airfrogusmc wrote:
My question is why would they strat making the M like anything else I or anyone could buy that already exsists at a lower price point? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
They kept off auto focus off the M when the industry wnet that way with SLRs in the film days. DSLR in digital and mirrorless and yet Leica is one camera company doing pretty well financially while the others have struggled.
On reason I own Leica M because they don't have all that stuff on them. There are more out there like me thus their success with their flagship line M.
I think they are driven by customer request on this one. I took part in a Leica Company Survey, and this was the number one requested feature. Still, they will never abandon the rangefinder in the M line. That is why it is a Hybrid. From what I have heard is that the standard they are holding to ius that the Range Finder experience must not be diminished at all with a Hybrid View Finder, and this is the biggest challenge. Still, I would not be surprised if they offer a choice of pure Range Finder, or Hybrid View Finder.
Legacy is obviously an important thing for Leica to protect and profit from. They are still offering new film cameras, and legacy inspired lenses. Heck they even offer a digital M without a rear screen. They also trade in historical and used Leica gear as a regular pert of their business. Both buying and selling on the used market, as well as a Corporate owned auction house. I don't know of another camera manufacturing brand that does that. Leica knows they must manage the M line carefully in this regard. I trust they will do so successfully.
Another thing we must keep in mind is that a Hybrid View Finder is not just about focus in the way that a Rang Finder is. The EVF part is just as much about exposure, and composition through the lens. These WYSIWYG features of mirrorless EVFs is to a great extent what drove the mirrorless cameras to the forefront of photography and led to the abandonment of DSLRs in the industry. We should view this in the context that Leica was the first mirrorless camera in the market, and remained mirrorles during its entire digital lifetime. Another constant for the M cameras is that they have always been a Manual Focus camera. This has enabled them to keep the M form factor in both bodies and lenses. From that perspective in makes sense to me that Leica strives to provide the best Manual Focus experience available. I believe that on the optical side the Range Finder and lenses together do that. Leica now has the opportunity to also be the best EVF Manual Focus platform on the market. To do that they need top level EVF resolution, smoothness, and focusing aids in the new Hybrid View Finder. This will open the platform up to a large pool of potential new customers. They must do this without alienating Leica's existing customer base. This challenge is full of both risk, and opportunity. I wish leica the best in this pursuit.
airfrogusmc wrote:
My question is why would they strat making the M like anything else I or anyone could buy that already exsists at a lower price point? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
They kept off auto focus off the M when the industry wnet that way with SLRs in the film days. DSLR in digital and mirrorless and yet Leica is one camera company doing pretty well financially while the others have struggled.
On reason I own Leica M because they don't have all that stuff on them. There are more out there like me thus their success with their flagship line M.
I think they are driven by customer request on this one. I took part in a Leica Company Survey, and this was the number one requested feature. Still, they will never abandon the rangefinder in the M line. That is why it is a Hybrid. From what I have heard is that the standard they are holding to ius that the Range Finder experience must not be diminished at all with a Hybrid View Finder, and this is the biggest challenge. Still, I would not be surprised if they offer a choice of pure Range Finder, or Hybrid View Finder.
Legacy is obviously an important thing for Leica to protect and profit from. They are still offering new film cameras, and legacy inspired lenses. Heck they even offer a digital M without a rear screen. They also trade in historical and used Leica gear as a regular pert of their business. Both buying and selling on the used market, as well as a Corporate owned auction house. I don't know of another camera manufacturing brand that does that. Leica knows they must manage the M line carefully in this regard. I trust they will do so successfully.
Jan 01, 2025 at 01:53 PM
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