Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/02/04
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Richard, as you say the assemblies may well be partly modular and there are less complications than in an SLR. Probably not too much completely manual assembly in the bodies these days but I guess the upgrades are entirely by hand. Really though the technical challenge must be to source a 35mm frame size sensor that will do the job. Don't forget that the current one is a custom design and had to be made for the short lens to focal plane distance. If that was easy the current M8 would have had one from the start! As to the prices, I think the factors are long well understood. This is a Leica group ;-) The idea of offering upgrades though, I think is laudable. Just what ones will be available and whether people are willing to pay for them, we shall see. My bet is that the current first offered upgrade will mainly cause everyone who has yet to buy an M8 but wants one, to wait a little longer. The new improvements must make it into serial production. Any possible future upgrade including a 35mm sensor will be a very different story for current owners, in my opinion. cheers Geoff -----Original Message----- Subject: Re: [Leica] Down Loading M8 firm ware update. It's really not that big a deal for Leica to do. First of all, I believe they say it *may* be possible to swap sensor later on. Any case, Leica charges $5500 for the base M8. So for $1800, they would swap the shutter and the LCD out. Well, since the camera is assembled by hands anyway, it's relatively a no brainer to do. Since the M8 doesn't have autofocus, mirror box, and all the other complicated stuff, it is a pretty simple modular system: the body shell, the rangefinder, the shutter, the sensor, the LCD, the electronics. Swap at will, they sure charge enough for it :-) At 01:01 PM 2/4/2008, Mark Rabiner wrote: >So the word is out as of now that an upgrade might involved evolving to >full frame from the 1.3 cropped format in there now. They can just do that. >Just plop a bigger sensor in. > >So an M8 would truly be a camera "for life" >Which is the words they are using. And I'm buying it. > // richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, please use richard at imagecraft.com) _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information