No
surprises here (
at all), but Leica's
09/09/09 event has just led to the formal unveiling of the full-frame, 18 megapixel M9 rangefinder and the compact X1. The former (which is shipping now) supports all Leica M lenses and ships with a "newly developed glass sensor cover designed to guarantee the suppression of the infrared portion of the light spectrum." There's also a quick-access ISO adjustment button alongside a few other hotkeys, a full metal housing, Kodak-sourced CCD, a fresh microprocessor-controlled shutter (which is supposedly "near silent") and a staggering £4,850 ($8,004) price tag. As for the X1, you'll find a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C), a fixed-mount Leica Elmarit 1:2.8/24mm lens, numerous "auto" modes for the newbies in attendance, a maximum ISO of 3200, 2.7-inch rear LCD and a Live View function that replaces the optical viewfinder. Expect to hear more regarding price when the January 2010 ship date nears, but for now, feel free to peruse the hands-on galleries linked below.
Read - Leica M9 announcement and hands-on
Read - Leica X1 announcement and hands-on
posted Sep 9th 2009 9:30AM
That's.... 347 cameras released or speculated in the past week.
How many cameras does this universe need? "OH I NEED ONE FOR THIS TRIP AND ONE FOR IN THE SHOWER AND THE OTHER FOR FOOD"
That's not a 347th generic camera announcement. Probably Engadget had to explain it better.
Check "Rangefinder advantages / disadvantages (for the uninitiated)" at http://www.dpreview.com/previews/leicam9/
Having fought many times with AF, I personally more and more intrigued by manual focus and whatever makes it more accessible. Like e.g. "Live View" in my Oly 520 which has an "zoom" option to allow focus while actually looking at the subject through the lens.
Modern DSLRs are used most of the time like point-and-shoot, expecting auto-focus to do the job for you. And we all know how often AF misfires.
The Leica actually allows *you* to shoot - what *you* want to shoot. Nothing stands between you and the subject. That is such type of camera. Complex at handling, but rewarding.
Unfortunately the particular rangefinder is also terribly expensive. Otherwise I'd be very interested in the kit with 50mm lens.
@Dummy00001
But every DSLR lets you shoot in a full manual mode where you can shoot exactly what you want to shoot.
@ Dummy00001:
Don't make the mistake of blaming the camera instead of the photographer. Any DSLR has plenty of manual features, including manual focus. It's up to the photographer to decide how manual they want to go.
do you have any brain left..?
@ Dummy
AF is absolutely crucial in this day and age of high-megapixels and detail where being slightly out-of-focus can make your entire image soft. The whole beauty of the rangefinder has always been to be able to take the candid photograph at the spur of the moment. But in those types of photography, where seconds count, proper AF/AE is crucial.
Also, let's be clear, all dSLRs, micro-43rds cameras, and any camera of not does also have MF and AF. A dSLR also allows "*you* to shoot - what *you* want to shoot." You don't have to spend $7,000 to get full manual control.
The bigger issue with Leica is NOT about AF, everyone buying an M9 will knows its a manual only camera, won't be able to take HD movies, or all the other fancy things that dSLR owners are now demanding. The problem is that their sensor technology is still CCD maxing out at ISO2500 (DPreview samples show noise at ISO400), they are still using a pathetic low-res 230,000 dot LCD (dSLRs a fraction of the price uses 900K dot LCDs).
Leica has become more a fashion accessory rather then an actual camera for camera lovers. They charge thousands of dollars extra for different paint schemes (White Editions, and Safar Editions). They rather spend the money putting a saffire glass on their LCD lens protector (like the Leica M8.2) then actually spend the money to use a modern sensor and improve actual image quality.
its not 248th camera of the week,its leica, leica M9
Sure you can focus manually with a DSLR. I have both a split screen prism viewfinder and a normal one that you usually get with a DSLR. And despite having a rather big viewfinder I find it very hard to focus (of course in bright daylight it is simple... but then I can also let the AF do the job), because the resolution of my eyes in the dark is just awful (the split screen viewfinder is even harder to focus, because it's a bit darker). A rangefinder with its huge and bright viewfinder should make it much easier to focus in such situations.
@kadajawi
A dSLR's optical viewfinder is vastly superior to a rangefinder. The foremost reason being that you actually see what is coming through the lens, you can preview the DOF, you see exactly what image you are going to take. The stereoscopic optical instruments to focus in a rangefinder is a poor substitute for a proper viewfinder in an SLR.
All OVF aren't created equal, if you have a cheaper camera you may in fact have a pentamirror rather then a pentaprism, which makes the viewfinder darker, a larger chunk of glass (pentaprism) you have in your dSLR the brighter and larger the view becomes.
@coolblue & @razor
The focusing screens in modern DSLRs are terrible when you compare them to classic manual focus film SLR.s They're optimized for the in-camera autofocus systems. They lack a split-prism for focus confirmation -- it's much easier for me to focus a lens on a 30+ year old Pentax KX body than it is to focus a D700.
Once mastered, a rangefinder focusing patch is much faster and more accurate to focus when compared to a traditional SLR split-prism screen. Compared to a modern DSLR's focusing screen, it's night and day.
To coin and old Phrase: "SHWING!"
at £4,850 does it come with a free canon 5dmkii , iphone 3GS 32GB, ps3 slim and a LED LCD TV ?
Only if you buy a Noctilux!
i think it have a free leica branded shoulder holder.
I can afford these, but only after I sell my fabulous body. Any takers?
Body only? No lens?
nice one joe
DPreview has been Leicalized.
*see their logo*
Yeah, what's up with that?
if they let me tour they factory i will get leica manic disorder too
What so good about this thing?
You obviously have no clue about photography. Go stick with your iPhone's camera.
See that little red logo in the middle there?
@Kiff
I'm sorry I'm not a big camera nerd/show-off as you are...
I'm going to wait until the price drops to $7,000.
I'm not going to allow myself to spend more than $2k on a camera. Even on the camera. :(
It is a full frame rangefinder, enough said.
I'll take X1.
Its a fixed-lens camera, which makes it more like point-and-shoot with an APS-C sensor like the Sigma DP1 instead of a competitor to a dSLR or rangefinder with interchangeable lenses.
No S2 shipping dates yet?
Lucky Seal , great presentation from him and a great reward !!!
I will sell my left kidney for a M9. Man, I just got an orgasm. I don't think Apple's Tablet will top this.
I wiil, own a M9 someday. For now, I'll stick to my Voigtlander Bessa R3A and Olympus E-P1 (using Leica M lens).
'
Oh Leica, why do you have to make your cameras so damn sexy.
Excuse the ignorance... but why would someone want a fixed lens on a non-DSLR camera (X1)? I know it is similar to the Ricoh, the Sigma, etc... but does it have a practical purpose outside of snapshots and candids?
That little red Leica symbol is pretty expensive. I'd actually buy this camera without so it's not a target. Then again, I guess black tape would work. I was wrong about it using a Canon sensor now that they said it's a Kodak sensor. Too bad it's $8k. I'd really like to have one of those now that's full frame and all their older lenses will now be the focal length that they were designed for. With a lens it'll come out to $10k. Then again, a Nikon D700 with a 14-24, 24-70 f/2.8, and a 70-200 f/2.8 and a few accessories will come out to about $10k. So no savings there if all those lenses were purchased. The D700 would be more versatile, but heavier and louder than an unobtrusive Leica.
There is no reason on earth other than vanity and pretentiousness why anyone would buy this camera.
"As for the X1, you'll find a 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor (APS-C), a fixed-mount Leica Elmarit 1:2.8/24mm lens"
"24mm" refers to length before or after crop factor?
Before crop-factor. Focal length is never modified since its an actual physical distance, it would be an equivalent of a 36mm lens compared to a full-frame.
It is the kind of product focused for bigot customers, such self called "pro-photographers" in a futile attempt to be separated of aficionados.
I'm a photography noob so forgive me for asking but how is the M9 better than a full frame DSLR like a Canon Eos 5D mark II or Nikon D3?
It isn't.
^^^^
It's just a lot smaller.
It's smaller, and the lenses that go with are smaller than the dSLR equivalents. There are other things, mainly the "feel" of taking photos with a rangefinder.
It's different, with advantages and disadvantages over a FF dSLR.
It is like buying a $200 white cotton t-shirt. It just feels better; it seems to wrap itself around you like it was meant just for you. If you smell hard enough, you can even detect some essence of Egypt.
The shutter probably also isn't as loud. My Pentax DSLR is impossible to overhear (unless you are at a Manowar concert...).
Pardon my ignorance, but what does this do - "the suppression of the infrared portion of the light spectrum" - as far as the photo goes?
Dave
That means "oops, we messed up on the M8 by not including a filter over the sensor that removes IR light that degrades image quality, which even the most entry-level DSLR has had for years.. you're welcome"
Essentially, camera sensors can capture a larger spectrum of light then just visible light from what we see with our eyes.
Mos camera makers know this and filter out or reduce sensitivity for IR light so that spectrum of light doesn't ruin your picture. When you see an apple you think of it red, however, without proper filtration and if the sensor isn't properly tuned to reduce the effects of IR then your apple doesn't look red, more purplish. If you took a photo of a person with a blackshirt then it turned out more magenta. This is a HUGE problem because when you take a photo the colors are going to be entirely off.
This was a big problem with the Leica M8, which shouldn't have been a problem to begin with. Leica's "FIX" was to send you an screw-on lens filter (a horribly half-assed solution). To actually get a real fix you had to pay thousands and thousands of dollars to upgrade your M8 to an M8.2.
I'm sure these will sell like gangbusters. I'd pay $5k just for that little red Leica logo.
Having owned a Canon range finder camera back in the seventies... some of the best photo's I've taken were with that camera... too bad this camera has an obscene price. I'd love to once again own a range finder camera.