[Leica] Commutative M7

[MEB at GoodPhotos.com (Michael E. Berube)]

On Fri, 5 Nov 2004 15:46:16 -0800 (PST), lug-request@leica-users.org quoth 
unto 
the boundless Ether...
>I, for one, will be a film-based Leica nut for
>what remains of my life. After all, at least it gives you the
>satisfaction and the fun of enjoying a 50 year-old Leitz state-of-
>the-art fast telephoto lens. See:

A properly designed Digital M from Leica would provide the same satisfaction 
and fun for many of us. Even with an APS-C sensor. 

It doesn't mean that Solms have to turn away from film entirely. Nikon just 
announced the F6 after all. While I'll not be trading my work cameras D2H or 
D70s in for a new F6, I would have to option if I didn't prefer my Leicas 
for 
film. Nikon realises that their digital market is now and will remain the 
main 
pastures for their cash cows, but this also allows them to offer a film 
camera 
for the few folks out there who still want one with the latest tech in their 
system. 

Evidently, Leica is trying to make the collectors/commemorative market its 
main 
pasture, but I think that it is a far smaller (though more affluent) pasture 
and won't keep the rest of its herd alive unless they also begin to do 
something digital better and faster than they have dedicated to it so far. 
With 
the right camera and proper marketing, they might even catch some of the 
photojournalism market back that they used to have. I also don't think that 
I'm 
alone in thinking that I'd love to be able to use a Leica for low light/no 
flash wedding work, but I can't go back to film.

Who knows though. Seems that since the era of the 35mm SLR has been upon us 
that Leica always survived well enough by bucking the technology until that 
tech is taken for granted by everyone else. (the Hot Shoe, quicker loading, 
TTL 
metering, Aperture Priority, digital...)

Carpe Luminem,
Michael Eric Berube
GoodPhotos.com