jay_. Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Maybe we better get used to calling it that, it may be the closest we're going to get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
didjiman Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 > This is not an M camera. Stop calling it that. Heee heee, *what if* Leica calls it that? Like the new CM? My guess is that this will be either called the Digilux-2, or the DCM, (or DZMM Digital Zoom Mini-M :-) ) Oh yeah, I want one!! A real focusing ring, imagine that. Put a less then 0.1 sec lag time and I'll buy it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucien1 Posted October 2, 2003 Author Share Posted October 2, 2003 Jay, We may see the same kind camera with a Zeiss lens. ;-) Lucien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kens Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 No, it's not an M camera at all. It's not even a Leica camera at all. The body is distinctly Panasonic, and the lens is distinctly Leica. This seems more of a Zeiss-like arrangement between the two manufacturers. It would be smart of Leica to capitalize on its optical strength to keep funding its own R&D this way. I think the Digital-M is still a ways off. But it's also clear that Leica is branching out with its lens offerings and throwing off the shackles of traditional M limitations. Note the focal length markings on the lens zoom ring - 28...90. Leica has bigger plans for this lens than just Panasonic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucien1 Posted October 2, 2003 Author Share Posted October 2, 2003 The LCD panel on the back seem really big, and there what looks like a flash hidden under the top cover.<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skip_williams Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 I haven't heard that the lenses are in-fact, Leica made, but may be closer to the Kyocera-made, Zeiss-supervised lenses made for the Contax line of cameras? It may be as thin as Leica-optimized designs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen_w. Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Ken, The 28-90 markings are "equivalent" to those familiar with small format cameras and lenses. It could be marked 50-150 for those familiar with medium format cameras and lenses. It doesn't mean that the lens will work on an M body, even if you could get it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crispin_agnew Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Sure it's a Digi-M - Solms is never going to produce a real digital M - this is they closest it's going to get. BTW - the body looks much more Bessa/Konica than COntax to my eye. And no optical viewfinder? (those are sensors on the front I think - AF?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kens Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 It makes sense to test this strategy in Japan. Japan is the hot-bed of body development on which this strategy relies. Japan is the home of the other major partner. Japan also has a more forgiving market - it's progressive but maintains high traditional appreciation. Not like the cantankerous US market. If this approach shows promise in Japan, the North American market will be soon. None of this precludes Leica development of its own Digital-M. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 <<BTW - the body looks much more Bessa/Konica than COntax to my eye.>> Try the other eye ;>)<div></div> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kens Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Sure, Steve, the lens could be marked with any format-equivalent focal lengths. But they have chosen full-frame 35mm lengths. That's a hint that they intend to attach it to a full-frame 35mm sensor. Whether that sensor is eventually contained in a Panasonic, Leica, or whatever camera, remains to be seen. It's still a smart way to maintain Leica cash flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 <<It doesn't mean that the lens will work on an M body, even if you could get it off. -- steve>> The fondlers would love a lens they could get off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucien1 Posted October 2, 2003 Author Share Posted October 2, 2003 Ken, The lens will be a 7-22.5mm/F2.0 - 2.4 on a full frame sensor. Lucien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_r._fulton_jr. Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 ..........sure wish it would use CF cards. I doubt we could be that lucky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_.1 Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Well let's hope they make a full-frame 10+ megapixel version for our M lenses in the future. It could be a smart move- sell this version for non-M shooters (which would be greater volume) and come out with the other one when they do. In the meantime, I'm not biting on this bait. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kens Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Of course...duh! I'm over- and under- thinking this. Maybe the markings are just to make 35mm traditionalists feel more comfortable. I agree the body looks more Hexar-ish. But whether the lens is or isn't removable on this prototype is immaterial. That can be easily changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lucien1 Posted October 2, 2003 Author Share Posted October 2, 2003 If there is a Leica clone of that camera, I suppose it will have a different look. More Leica M like. The Digilux 1 was very different from its Panasonic counterparts. Lucien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshroot Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Well this is NOT a digital M, but it has the possibility to be a stepping stone between the lame digilux 1 and the Digi-M that we want. However, we will just have to wait and see. I haven't been impressed with any of Leica's digital offerings thus far. Nor Panasonic's for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 <<If there is a Leica clone of that camera, I suppose it will have a different look. More Leica M like.>> And a different price too, also more Leica-like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerry_szarek Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 It's getting closer to a digital M, I would say another year or 2 at the most! Either Cosina, Minolta/Konica, Panasonic, or Leica will come out with one, maybe even heaven forbid Contax comes out with an M mount digital rangefinder. GS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red dawn Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 Hi i've seen that before - 7-22.5 mm f2.0-f2.4. Leica manufactured? i wouldn't bet on it. Canon's G5 has a 7-21mm f2.0-f2.5 (2.5 is from memory..it's around there). Well this sounds like a consumer digicam to me - you know, the same kind that Canon, Nikon and a host of other companies make - with those SMALL NOISY SENSORs, boasting millions of megapixels, albeit small noisy ones plagued with all sorts of image quality problems. If that's the case, this camera, no matter how M-ish, is not going to match real digital SLRs in terms of image quality, no matter how many megapixels they have. And certainly not going to produce the knid of noise free high ISO images i've come to expect from the major players in the DSLR fields. Come on Leica, we need REAL cameras. Oops, maybe that should be directed to Panasonic instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografz Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 That's a big assed lens for just a 7-22.5mm, f/2-2.4. The Canon G3 lens is 7.2-28.8, f/2-3 and is a lot smaller. Maybe because of the manual controls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h._p. Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 The big question is: what's the shutter lag? That's what really makes the difference to me. I've just aquired one of the little Ricoh G3s and the shutter lag on that is genuinely comparable to a decent mechanical camera. I think that's where Leica needs to go to get the money. Another slow digicam, no matter how good the lens, will still leave them one of the crowd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael_b._elmer Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 The camera/lens combination seems to have Auto Focus and Auto Focus Macro. That must be a TTL AF, so the two "eyes" above the lens are a combined viewfinder and rangefinder, just like the M but without any need for a third "eye" for frame lines. Translate that into a body designed to look like the M7, and we have the logical digital evolution of the M7, just as the Leicaflex was for its days the logical evolution of the M3. Than you for providing these pictures and for the discussion. This Leica seems worth investing in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roger_michel Posted October 2, 2003 Share Posted October 2, 2003 shutter lag was one of the few things leica got right with the digilux. set up right, it is very quick indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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