[Leica] Micro 4/3rds and Leica M

[cummer at netvigator.com (H&ECummer)]

> Hello Luggers,
If you look at the specs for the Micro 4/3rds system in the dpreview  
article M lenses would easily fit on the camera via an adaptor ( upon  
which I am sure some Chinese entrepreneur is already diligently  
working in his Shanghai garage). With live view you would have no  
parallax framing problems and could view 100% of the image. I know, I  
know, this is no substitute for the traditional rangefinder viewfinder  
but it could prove useful and entertaining to use. And if the micro  
body were, say, US$1000, it could satisfy the desire for a digital CLE  
without cannibalizing M8 sales (too much - maybe - since the cheap  
camera won't have the traditional rangefinder viewfinder). The numbers  
-  4/3rd Micro flange back distance - 20mm (M flange back distance  
27.95mm - lots of room for an adaptor). 4/3rd Micro Lens mount  
diameter 44mm (M mount 40mm - again lots of room to fit in any M lens.  
In my opinion the deal breaker will be how good the EV viewfinder is.  
That was a very bad part of the original Panasonic LC1 / Leica Digilux  
2 which was otherwise a very capable and easy to use camera (in good  
light). Food for thought - isn't it?
Howard
(hot on Pender Island today)


> Date: Thu, 7 Aug 2008 14:44:38 -0400
> From: "David Rodgers" <drodgers@casefarms.com>
> Subject: [Leica] Micro FourThirds
> To: "Leica Users Group" <lug@leica-users.org>
>
> http://www.dpreview.com/news/0808/08080501microfourthirds.asp#press
>
> I found the naming a bit interesting. Nothing "micro" about a shorter
> flange distance, smaller lens mount, or two more contact points. Maybe
> it just sounds photoish like Micro-Nikkor. They should have called  
> it HD
> FourThirds. The HD for Half Distance but people would have assumed it
> meant High Definition (and who in their right mind doesn't want that)!
>
> OTOH, make a camera with a four thirds chip that looks and handles  
> like
> this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_CL or this
> http://www.contaxcameras.co.uk/gseries/gseries.asp and you can call it
> whatever you want. I'm sold already. Olympus or Panaleica certainly  
> know
> how to make small, high performance, fast primes.
>
> Please don't make us rely on Live View for framing. I don't want a
> glorified P&S. I want an optical viewfinder, although the rangefinder
> can be electronic (i.e. LED).
>
> DaveR