At a recent Leica Experience Day in Germany, Dr. Kaufmann made a comment suggesting another surprise for next year in addition to the upcoming Leica M10 and new mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras:
"He promised more than one surprise for next year – and he told us that they haven’t been discussed or discovered by Leica Rumors or the Leica Forum until now."
I know one thing for sure - this surprise is not going to be a price reduction of Leica products.
You can read the entire report from the event on l-camera-forum.
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After reading from the comments by Kaufmann on l-camera-forum, he says nothing about an M10 or anything about the ‘mirrorless system’. Maybe you have a different translation or comments from him????
Basically, it’s as you quoted him, and based on his past statements or ‘promises’ or the last Photokina bash, who knows, could be a lot of nothing. Look at what happened then, they talked up the R solution for 3 years and brought nothing and said nothing about it.
They did bring the M9ti with it’s ‘different’ finder frames and Audi/VW designer deSilva. Wow. So, while it would be great – based on his past, there is nothing that I’ll hang my hat on until it’s in production.
The M10 and the mirrorless were already discussed on LeicaRumors, he said that there will be a surprise that is not yet discussed here.
Okay, so he really isn’t doing anything other than saying the usual vague comments or statements that he always has – it seems to me he is just saying things to keep us hanging around the Leica brand until they actually bring something significant.
I’ll be the first in line to congratulate them (assuming it REALLY is something different for them) so until next Photokina they have to say something to keep us all around. Leitz Park will be done at the end of 2013 and they have ‘upgraded’ the other existing facility. So where will they be building all this ‘new’ gear they are going to be showing at Photokina, September 2012?
It might be S3 or a upgraded S2. I guess everything else has been discussed to some point.
The surprise is that the new fuji is going to eat Leica alive.
+1
With cheap Leica-copies?
Why not a digital DSLR?
Kinda new “R” series.
Would love that. If compatible with R lenses and Full Frame.
autofocus
Yes, new AF lenses for future M-cameras (M10?), which will be compatible with earlier M bodies … Kinda like what Nikon did to its F-mount back in the 1980s
I know: “The horror … The Horror …”
Possible a digital solution of R series
PS: Fuji fans, get the fuck off and stick with your fujifilm mirrorless. If you do think those cameras are better than Leica, or just being a jealous cunt.
Ooo!
xD
I’d give you a small piece of advice – don’t talk that way about Fujifilm because there are some chances you will be using something developed by them in the future, or at least developed with them.
And if you continue this way I suspect you’ll suffer some digestion problems by then. lol
I tell myself….Whoa there!!!!!
I would love to see a DSLR ‘flex’ – a simple one with AF – no video – minimal bells and whistles, 8 frame sequence, it uses old R glass – not going to happen. Kaufmann doesn’t understand – if he did he would have given it to us instead of the uber S2 nonsense. I’m slowly, ever so slowly, releasing my R system. I hate to do it – and if film wasn’t being diminished to fewer suppliers – and if Leica would get it’s crap together around some type of R mount camera I would wait…….l o n g e r.
Here’s something I hope Kaufmann reads; ‘fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.’ He has no idea that he has pissed off quite a few users – and yet all he can say is ‘there will be something you haven’t talked about yet’. He talks like the gazillionaire he is, down to his customers from on high.
I don’t know if it has been mentioned, but what about a successor to the X1: the X2? How about a camera that instead of a fixed or a zoom lens, why not sport a fast tri-Elmar lens providing the 35mm equivalent of 28/35/50mm lenses?!
That could very well be the third Leica camera announced at Photokina next year (in addition to the M10 and the mirrorless).
Okay, again, where was it stated and by whom, that Leica said there will be an M10?
I’m not saying there won’t be, but feeding the rumor mill can get out of hand, yes?
Trust me, there will be a Leica M10 at Photokina next year.
In all seriousness, you actually have had someone from Leica tell you that? It’s not just ‘grapevine-speak’?
I cannot comment on my sources. Let’s talk again in September 2012.
Isn’t it pretty obvious that an m10 will be presented in 2012?
I mean, by that time the m9/m9-p will be a dinosaur, four years behind both Canon and Nikon. Such is the digital world – you cannot float on superior design and build quality alone.
As for the s3, who knows. More lenses seems to be more important than a body that is still unbeaten to this date.
I’m hoping for an x2 with incredibly fast autofocus and a maybe a bi-elmarit lens. 35mm and 75mm. Enough range for anything.
I agree that in the digital world 2 years is considered a long time for a camera. But, I don’t think comparison to Nikon and Canon is really warranted because they have a lot more models in their lineup aimed at different consumers; they roll put introduction of different lines of cameras serially (like Apple does with the iMac, the iPhone, the iPad, the MacBook Pro, etc). If you focus on a specific model, such as the Nikon D700 for instance, then the M9 is plenty current. More importantly, aside from the relatively poor high ISO performance, who here can really say you’ve pushed outside the envelope of the performance of an M9? or a M3 for that matter . . .
In my wish list for the M10 I would add video; that would be cool. I don’t want AF (and those of you in cinematography know that serious videographers manual focus anyway)
What body is ‘still unbeaten to this date’? The S2?
As compared to what?
The X2 (if there is one) would need interchangeable lenses including W i d e angles before I would be interested.
For the $$$$ they ask, it should have it’s own lens line.
Tri-Elmars are actually zoom lenses that have been limited for use only with the framelines and finders Leica M-cameras have. There is absolutely no reason to prevent a zoomlens that is going to be used on a camera with an electronic finder using all angles of view possible. If Leica made an X2 with an optical finder with different frames they could just have click-stop settings on the zoom for those and still make it be possible to use the whole zoomrange with the display on back.
I know what it is he is talking about!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A video camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yep!!!!!!!! That’s what it is!!!!!!!!
Maybe not.
I would really wish that the M10 is announced at Photokina, but I doubt it, we will maybe see an M10 in 2013 if we are lucky. Well anyhow, when the M10 is announced, I really hope that it will be a Sony Cmos or a Fuji Organic sensor that sits in it. I just dont like the raw-files from the current M9. The image quality is the only thing holding me back.. (not talking about resolution) So I really hope for leicas sake, that they put a better sensor in the next M. I know many pro´s that feels the same. I actually believe Leica would double their sales of the M10 compared to the M9 if they only put a sensor that could compete with pro dslr´s in it. Yes, I know Im going to get hate mails, and probably get killed for saying this. But I just cant lie..
I think the image quality at base ISO (160) is actually pretty good, but I agree, go a little higher & beyond, the quality suffers but it’s still usable – I can still get a good colour image even at ISO800 if I use noise reduction in photoshop. I think many people are happy with the sensor if a B&W software filter is applied, even at higher ISOs. I’m looking forward to seeing what the M10 brings to the table.