There have been various lines written here and elsewhere over the past week regarding rumours of new products debuting at PhotoKina. Can someone please offer what they have heard, and if possible, from where or whom? For example, a few threads down, a enthusiast wrote that there may be a new 2.0/90mm R based on the M-90-Apo-Asph. Rumours can be wild at times, but once in a while one can find a gold nugget in the mix!

-- Reto (redcavereto@yahoo.com), May 30, 2002

Answers

The only two rumors I've heard regarding Leica products at Photokina are, as you mentioned, a 90/2APO-ASPH-R and some kind of fix (better than the multicoating)for the viewfinder flare in the M7. The 90 will come a few months after I've sold all my R equipment, but the "improved" M7 will be great: pre-"improved" M7's should be heavily rebated and since I've never seen an M flare anyway, I'll ante up at that time.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), May 30, 2002.

Digital is going to be obsoleted by Logical cameras; which use a ultra magnetic link directly to ones brain.. The M8 will feature a new 35mm to 90mm F2.0 Zoommacron lens..Screw mount cameras will have adapters; but the ultra frame window feature will not work...The Russian factories are rumored in copying this lens; a similar Jupititron lens was spotted at their booth..

The Bessa R4 brings us truely wide rangefinder windows with accurate focusing; but has some framing problems with the new Leica Zoommacron lens...The Konica M camera has a movable auto focus feature..The film plane moves for focusing like the old Kyocera SLR years ago...The moving film pressure plate is different than the rumoured Leica M9; which may cause focusing problems between Konica and Leica M products....

Microsoft showed their YP system; which links the ultra magnetic link ULM; to ones logical camera...Microsoft licenses the system only charging 5 cents per photo processed thru their link....A yearly license to view ones older obsolete formats such as jpeg and tiff is only 100 dollars per year..Mac folks are in an uproar over this matter..; after being purchased by Adobe..now Microsoft division...

The EPA had its usual warnings over the hazards of inkjet printers and inks..New formulations mandated for next year will cost double and have a lower color gamut..People are hording the older cartridges before the ban...

Bucking the Logical camera trend is Kodak; which introduced their new CRAPS film camera format which comes in either 7 or 21 digital exposures....The upgrade cost for a typical 1 hour processor is only 100k dollars...License cost per camera is only 25 cents; the same as the 1963 instamatic film license fee...The CRAPS module fits in ones 35mm camera like the old defunk Digital Film system...The output is the new .craps format; which is not Photoshop compatable...Photoshop 11.0 is a joint venture of the Kodak divison of Microsoft.......Kelly Flanigan

-- Kelly Flanigan (zorki3c@netscape.net), May 30, 2002.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!! Rolling after reading that one! CRAPS......even better than APS(Another Piece of Sh*t).---More rumors about Leica the closer it gets to Photokina.

-- chris a williams (LeicaChris@worldnet.att.net), May 30, 2002.

At the Fotokina will be an APO-Summicron 2/90 asph and a "new" R8 being lighter but as big as the old (wonderfull) one and with a focusing help.

-- Peter Lück (elp.lueck@t-online.de), May 31, 2002.

Peter, do you mean "focus confirmation" for an improved R8?

-- Marc Williams (mwilliams111313MI@comcast.net), May 31, 2002.

I've heard abouta mark on the focusing screen and/or some sound if the picture is sharp, just like in earlier days at Canon EOS 100. but of course no autofocus. The one and only Lens prepared for autofocus has been Vario-Elmarit 2,8/35-70, which made Leica loose 1500 US-Dollar per piece: you pay now 4000 Dollar and more for one of the few, the realistic price. Pit

-- PeterLück (elp.lueck@t-online.de), May 31, 2002.