A newly released picture, alleging to show the top-plate of the forthcoming Leica M11, depicts a surprising addition: A button that could herald the return of video to the rangefinder. If it’s true, it will be either a great relief or a great disappointment for rangefinder fans.
Most rangefinder fans didn’t much take to video on the M240 and were only too glad when a firmware update enabled them to deactivate the pesky button which was so easily pressed by mistake.
There are far better cameras for video production, including Leica’s own SL2 and SL2-S, so why bring back what many consider to be an unnecessary complication to the M?
But now it looks like Leica has had a rethink and is bringing back video. Either that, or the resurrected button is a new control for other functions. I hope it’s the latter, a nod to the M10-D which does features a button but, instead of triggering video, it toggles the viewfinder display to show battery percentage and remaining capacity of the SD card.
What’s your view? Would you welcome the return of video or do you prefer your rangefinder to be simple and pure, photographs only? If it’s a function button, what functions should it control?
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Hello Mike. One wonders where possibly this rumour springs from. A fallacy I hope. Leica for many years has done what it does well without introducing radical change. It has nurtured its brand well catering to those who wish possess something exclusive and those who favour purity in optics. If the Q2 is anything to go by, video remains a distant second or even a third in its list of what it does. None of the M bodies have introduced auto focus. An interchangeable M body with auto focus and video capabilities would depart from its form and function as a manual rangefinder and become a hybrid Jack of all trades but master of none. Of course the old guard would be vehemently opposed. Many things can be miniaturised including ibis etc. I for one think they might change the sensor and introduce a few variations. Which is what they have always done.
Agreed. The rumour came from an alleged photo of the new top plate which features a button similar in placement to the video button on the M240.
Leica should take advantage of the enormous range of M lenses by introducing an M camera with EVF as an alternative to the rangefinder. It sell like hot cakes.
Fully agree. And likewise a 600-700g L-mount camera would also sell like hot cakes. To me it is very clear that Leica is terrified of cannibalizing itself. You can lower the price of the SL and you can market it aggressively with YouTubers, it will have an impact, but the main thing holding back the L-mount is size and weight. And Leica is very reluctant to go there and address this for fear of cannibalizing Q and M sales….
Absolutely. Cannibalisation must be a big worry, although there is room for two M cameras, a rangefinder and a mirrorless. Many people use M lenses on third-party cameras and would love to own a genuine Leica.
The question I would ask is, why?
There are better cameras that fulfill that role, I have never met a vlogger that used Leica as their chosen system. No, even Leica heavy influencers use Sony or other brands to make their videos.
So Leica would be wise to stick with the image only system they moved too. One hopes anyway.
I would absolutely not welcome the video function on the new proposed Leica M11. To do so would make it a” very overgrown heavy brick of a whale” Leica M rangefinder. Remember the Leica M 240 and other digital Leica M’s almost gargantuan sizes, they seemed to be reminiscent of the failed Leica M5. It is a wonder and miracle that the company did not go under.
I once owned an M10 (660g) which I thought was too heavy but less than the 240 and other digital M,s. My philosophy is that an analog or digital Leica M should weigh no more than 595g.
What’s the numerological significance of 595 grams? The curb weight of an M6 TTL (without a lens, batteries, or film) is 600g+, so where should Leica shave that weight?
Hi Dante,
In response to your question about the numerological significance of 595 grams; if you take note of the original Leica M3/M2, their weight was 580g with the same dimensions which is perfect in my opinion. As time went by the weight started progressing higher, it is stated that when the M4 was released it’s weight was 600g (probably a mistaken misprint). I have held the M4 in my hands and it feels the same weight and size of the M3/M2.
The M6 TTL (600g +) is much larger than the “Classic” M6 which has the same dimensions of the M4/M2/M3. When the M5 was released it was a disaster, even with the built-in meter. The 660g M7 is the same weight as the present day M10. The M240 (680g?) was way over and pushing towards (7??g) along with other previous Leica M digital models as well. I held one of these in my hands, too heavy
I think that the 595g should be use as a plateau model to not go beyond the capping point for simplicity and the up keeping of the original M design tradition; without looking so overgrown in size. This is why say 595g and maybe a dedicated video Leica M should be considered.
My equipment consists of a Leica Q, M2, and IIIf. After sold my M10, I felt so much better, the Q is lighter, although it’s not an RF, but almost like it with the framelines.
Look to here from you or anyone.
.
“..When the M5 was released it was a disaster, even with the built-in meter..” ..This keeps on being repeated, but let’s look at the facts:
Erwin Puts reports that “In the first two years of its production life, the M5 sold about 20,000 cameras..” [‘Leica Chronicle’] ..that’s not bad. But then what happened? “..after the peak the sales dropped and in 1975 only some 1,400 units left the factory”.
Why? Not because the M5 was a “disaster”, but because – after two years of production, in 1973 – Leitz crazily introduced the ‘Compact Leica’ ..the CL. This was a mini-M5; it had the same innovative through-the-lens light metering; had the same see-it-in-the-finder shutter speeds and light-meter needle; took M5-compatible lenses; but weighed 365 grams instead of the M5’s 700 grams ..so it was almost half the weight of the M5, and was about two-thirds the size of the M5, and cost half what the M5 cost!
Sales of the M5 fell off a cliff. Why carry a bulky 700 gram camera, when you could take pretty much the same pictures with a half-price 365 gram camera?
Sales of the CL ended in 1975, when Leitz realised that it had cannibalised its own M5 (..and was paying Minolta to produce the teeny CL, thus destroying sales of its own in-house-built M5). Sales of the M5 also stopped in 1975, as Leitz had run out of cash, and was then ready to shut up shop altogether (..except that Leitz’ Canadian branch offered to make a cheaper version of the previous, simpler M4, for which there was still some demand).
So sales of the M5 were the “disaster” – from 1973 onwards – not because the M5 was a disaster in and of itself, but because Leitz cut it off at the knees by launching the Compact Leica, which did pretty much everything the M5 did (though not so good with telephoto lenses) in a smaller, lighter body, at half the price, and with a faster flash-sync speed!
So the marketing “disaster” came two years after the M5’s launch, when the new teeny CL simply wiped out its sales.
All best wishes,
David.
Good Evening David,
You made me look up the weight values of my Df and X typ 113 based on your response.
My X is 486 with the battery fitted – no wonder it feels so wonderful in my hands. The Df is over 700 without a lens, but feels well balanced and intuitive to manage in use.
Perhaps Leica should stop even discussing video in cameras, and stick to images – where it excels. And then perhaps they should produce a fixed lens X replacement that weighs in similar to the X – it might fly of the shelves.
Would I welcome the return of video on the rangefinder? Oh, absolutely not! on my future imaginative M11.