Do you think that Leica had the M7 in the pipe and now that Nikon has come out with the FM3, which has manual speeds all across the dial, Leica will have to revamp the M7 to follow along those lines?

-- Chad Hahn (thehahns@cornhusker.net), April 17, 2002

Answers

In a word: No.

-- Charles (cbarcellona@telocity.com), April 17, 2002.

I'd guess - NO! The FM3 was a ripoff of the WWII era Contax II, with its very wide rangefinder base, focussing wheel on the top, and Zeiss lenses. The Contax was manufactured during the time that the Leica III series were coming out of Wetzlar. If Leica wanted to play that game and stage a revival, they could reissue a III series screwmount with modern lenses to match. How much would some idiot collector pay for a newly-minted IIIf (Oskar Barnak Millenium) with a 50mm screw-mount summicron based on the latest Leica lens design, manufacturing and coating techniques? Oh yes, and throw in a 35 f/2.0 and a 90 f/2.8 to match! Gee! They might even shift production back to Wetzlar for the ultra-limited production run, and resurrect the Imarect finder as well. Oh, and don't forget that indispensible brown Everyready leather case! $$$$$$$$$$$ ! < big grin! >

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), April 17, 2002.

George-

I have to agree with you. I've thought that Leica would do well with the collectors if they were to reissue a III series camera and lenses. Actually, I'd prefer a bit smaller camera anyway...

I know the current Volkswagen (Beetle, Bug?)is a far cry from the original, but I knew they would sell a million of 'em. So, BMW buys the Austin nameplate and reissues the Mini-Cooper, I drove by a dealer here in Southern California and saw one. I bet they can't make them fast enought for awhile. So, to my simple mind, a III series Leica would indeed sell.

-- jeff (debontekou@yahoo.com), April 17, 2002.

George. I couldn't make heads or tails of your rant. Are you confusing the Nikon FM3a (a mechanical shutter speed user SLR) with the Nikon S3 rangefinder, which was reissued for collectors? The question was about the FM3a which has electronically timed shutter accuracy plus manual shutter speeds available without battery. How 'bout those "idiot collectors". At least some of them know the difference between a rangefinder and an SLR.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), April 17, 2002.

Chad, Leica has never revamped anything in order to keep up with their competition. Their first SLR had no TTL metering even though Nikon and Pentax (and maybe more, my memory is getting dim)already had them and it was a huge hit with consumers...took Leica 4 more years to come out with TTL metering. Took them 9 years to put a TTL meter in a classic-bodied M camera after the demise of the much- maligned M5 in 1975. 14 years later they added TTL flash and a bigger reverse-direction shutter dial and one more meter LED...and another 4 years to put in electronic shutter timing and AE (at the expense of total batteryless manual operation). Leica has still not opted for an AF SLR even though the technology ceased being a gimmick and gained widespread pro acceptance a decade ago with the EOS 1, and they show no inclination toward a digital body even though both Nikon and Canon have them available now for both the pro and serious amateur markets. If you like the M7, I wouldn't wait for an upgrade.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), April 17, 2002.

Eliot- While you're lurking here-- What do you think a re-issue of the IIIG, with M lens mount would result in, sales wise? I think that if it could be updated with as many advances as possible, it would be a good seller-- certainly better than the recent "O" Series, don't you think?

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Frank. To tell you the truth, I'm not a fan of made for collector items, whether they're current cameras/lenses in a bygone finish (eg., black paint) or lensmount (eg., screw mount) or re-issues of older cameras (like the "O series" or IIIg, etc.). I personally collect items that were made for use but have over the years become collectible (such as an original early black paint M lens, or a gray paint IIIcK WWII camera, most of which are found heavily used). For use, I use the current or next to last generation, because these are usually the best and most functional items.

I was never a fan of special edition Leicas, including the incredible proliferation of gold, platinum, etc. M6 cameras. But to each his own. Anyone who wants a Millenium black paint, safari green, or titanium M6/lens or an O series should go ahead and buy one. They're just not my cup of tea. BTW, obviously Leica is not the only company producing special versions and camera finishes for collectors (Nikon S3-see above, Rollei and Hasselblad gold cameras, CV-see Camerquest site, etc. have done so), but Leica produces far more such special editions than these other makers.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), April 17, 2002.

Eliot - Wow, but did I goof! I was thinking about the Nikon rangefinder. My wife had one of the Contax II cameras, and she loved it. The only problem was how to use a polarizer, as the lens body turned as the camera was focussed. The trick was to focus, then she viewed the scene through her polarizer (which was equipped with a slip-on ring), then slipped the polarizer onto the lens without doing too much damage to the focus. She'd then refocus and shoot. BTW: She got some beautiful shots that way. Evenually, the shutter died, and since we couldn't find anyone either to repair or to replace it without having to sell our firstborn, she sold the camera, including the 35mm Zeiss Biogon - - a beautiful piece of glass. . She thought of replacing her Contax with the Nikon; however, our discretionary income wouldn't permit it. Oh well, she is now the sole possessor of our classic M6. < grin >

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), April 17, 2002.

Sorry folk. All the old LTM body tooling was pitched when Leica moved production from Wetzlar to Solms, and that's according to them.

No way they could retool for what would be a very limited sales camera. I couldn't even imagine the cost necessary to charge to break even. Even the recent 0 series, quite a different camera than the IIIs, was a sales diaster. Ever seen a $500 rebate on their other products?

Best,

Jerry

-- Jerome R. Pfile, Jr. (JerryPfile@msn.com), April 17, 2002.

Jerry- You'd think they'd have checked with people on this forum. I think most of us would have told them the "O" would bomb. It'd be like Ford remaking the Model T. Now, if Ford were to remake the '56 F-100, but brought up to modern specs, *that* one might find a lot of takers! The '57 Chevy is another one. My mechanic wanted me to send my 1963 Pontiac Catalina back to Pontiac, "so they might be able to find out where they've since gone wrong." Pontiac is now bringing back the GTO, but in a totally different body style. It looks like a loser, to me! (Sorry about all the OT!)

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), April 17, 2002.

Since when has Leica given a rat's backside what any other camera manufacturer was doing?

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), April 18, 2002.

Frank and Mike,

I would not be a bit surprised if Leica AG, either officially or unofficially, did not monitor this (or other) forums. After all its free to them, and the States has to be one of their largest markets, perhaps the biggest.

And I would think Mike, that they pay at least some attention. Much more so than in the "oldy days" as my kids used to say, where they pretty much went their own way. As Teutonic though they may be, with all the bullheadedness that implies (ask my Wife, my heritage is 7/8 ths German!), I think we are part of their calculus when they plot their next steps.

I can only imagine the discussions that took place in Solms when the idea of an AE, non-mechanically controlled shutter M was first proposed. The decibal level was probably higher than that on any net Leica forum. And some of us think we're purists?

Best,

Jerry (whatever body they want to make, as long as it enables them to stay in business to make the lenses) Pfile

-- Jerome R. Pfile, Jr. (JerryPfile@msn.com), April 18, 2002.