Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/04/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Im think part of the problem is that Leica will always only be able to afford to design one version of the M camera. They can't afford to develop a whole Rebel, 20D, 1D II, 1Ds II line-up. So, they will probably aim for a single high end model with a minimum of 10mp. I would bet good money that a lot of the guts of the DMR will form the basis of what ever D-M surfaces. Why reinvent the wheel? Now what I think would be rather clever is if they designed it as a modular system One part contains the RF and shutter, the other the chip and the rest of the electronics. Same idea as a Hassy or the old Graflex system. There would be several advantages to doing this. Various models could be priced according to the resolution of the the back you choose. First off you buy a 'body' and then choose your sensor back. The cheaper entry level back may only have 8mp, but the expensive top model may have 12 or 16mp. I can see people owning backs of various resolution, for different jobs. Maybe they would use a medium res model for reportage type work, where file size is critical and a really high-res back for high quality print work. Leica could sell upgraded backs every few years, which would be a steady source of revenue. If they were smart they would design it so it could eventually take a full frame 24x36 chip. Maybe even something bigger. Over time, large chips like this will come down in price. Having to just redesign the back is a lot cheaper than re-tooling for a whole new camera. And of course it would be available in black paint. Feli ________________________________________________________ feli2@earthlink.net 2 + 2 = 4 www.elanphotos.com