Is this the real deal? M9 photo and specs

[michael_dimarzio]

<p>Thanks Guido. This looks like the first digital camera I would buy, unfortunately I'll never be able to afford it.</p>

[ray .]

<p>English translation link not working.</p>

[dmanthree]

<p>Hmmm....<br>

If the X1 is a rebadged GF1, how to explain the "APSC" sensor listed on the potentially fake product sheet? Also, there's not pop-up flash on the X1. Looks totally different to me.</p>

[samoksner]

<p>Wait a week and you'll know for sure what all the specs are, these rumor threads are getting really old.</p>

[Richard Williams]

<p>'I would bet that you are incorrect. Just my opinion though.'</p>

<p>About the size or the difficulty of implementation? Canon and Sony have managed to put (just about) usable optical (zoom!) finders in some pretty tiny cameras, and there were some decent finders in many of the smaller 35mm and APS cameras. Viewfinder info is a bit trickier, but even putting LEDs around the finder window so that they show up in your peripheral vision (as Canon has done) will do at a pinch. I think the main problem with current compact digital finders (where they exist at all) is that they're very much secondary to the back LCD, which must be as large as possible, leaving space for only the tiniest optical finder. If would be nice if (just for once) someone made a camera with a slightly different balance of features (big, accurate optical finder with proper info, slightly smaller LCD).</p>

[guido_h]

Here's another translation link, piping the Japanese page through Babelfish. The translation is rather crude, but you get the idea...

 

http://babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_url?doit=done&tt=url&intl=1&fr=bf-home&trurl=http%3A%2F%2F74.125.153.132%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dcache%3AFzqtrlfo1LEJ%3Aleica-camera.co.jp%2Fphotography%2Fm_system%2Fm9%2F&lp=ja_en&btnTrUrl=Translate

[graham_thompson1]

<p>Photo of the new exposure setting dial on test. So yes it's true.</p>

[stephen_asprey2]

<p>Now we have what the M8 should have been. I'm a bit worried about the price though. I'm hearing $8k. Hope I'm wrong.<br>

But its going to be a keeper like the D700 is. We will all know at 9am NYC time on the 9th Sept 09. The Germans are so subtle!</p>

[steve_unsworth1]

<blockquote>

<p>I'm hearing $8k. Hope I'm wrong.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The price will be 5500 Euros - that's $7800 or so - 500 Euros more expensive than the M8.2</p>

[kens]

<p>History has told us it's not trivial to take a Euro price and predict the price in US Dollars. Is the Euro price accurate to begin with? Is the Euro price inclusive or exclusive of VAT? Will Leica set the same price for N. America as for Europe? Variables require that we wait for the pricing to be announced officially.</p>

[andy_piper2]

<p>Figure around $6800 in the US - before whatever your sales tax is. Remember all those brainiacs who predicted the M8 would be $6000 when introduced, then it came in at $4,795. High-tax state or city - yeah it could get close to $8,000 after taxes - but complain to your governor about that part.</p>

[fred_c1]

<blockquote>

<p>If the X1 is a rebadged GF1, how to explain the "APSC" sensor listed on the potentially fake product sheet?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>So you still believe it to be really APS-C even though the product sheet is "potentially fake"?</p>

<p>Does Panasonic make anything compatible with an APS-C sensor? Or do you expect them to make it exclusively for Leica?</p>

 

<blockquote>

<p>Also, there's not pop-up flash on the X1. Looks totally different to me.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Does the Olympus EP-1 look anything like its pre-production mock-up?</p>

 

[fotografz]

<p>Info I have managed to get indicates coded lenses will be important on the M9. Don't know why, but was told to get any uncoded lenses in to be done.</p>

<p>Since it's only 6 days before we find out, might as well wait now.</p>

<p> </p>

[kens]

<p>Can't say I'm surprised. If they're leaning on camera firmware to correct the edges I can imagine it will be important for the firmware to know which lens is being used, and not just wide angles anymore. I have only a few remaining so I'm sending those in now before the Christmas rush. :-)</p>

[ray .]

<p>$6800 and still needs coded lenses?</p>

<p>Pass.</p>

[kens]

<p>Are there any digital cameras that don't use coded lenses of some sort? In most cases the lens has a chip in it, but that qualifies as coded to me. Sure you can put an AIS lens on a D3 or D700, but you lose some of the benefits of the digital body. You can put a non-coded M lens on an M8 or (I suspect probably) an M9, but again you lose some benefits. I guess it remains to be seen how important those benefits are on the M9.</p>

[Richard Williams]

<p>'Are there any digital cameras that don't use coded lenses of some sort? In most cases the lens has a chip in it, but that qualifies as coded to me. Sure you can put an AIS lens on a D3 or D700, but you lose some of the benefits of the digital body.'</p>

<p>The difference with the Nikon SLRs is that you have the option of identifying the lens the camera manually, from a menu. There's no at all why Leica can't offer the same system, though it remains to be seen whether they will in the M9. The current Leica coded lenses have no chip in them to (e.g.) relay focus position (there's a rangefinder cam for that!) so a simple ID is all that's required, and manual selection could do exactly the same job as coding.</p>

[steve_unsworth1]

 

<blockquote>

<p>$6800 and still needs coded lenses?</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Who knows? The video that Leica released which appears to show the back of the M9 had the a setting for 'Lens Detection' showing a setting of 'Auto'. There's always a possibility that there are other options.</p>

[ty_mickan]

<p>info i have indicates that coded lenses will only be required for wideangle lenses, and no more uv filters. my dealer will have one on the 10th for all to see!</p>

[kens]

<p>I agree 100% that manual identification - similar to Nikon's - should be implemented. And I hope we see it on the M9. Coding the lens is just a way of speeding up the process. But that's not my point. My point is there's a reliance on identification of the lens so the digital body can do the best job of managing the image. That's true of all digital systems I can think of anyway, whether they're cheaper or more expensive than $6,800.</p>

[chris_seldon_lady]

<p>I think both rumours are fake. By the way, a full frame sensor in a small M body seems just impossible to me, at least with current technologies. But who knows? after all, Leica should do something special with M series, after M8 flop. I think I would buy a full frame M9, if reliable and sorted in true Leica style, while I never considered M8 a serious option.</p>

[john_shriver]

<p>That Leica let it slip on their Japanese website makes it clear that at least the M9 is not a fake.<br>

The technology explanation of microlenses on top of the IR filter makes a lot of sense. Scaling to a larger sensor isn't a huge engineering effort.<br>

Now, if they wanted to do something really classy, they could offer 3 variants: (1) with anti-aliasing filter, (2) without anti-aliasing filter, and (3) monochrome (no Bayer matrix). Just make it part of the a-la-carte program. Just a matter of ordering the right parts from Kodak.<br>

Since it still appears to have a window to illuminate the frame lines, they probably haven't made the jump to electronic frame lines, which is a shame. (Unless they used an LCD and need the backlight.) They could support any focal length in range, and have parallax and frame size compensation as you focus.</p>

[alastair_anderson]

<p>Christian, I'm with you. But I came very close to getting the M8. In fact I actually set out to buy one but ended up with a better deal on a Nikon D3. I'm very excited by the prospect of a full frame M9 but would probably have to trade the D3 and the lenses that I have for it.<br>

But I've kind of got used to high ISO, general ruggedness and lots of frames per second, not to mention autofocus. (oops, I mentioned it!)<br>

Can I go back? I always preferred using film Leica's to SLR's. I've got a big decision to make.<br>

As you can gather I'm completely convinced that it's real.</p>

[fjords]

<p>soRRy... M nein... g00d choice.</p>

[aaron_benner]

<p>Yes, it's for real. The M9 brochure has been leaked. Links to download can be found in a thread over at RFF: http://bit.ly/1kz61T</p>