IC go home.

[firkin@netconnect.com.au (Alastair Firkin)]

>How long until your speed IC lives.... maybe 10 years, maybe more or
>less... it is really unimportant.  The chip will someday die ( or you will
>not be able to get batteries... same difference.)  At first Leica will
>repair from stock.  But in the future, there will be no stock, and the IC
>can not be made again.  your Leica M9 will not be fixable.

>There will always be a place for mechanically controlled cameras of superb
>build quality and optical performance.  Even 60 years from now.

>Thank You
>Frank Filippone

G'day,
Being the owner of a beautiful and expensive camera [CLE] which is on a
knife's edge I cannot help but agree. I used to own all Minolta gear. When
I was told the flash and electronics for my CLE would no longer be serviced
a mere 7 years after it was sold I stopped buying Minolta DEAD. Mechanical
improvements can and will be made, but in this age of improving electronic
controls, this push will become inevitable.

Some computers are now being designed to allow ongoing upgrades. Unlike the
Contax G1/2 which is breaking new ground or the CLE which received rave
reviews but only few ongoing sales, the Leica M series has a unique
opportunity - to make a camera with the electronics designed to be
upgradable and serviceable for 10-40 years. The reputation of the camera
and its "unchanging" design mean that the IC can be customised such that
improvements to the IC can be readily changed over with the originals.
There is nothing new about this idea. Hasselblad and Leica have a long
track record of devising ways of keeping the new and old compatible. Its
just that the IC industry is a child of the throw away society, and as such
sees profit in waste.

An electronic M7 does not need to replace the mechanical model, just as the
SLR series has lived with both, but rather could use one to complement it.
Then we can all use the combination of battery dependent electronics [I've
always wondered whether the flat top of the Leica M could not be a solar
cell recharging a long life battery] backed up by the dependable mechanical
body. Aperture priority would speed up some photographic situations, allow
for TTL flash and make the Visoflex a much more flexible unit. IMHO the M8
would then incorporate focus triangles to replace or toggle between the
light meter in manual model and the whole camera would remain quiet and not
need flashing viewfinder intrusions. Autofocus will have to be left to
Contax now that they are "in the water". It is unlikely that the market for
RF cameras is big enough to hold too many "fish", but a focus aid may well
appeal to many.

I would urge Leica to look at the design of a "classic" M7, one which may
be improved as the technology evolves, but is designed to be upgradable and
serviceable for a long time. The electronic age need not be throw away.
This will be the message of conservationists in the coming years. It is the
only way that the "masses" of the so called 3rd world can begin to improve
their lifestyles [please this is meant well] and not run the planet out of
resources. We will be forced to re-use upgrade and re-cycle by none other
than mother nature herself.

As to uses, the M series is a niche camera. Leica abandoned the system
concept long ago. This does not mean that "lateral" thinking new lenses and
emulsions will not see the M series used for a large variety of
photographic situations. I am already using my RF cameras in more and more
ways. The visoflex with redesign and a good light meter would have seen the
M camera as an interchangeable back system if promoted years ago. As it is
I use the compromise system of manual Visoflex and "auto" M6 and CLE to do
most of my SLR work and the RF camera to do the things it does best. I'm
looking at replacing the flash with a noctilux and fast film and I'm
learning and enjoying my photography better than I have for many years.
This old technology sure makes you think, and thinking is more powerful
than any on-board computer! oops, gone on a bit too long and there are
bound to be some spelling errors ;-)


Cheers;




Alastair Firkin
NOTE new URL
http://users.netconnect.com.au/~firkin/AGFhmpg.html