[Leica] Leica-Canon deal rumor

[jplaurel at spectare.com (Jim Laurel)]

You guys are all missing the point of such a deal between Leica and Canon.
There is currently no product in the digital market that gives top quality
results, yet has a very small form factor.  I'm talking about quality on the
order of the EOS-1DS MkII, but in a reasonably-sized package.

I've said this many times here on the LUG.  The EOS-1DS cameras are
ridiculously huge to the point that they are just impractical to deal with
while traveling.  Even a single body with a 24-70 is just too big and heavy.
What I want is something that has high quality lenses of large maximum
apertures and produces an image with the pixel density of the 1DS, but with
the size of an M rangefinder.  THERE IS NO SUCH THING ON THE MARKET TODAY.
Today, I am forced to either bite the bullet and carry the 1DS, or continue
shooting film in my M6s.  There is no in-between.  The 20D and its small
sensor don't do it for me.  The 5D is still too large, and the fast lenses
for either (Canon's EF 35mm f1.4L, for example) are huge and still not
nearly the equal of the Leica designs.  And as a practical matter, fast
lenses for rangefinders can be made more compact.

By now, Leica is probably well down the development path on the digital M.
By acquiring Leica, Canon gets the halo effect of a venerable name in
photography, and a new product (the digital M) that fills a market void that
no other company is addressing.  If this deal is for real, my bet is that
Canon will provide sensor and electronics technology (imagine a full frame
CMOS sensor and Digic II for the new M digi!), help Leica improve their
efficiency, and allow Leica to continue producing equipment under the Leica
name.  Look to Ford, which owns Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover, Volvo,
etc. for an example.  These cars are still produced in the same facilities,
but have taken advantage of Ford's production technologies and in some cases
(much to my chagrin), share parts from the family bins.  The new Land
Rovers, for example, are still produced in the Solihull factory, and are
truly Land Rover designs.  But Ford has done a lot of good in improving
quality control and providing capital for Land Rover to realize their
designs.  Land Rover has had very advanced 4x4 tech for a long time, but
insufficient R&D budgets.  "Terrain Response" on the new LR3 and Range Rover
Sport is a good example of this.  Along with many other enthusiasts, I still
consider these new vehicles true Land Rover designs.  They are not
warmed-over Explorers.  They are designed and built in Solihull.  In fact,
the new Explorer inherits some design and technology from the new LR3
platform.

I see this development as a good thing.  If true, it gives me hope that we
will finally see a professional grade rangefinder with a full frame sensor.
Mark my words, that would be a hot seller.

--Jim Laurel