[Leica] Second guessing the digital M

[Afterswift at aol.com (Afterswift@aol.com)]

In a message dated 12/22/05 4:30:14 PM, lug-request@leica-users.org writes:


> It says that "The Digital M will be introduced as a complete package
> that will include new wide-angle lenses."? I suppose that means that
> our current M lenses won't work with the digital camera?? That would
> defeat the whole purpose to me.
> 
> Tina
> -----------------------------
Hi Tina,

I think we can assume that the digital M's ccd sensor will run to 24x36mm. 
It 
will produce very large files. So we should be prepared for that. As for the 
new WA lenses for the digital M, it's significant that other focal lengths 
were not mentioned in the article. 

We should recall that when the Leica CL was marketed, two dedicated lenses 
came with it. Nobody complained because those lenses, though very compact, 
had 
real affinity with the Leica M system. 

I'm speculating that the ccd sensor may be automatically variable. That is, 
from 50mm onward to 90+ the sensor will use the central pixels of the sensor 
array maintaining full quality. Present WA lenses will probably produce a 
lower 
quality image on the periphery; but the new WA lenses would be contoured for 
the full sensor array. They may produce parallel rays because of the design, 
which film version lenses can not. That is not to say that in the future, 
digital M's won't come out with a pixel design which is fully compatible 
with film 
lenses. ccd sensor design isn't at the end of development. Innovations are 
sure 
to follow. 

I'm probably all wet in these conjectures, but it's an entertaining game 
second-guessing Leica Solms.   I daresay that the new digital WA lenses will 
probably work very well with the film M's.
So there you get the CL analogy. And why our colleagues won't complain.

Bob