'm satisfied that I know what to expect (kinda).

 

3. I can't write it off.

 

4. I have a Digilux 2, and it works for my purposes. Shooting Grandkids and e-mailing the results among family and friends. (Lord knows there are better digitals but it's hard enough for me to comprehend all that this one will do.)

 

5. Progress is too rapid in the digital world. Fast forward a couple of years. Will a $750 Brand X with M mount blow it out of the water?

 

6. Lastly the ever popular "no way I could get it past my Wife".

 

I realize that Leica feels they have to seriously get in the game. There have been a lot of positive responses so far and I'm sure it will carry on with the Leitz/Leica tradition and be as well made as their technology and manufacturing capabilities can produce.

 

Now, if Roger Horn wants to ship me one for a free 10 year road test...

 

Just kidding Roger (if you monitor this site). You'd be wasting it on me.

 

Jerry

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No.

 

I have been on the upgrade path with Canon since the D60, and sold some of the kit to get a 5D and I shoot primarily with 3 primes. It's incredible.

 

However, I do love rangefinders, at one point having a Mamiya 6 and owning a Leica CL. I don't shoot film much anymore, because in December 2004 I bought a R-D1 and it is my favorite take anywhere camera. I shoot it with Voiglander lenses as I will not be spending $2,400 on a lens at this point... I shoot w/the 15 Heliar, 28 Ultron, 35 Pan II and 50 Nokton (which is an incredible little lens).

 

I'm very satisified. I was thinking at one point of trading it in for a M6TTL and a few other things, but it is so flexible and intuitive to me that I just can't think of selling it. For 8.5 x 11 prints (the majority of my work) it kills.

 

I doubt very much the Leica Digital M will be affordable to the masses, as the M cameras are already very expensive for film cameras. If it came close to $2,500 I would seriously consider it, but only if it made improvements to the features in the R-D1 -- better rangefinder, wider crop factor, a little less noise and ISO 3200 and ISO 100 would be nice.

 

Ken

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