wILL lEICA LENSES PLAY A ROLE IN IMPROVING DIGITAL CAMERAS/

-- charles vaslow (bellambi@AOL.COM), August 02, 2001

Answers

I'm postive of it. Leica lens imaging quality will be the benchmark which will keep film alive for the longest possible time. After digital has equalled all the others they'll still have to go farther to equal the Leica.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

At a trade show last week, I had a long discussion with the local Leica agent's Leica specialist. He says that Leica will bring out a digital camera which will accept both R and M lenses at Photokina next year. To me, that indicates a reflex camera to accommodate the R lens back-focus dimension. Curiously, he also asked me if I would buy a digital M camera. I said ", if it had 6 M.pixel performance". His face dropped and he said, "perhaps not quite that performance yet".

He also said that there were to be two new R cameras(one electronic with focus confirmation and one mechanical), smaller than the R8 and also a new M camera with some automation but not necessarily with an electronic shutter. His view was that the M6 would continue as well.

How much of this you can actually take as fact, I don't know. I am just passing on the conversation. It does, however, broadly match the comments of the Leica CEO.

PS. I asked if there would be a run out special on the R8 and R6.2. Answer "Yes".

-- wayne murphy (wayne.murphy@publicworks.qld.gov.au), August 02, 2001.

Correction to previous message.

Of course, the smaller back-focus dimension of the M lens is the controlling factor. Therefore it looks like a digital M camera. Have I got this right?

-- wayne murphy (wayne.murphy@publicworks.qld.gov.au.au), August 02, 2001.

Well, we'll wait and see whose prediction turns out to be the most prophetic. I would seriously doubt that a digital body will bow that accepts both R and M lenses. The S1 did that with adaptors and it wasn't exactly a hit. I also would be awfully surprised if any kind of a new R body was produced. Leica announced plans for a couple new R lenses but I'll believe it when I see it. My prediction is that Leica will continue to sell the existing stock of R product and if they run out of an item and there's a demand, they can assemble a small run from parts. Otherwise I don't see them putting more funds into the R system, sadly.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 02, 2001.

I agree with Jay, I will not hold my breath for an R9 and R10, nice as it would be. There may be a few more lenses to come in the R system, but these suggestions just seem to me intrinsically unlikely at least in the near future. Of course, I don't KNOW this, but it all seems far too good to be true and a sort of rumor that gives people something to talk about.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), August 04, 2001.

Uhm, perhaps I am missing something here, but Leica sells the S1 digital camera for Leica lenses, and, Leica sells the Digilux compact digital camera. So I think the answer is yes. If asked whether Leica will play a large role in the development of digital imaging technology, as in circuitry and chips, I think the answer is no.

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), August 04, 2001.

Fresh from today's Leica Day (Sat, 8/4/01): The rep was VERY anxious that I should know that Leica will have digital backs for the existing M6 and R8 within 12-18 months. She said it was possible that the backs would NOT be compatable with pre-M6 bodies, because of differences in design (probably related to the contacts for ISO setting between the M6 back and body - my assumption). She offered this info gratis without my asking and repeated it several times during the day to make sure I'd caught it.

No details as to bulk, storage media, resolution or other stuff.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), August 05, 2001.