This is the rumor I received:
"It will look like the Leicaflex 18X24 prototype.
Of course without mirror or the film lever and so on.
It will be a VERY small system camera, but there will be a big battery grip you can use, if you want.
The AF is very special, moving chip, the phase AF is ON the main sensor.
Only in black, 21 mp, 2fps, native ISO from 50 to 6400.
Full magnesium.
Price: body only 3200 EUR.
Will start with 3(!) pancakes, 2 primes, 2 zooms."
FYI: this is how the Leicaflex 18X24 prototype looks like - as far as I know, only one camera was produced:
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16 Comments
I reposted this and added some speculations based on the information given.
http://www.echenique.com/index.php/2010/05/05/leica-evil-camera-for-photokina/
This would require an entirely different lens design as an in-lens focusing mechanism would throw the in-body AF off.
Well it has been speculated for a while now and one can only hope it’s true – as the other night I went out to buy some batteries for the meter and finder illumination for my SL2mot – still my favorite all time 35mm – I shoot 90% transparencies the rest print.
But I do want some sort of digital R solution (assuming ) even though it won’t be a reflex, it would be very welcome news.
@Carlos: No it doesn’t, Contax already did this way back in the 1990s IIRC. You only need to keep the lenses focused at infinity. An unxpeced bonus is a sort of extra macro-function when you focus the lens to it’s closest focusing distance, and the sensor also does the same…
Oh you figured that out already. Sorry.
You can’t have a moving sensor AF and a very small body at the same time. The Contax AX (which had movable film plane AF) was very thick. The reason is that the sensor needs to move away from the image plane (sensor or film) in order to focus closer than infinity.
I would be surprised if Leica sold a full frame camera that has more resolution than the M9 at half the price. Pleasantly surprised.
Maybe this is the “solution for R lens owners” that was promised last year but never shown.
@fotomik, yes, an inifinity lock would easily solve the problem, but we are looking a whole new form factor here camera body-wise and as Bernard pointed out, the moving AF sensor needs room to move. That is the basis of my reasoning for a radical lens design change to accommodate small AF movements in-body. Perhaps the lens’ rear element will be further away from the lens plane, as in a retrofocal design.
hahahahahahhahahahah ! i cant resist to laugh. somebody is getting too creative.
well the sensor only has about 2cm to move.
http://www.ixbt.com/digimage/m39/contaxax.jpg
with new lenses even shorter.
@kaeltefest The image you linked to has a mirror box and prism. The speculated camera would be a mirror-less design like the Olympus Digital Pens.
3200$ for a 21mp 6400 full frame af-leica? Sure.
Wake up people!
this will be my next camera if this is true…i’d better start savin though…at 3200 euro for body only – and still gotta buy lenses!
Pure fantasy speculation IMHO. I’ll eat my shoes if this is for real.
$100 says its true….
for some reason my last comment was deleted. I think its because I called everyone retarded for thinking its not true. Not that retards know how to use a computer anyway.
Seeing as how Leica has hinted at such a possibility, I’d give it a 60% chance at this moment.
If it is an EVIL design I could see that the price could be in the mid-3K range. Why not? The complicated and hand assembled rangefinder or mirror box would not be used, saving labor costs. The lenses, if also true, would be lacking the focusing helical which would eliminate a major part of the manufacturing and assembly.
Its an intriguing concept/idea which if true will play out in the next few months. But no bets – I’ll need every $100!!!
AFAIK, the Contax AX film plane moved 10 mm (1 cm), enough to AF up to 180 mm lenses. Not a problem for Leica M lenses at all. You could even reduce the movement to 9 or 8 mm for new designs.
I can’t see this happening for that price range.
The X1 is $2000 and the S2 is way over priced, IF this camera makes it to the market it will be in the $10,000.00 + price range.
am