Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/12/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]It was announced at the Leica Historical Society meeting in Williamsburg this October that Leica M would have a wider than 21 to take account of the loss in the wide angle area we'd experience when using the digital camera with it's magnification factor. I think 1.5. People around me who seemed to have been clued in on this ahead of time appeared assured it would be an 18 and I believed them. Later when I took my shoes and socks off and did the math did I realize this brings us to a 27 not 21. But I'm ok with that. Despite the fact the we'd still be out two focal lengths, 21 and 24.I round off 27 to 28. Not 24. And not 21. It would been to be a 16 to land us with a 24 even. A 14 it would have to be to give us a 21. I got one of those this year for my Nikon digital. Using Leica got me spoiled for 21 - that's a focal length I've got used to being able to use in an extreme pinch. I do use my 24 10 times more than my 21. And don't even have a 28. Thinking of getting the new Zeiss for that one. Without widening the wides leaving us with just a 21 and a 1.5 factor we'd be stuck with a 31.5mm lens. That's a normal lens for many Leica shooters. Not their ultra wide. They're going to want at least a "wide". "Give me a wide any day" Leica users always seem to say. Leica is certainly smart enough to have anticipated this and said so. "Lets avoid this debacle!" they seem to say. I predict when the Leica digital M does come out next holiday season or whenever it will come out also this lens. You'll see pictures of the camera with this lens on it. Which by the way the Leica guy clearly said would also be useable for film users. It will cover 24x36mm. Which means it will be a monster. I'm looking forward for in the year 2525 when Leica has giving us a choice of compact fast lighter weight glass with that smaller APS-2 film format 34mm image diagonal. (24x36 is 43mm) And maybe to fill that nietzsche market of just me... A film camera for that format. Half frame! Ho Ho Ho! 72 on a roll! That would take the bite off the expendables. Mark Rabiner Photography Portland Oregon http://rabinergroup.com/