The Present and Future Leica

[Afterswift@aol.com]

I've no doubt that Leica will regale us with an electronic variation of the M
with lightweight AF lenses, etc. It may even look like an M.

But if you want a real M, it will be at the top of the line, with those great
precise lenses. In fact, I'd like to see more manual M's in the Leica lineup
based on the M3 viewfinder, so we would have more choice.

I, for one, work differently with an M than with an AF reflex. I think more
with the M and shoot fewer frames yet come back with more useful negatives. 

I particularly like to contemplate the MR meter scale on the M3, interpreting
exposure in the open air, not within the viewfinder. I've never used an M6,
but I hope future M's would permit the option of clipping on an MR meter that
would mesh with the shutter speed dial in the Leitz tradition. A retro new M7
would be an innovation in itself. Ofcourse, that new M would still retain the
TTL meter. 

The horizontal cloth shutter of the M's is still my favorite. If the tradeoff
for it is the 1/125 flash speed, I can live with that. I never missed a good
flash shot even with the 1/50 of my M3.

There are a number of cameras around with the Leica logo on them, but there
is only one genuine Leica -- and that's the M. It sets the standard for any
35mm pro camera and lens system. The Leica CL comes close.

Bob R