Leica Prediction for 2016??

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VINCETAN

Top Veteran
Leica released a lot of camera in 2015. There is the Q, the new monochrome, the 262, the S 007 and few others including the X series and a bunch of special editions. For a small company like Leica, that is quite amazing feat. What is in store for us in 2016? Can they continue the trend? More importantly, with their limited market, can the market absorb the number of products that Leica is pushing out? 2015 is also a year when we finally saw the bubble burst for the high end camera market. It was years in the making but I felt that it really hurt company like Leica. They even reduced their price for a change. Have you seen the prices of used Leica lately?

I predict that with the great success of the Q, the next one will be the Q vario. I wonder if we will see a new M, not the strip down M 262 but a flagship version. It seems like they usually start with flagship version, followed in 2-3 years with an upgrade version, then immediately followed by a strip down version. Then repeat the cycle. M9 - M9-P - ME. M Type 240-M-P Type 240 - M Type 262. Think its about time? If not this year, it will probably be next year.

I would love to see a camera similar to the M 60th anniversary, no screen at the back, no video but should be as small and as light as the old M6. I missed the old size.

Will their be a new T since they have invested so much in the lenses already?

Can't wait to see what's in store for us. In the meantime, I will hold on to my M Type 240 and enjoy the images from this camera.
 
They will undoubtedly issue versions of the new Panasonic one-inch sensor cameras. One thing I always wish for is a tiny camera like the old Minoxes, except digital.
 
They need to introduce a new M rangefinder series camera with a new sensor. I believe it will be 32MPixel, and will get rid of the banding problem at High-ISO. It seems that Leica has moved to new generation sensors in the new cameras, I do believe they are working hard on their Flagship lineup.

To add: I believe the new model M is waiting for a BSI sensor. The angle of acceptance is much greater than the typical front side illuminated sensors. It's perfect for the M-Mount.
 
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I think people would go crazy over a new M the size of the M6.

I predict somebody will offer a "interchangeable Q", i.e. a small FF EVIL which can shoot Leica lenses well, in 2016. :)
 
I forgot to predict that Leica will extend their 12% discount since demand is still pretty weak. But of course, they announced that already today. I think this will be going on for a long time. There are so many new AF system that are really really good at more than half the price. Just look at the Zeiss lenses for the Sony. It is really hard to justify spending so much more to get only so little extra in performance.
 
If I were working in an actual Leica store, I would do something that someone at Leica did long ago to make their small cameras more popular, but since then the Leica chiefs have repudiated. I would create "minimal" carry cases for non-system cameras like the Q, the X, and the X Vario, like you see for the D-Lux and the original X1 (now XE), and I would triple the sales and/or profits at those stores, and make a lot of new customers happy that they can carry their high-tech Leica camera without feeling that they're being seen everywhere as a photographer.

But sadly, I think the Leica people are too arrogant to see this, and the money they're rolling in now will keep them aloof from the customer on the street.
 
Predictions? If there's anything about Leica that I've learned, it is:

Think about all the things you'd like in a single Leica and be assured they will offer nothing close to that.

I like the M6 sized FF M-mount with backside illuminated 24MP (or greater) band-less iso-less sensor, best-in-class EVF, electro-mechanical RF for M lenses, live-view ...

I'd also like a Vario-Q with retractable lens and one of Dale's carrying cases. In other words, a FF Dlux.

I predict neither of these cameras will ever be released by Leica, nor will they release anything close. :rolleyes-79:
 
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Leica has been around for a very long time focusing on a target market with extra cash. Leica rewarded this with quality, style and marketing. The challenge is to convince the target audience to spend 8k on a digital camera that will be replaced in 3 years. Digital does not have the longevity film cameras enjoyed. I have an M6 which I love but I know it will outlast film. For digital there are too many lower priced options out there. Who needs a tank if the camera will be replaced in 3 years or so. Lenses on the other hand will last and last. So, cheap digital camera and great glass???? Maybe.....
 
If you look at the market and reception of the Fuji Xpro 1 and now the largest pre-order to date of the XPRO2, it would be amazing to see a small Q like camera with interchangeable autofocus lenses, and an EVF/OVF viewfinder.
 
Even for manual focus lenses with a mechanical RF cam: the hybrid viewfinder would allow electronic framelines to compensate for parallax and field-of-view of the lens. I suspect Fuji has some patents that would have to be licensed. But- it would be accurate for framing.
 
Christopher Onstott said:
If you look at the market and reception of the Fuji Xpro 1 and now the largest pre-order to date of the XPRO2, it would be amazing to see a small Q like camera with interchangeable autofocus lenses, and an EVF/OVF viewfinder.
Click to expand...

I really loved the Panasonic GM1 with its tiny accessories, and the Q didn't just add a bigger body with the full-frame sensor, the interchangeable-lens Q (i.e. the SL) added HUGE lenses.
 
Patrick G said:
Leica has been around for a very long time focusing on a target market with extra cash. Leica rewarded this with quality, style and marketing. The challenge is to convince the target audience to spend 8k on a digital camera that will be replaced in 3 years. Digital does not have the longevity film cameras enjoyed. I have an M6 which I love but I know it will outlast film. For digital there are too many lower priced options out there. Who needs a tank if the camera will be replaced in 3 years or so. Lenses on the other hand will last and last. So, cheap digital camera and great glass???? Maybe.....
Click to expand...


Leica is actually more ambitions and tries to sell us THREE new digital rangefinders every three years. We first buy the new model, then the "P" version to stand out from the masses with the regular non "P" version, and then a Monochrom. How many of the big bloggers have gone from M9 to M9P and then added an M Monochrom, only to repeat the process with the M240, M-P and M246?

I'm much less ambitious and my desires for updates are simpler. I would rather Leica go to a five year cycle (not unreasonable, even Canikon are at four or five years on their FF cameras), but really get that model right. This will hold used values, and also have larger technological increments enticing more people to upgrade when the new model eventually arrives.

I am solidly in the M9 generation with an M-E and M Monochrom. I love the CCD look, but am confident I can get the same from a CMOS camera. The reason I don't upgrade is that there isn't enough improvement in the M240 for me to justify the investment, but probably will be in the next generation. Had I been starting into Leica now, I would buy the M240 and M246 and then sit out the next generation.

Yes, the improvements from M9 to M240 were significant and real, but there is very little (other than EVF, which is clunky 1st gen) that the M240 can do that the M9 can't. The next model will undoubtedly have better EVF integration and by then the live view function will be mature and better integrated, which will perhaps push more M9 users to make the move. I know it would for me as I currently only enjoy using a Leica with 35mm and 50mm lenses, but an SL-level EVF that was well-integrated would make my Canon system and its super-heavy Zeiss primes completely redundant.

I would also like to see more updates to aging lenses. The new 28mm Summicron and Elmarit are very tempting as the monstrous hood is one of the things that kept me from the older versions. I love the 28mm focal length, just not with a rangefinder, but the new hood design on a new-generation M with seamless EVF functionality would be a fantastic combination.
 

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