[Leica] Leica medium format? Aperture priority m6?

[Kevin H <kevin@2image.com>]

BIG CHANGES LIKELY FOR LEICA

                 By Frank Van Riper
                 Special to Camera Works

                 Big changes may be in store for Leica Camera AG, the
                 venerable German optical company that pioneered 35mm
                 photography nearly a century ago.

                 Under new CEO Hanns-Peter Cohn, Leica may soon
                 incorporate some popular, user-friendly electronic
assists
                 into its hitherto all-manual M-series rangefinder
cameras.
                 In their stripped-down, gadget-free glory these
cameras,
                 epitomized by the current Leica M6, are widely viewed -

                 with justification - as the finest, most beautifully
made
                 35mm cameras in the world.

                 But incorporating something like aperture-priority into
a Leica M6,
                 though a big deal for a tradition-bound company like
Leica, is small
                 potatoes in an industry that routinely stuffs
electronics by the tubful
                 into every new SLR body offered.

                 The really big change will come when and if Leica
finally makes the
                 leap into medium format.

                 Spurred in part by Swedish camera-maker Hasselblad's
recent
                 introduction of its XPan 35mm rangefinder/panorama
camera - a
                 move that threatens to cost Leica customers - the
German firm is
                 beginning to look seriously at trying to take market
share away from
                 its Swedish competitor by introducing its own high-end
entry into
                the hot medium-format market.  . . .

Full article at:
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/essays/index.htm


Found from Paul's link . .
Paul Chefurka wrote:

> http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/essays/090800.htm
>