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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Here's a new Leica Object-of-Desire for y'all...
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Showing posts 1 - 25 of 32, (reverse)
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09/18/2014 05:41:21 PM · #1
I tell ya, it's like "camera porn"... You know you lust after it... Limited Edition Leica M Edition 60

Here's some more info. Price? Just under 20 grand...

Message edited by author 2014-09-18 17:44:23.
09/18/2014 05:52:34 PM · #2
Perfect, I always wanted a digital camera with no rear screen that costs more than some new cars.
09/18/2014 06:07:51 PM · #3
True retro comes at a PRICE, don'tcha know? Anyway, it isn't for the likes of us :-)
09/18/2014 06:13:18 PM · #4
When I establish my dictatorship or become Pope, whichever comes first, the bottom ranks of hell will be reserved exclusively for hypesters who write thusly:

"The set consists of a Leica M-P digital camera (Type 240) and the fast Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH lens, both in special versions that pay homage to the essence of photography and carry it back to its origins."

Message edited by author 2014-09-18 18:13:35.
09/18/2014 06:25:06 PM · #5
Originally posted by tnun:

"The set consists of a Leica M-P digital camera (Type 240) and the fast Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH lens, both in special versions that pay homage to the essence of photography and carry it back to its origins."

Translation: "There is NOTHING "digital" about this camera except that it uses a sensor instead of film." No menu, no LCD screen, no autofocus, no "modes", no nada. Zipperoonie. Why it COSTS more to do this is a mystery, but there ya go :-)
09/18/2014 06:31:06 PM · #6
Originally posted by tnun:

When I establish my dictatorship or become Pope, whichever comes first, the bottom ranks of hell will be reserved exclusively for hypesters who write thusly:

"The set consists of a Leica M-P digital camera (Type 240) and the fast Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH lens, both in special versions that pay homage to the essence of photography and carry it back to its origins."


ROFL!
Given the price, I am tempted to agree! I do see where the hyperbole is linked to reality, though. The thing is decidedly retro. Think about it... no chimping. No menu. Only adjustments are shutter speed, aperture and ISO. Manual focus only. A decidedly film-like photographic experience!
Honestly, though I have no desire at all for such a thing. It looks cool and retro, but it is not a tool I would choose, at any price. And speaking of price, no degree of exclusivity justifies the grandiose sticker attached to that thing!
09/18/2014 07:04:36 PM · #7
Remember though, the folks that buy one are hardly throwing their money away. Consider its used value in 10 years and compare it to what an interest bearing deposit account might give you back...

Message edited by author 2014-09-18 19:05:30.
09/18/2014 07:32:42 PM · #8
What's an M8 worth these days?

Maybe that's not really apples-to-apples because it's a run-of-the-mill camera and not a limited edition, but still.
09/18/2014 08:04:11 PM · #9
I hope Fuji makes one
09/18/2014 08:20:17 PM · #10
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

Originally posted by tnun:

"The set consists of a Leica M-P digital camera (Type 240) and the fast Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH lens, both in special versions that pay homage to the essence of photography and carry it back to its origins."

Translation: "There is NOTHING "digital" about this camera except that it uses a sensor instead of film." No menu, no LCD screen, no autofocus, no "modes", no nada. Zipperoonie. Why it COSTS more to do this is a mystery, but there ya go :-)


I disagree. There IS no translation. This is a camera for men who wear the Peterman horseman duster, no socks, bespoke shoes and think that on Thursday they might try on a little Cartier Bresson. There is no homage, nor anything original.
09/18/2014 10:00:13 PM · #11
Originally posted by tnun:

This is a camera for men who wear the Peterman horseman duster, no socks, bespoke shoes and think that on Thursday they might try on a little Cartier Bresson. There is no homage, nor anything original.


huh?
09/18/2014 10:47:16 PM · #12
I saw this camera 3 days ago and thought...why make it digital if you can't control it through a screen? I'm sure you can see the same things in the viewfinder as the normal M 240, like exposure arrows, and shutter speed, but that is not everything you need. Maybe a very good investment though since they are only producing 600 of them. Like Paul says, 10 or 20 or more years from now, someone would buy it for more than it costs today.
09/18/2014 11:31:13 PM · #13
Speaking in the abstract (that is, not referring to this particular grossly inflated bit of conspicuous consumption), there's something immensely appealing about a bit of bare-bones-simple kit using the best sensor and lenses available. I love rangefinder, manual focus cameras. I'd be happy with no controls but aperture on the lens, shutter speed dial, and ISO dial on a high-quality rangefinder camera. The sensor is necessary since film is a dying thing, and anyway going directly from media to computer would be a hard habit (and I say this as a long-time, diehard large-format darkroom-nerd guy) to give up.

That's all I ever had, back in the day: even my Nikons were F and F1 models, no automatic exposure or focus. They worked fine without batteries even :-)

So I wish there was something akin to this Leica available at a rational price point :-(
09/19/2014 01:09:50 AM · #14
I definitely appreciate the practical elegance of simplicity here. After all, you don't need much else if you have a good pair of hand-made shoes and a sturdy par-dessus that works striding or astride. But without the horse, without the lcd, I don't see the point.

09/19/2014 02:51:38 AM · #15
I'm with Bear on this. A pox on your LCDs and menus and modes and image stabilisers and autofocus and video and etc. They brutalise and devalue the alchemy of photography. On the other hand, they do permit everyone to achieve a plausible level of mediocrity. If this Leica was made by Panasonic or Sony or Fuji, and was thus $2,000 instead of $20,000 then I'd buy it. Digital should be as analogue as possible, not as digital as possible.
09/19/2014 04:11:02 AM · #16
Would something electronic/digital hold it's value and become collectible?

For example, I can't think of any digital watches from 30 years ago that have increased in value, versus mechanical watches like Rolex.

Part of the joy of analog and mechanical objects is the beauty of the engineering, the moving parts, the fact they are repairable and will outlast changes in technology or file formats.
09/19/2014 05:56:53 AM · #17
Apparently there are times where being an ignorant pleb is a good thing. I am NOT drooling over this thing, I won't lose any sleep, and I feel ZERO envy.

Phew.
09/19/2014 06:14:32 AM · #18
I think it's a lovely looking thing and I'd imagine it would be a total pleasure to use. I can totally understand the thinking behind it...I tend to 'cripple' my cameras in various ways as well including hardly ever using the back screen. Creativity through limitation and all that. The cost is irrelevant really...some people think it's crazy spending a lot of money on a lens or an antique teapot or a first edition book or a car. Saying that though, if I had a spare 20 grand I would probably go for a Leica M Monochrome and a Leica 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux before one of these. If I had a spare 20 grand after that I might get one though.
09/19/2014 07:02:16 AM · #19
LCD on my beloved old Panasonic/Leica L1-K has been broken and entirely unusable for 5 years. So no image review and no menu access. But camera still works perfectly, lens remains sublime, and it's more satisfying than ever to use. Leica is just now following my lead.
09/19/2014 07:14:07 AM · #20
Beautiful as all get out. I'd buy it in a flash is it had a few fewer zeros at the end.

BTW...what's with the viewfinder on the left hand side? Wouldn't most folks' dominant eye be their right?
09/19/2014 07:15:46 AM · #21
Originally posted by ubique:

LCD on my beloved old Panasonic/Leica L1-K has been broken and entirely unusable for 5 years. So no image review and no menu access. But camera still works perfectly, lens remains sublime, and it's more satisfying than ever to use. Leica is just now following my lead.


Broken is the the way to go. I've got a friend who has been taking photos on nothing else but a broken iPhone for the last few years and i'm constantly amazed at the great photographs he comes out with. If it's broken why fix it?
09/19/2014 07:21:04 AM · #22
Originally posted by Garry:



BTW...what's with the viewfinder on the left hand side? Wouldn't most folks' dominant eye be their right?


That's the rangefinder way of shooting (and on cameras such as the Fuji x's etc) You still use your right eye but leave the left side of your face clear so you can also use your left eye to see what is coming into the frame at the same time. It becomes quite natural quite quickly due to the small size of the cameras. Can be a bit confusing switching back to a slr way of handling though.
09/23/2014 09:09:53 PM · #23
Originally posted by ubique:

I'm with Bear on this. A pox on your LCDs and menus and modes and image stabilisers and autofocus and video and etc. They brutalise and devalue the alchemy of photography. On the other hand, they do permit everyone to achieve a plausible level of mediocrity. If this Leica was made by Panasonic or Sony or Fuji, and was thus $2,000 instead of $20,000 then I'd buy it. Digital should be as analogue as possible, not as digital as possible.


you outdo yourself with this digital parsimony!

I would love to have this camera. My original objection was to the hype; and my abiding objection is to the pandering to the have too much money crowd. It would be a totally beautiful thing to strip down many of these better cameras/lenses.

I do, however, enjoy shooting with my K-01, my first good lcd screen. Of course it is possible that I have accumulated many more mediocre shots thereby. Always a problem.
09/23/2014 09:27:57 PM · #24
Originally posted by Bear_Music:

True retro comes at a PRICE, don'tcha know? Anyway, it isn't for the likes of us :-)


Yes, it does cost a bunch to have what we used to have for cheaper, since we've come so far from where we were when we wished we had more...

uhhh...

Huh?
09/24/2014 02:54:52 AM · #25
I have one already

It's called an M7, it was slightly more expensive because they removed the sensor too.

Beautiful machine it is I'm sure and the lens has a nice new jacket too however I'll stick with my M240 for now and turn the screen off.
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