Off Brand: Leica M Monochrom & Leica APO-Summicron 50 f/2 ASPH Announced

[RuneL]

I have a feeling i will drool over this camera and lens and if i had one i would LOVE it to death. But, and there is always a but.

If Leica's digital cameras lasted as long as their film predecessors i would be happy to invest in this camera. But they don't and things move so fast in the digital era how can this cost be justified?

The price of this vs. the usefulness of it more or less means it's a toy more than it is a tool. I'd like one, probably, but I'd rather have an M6.

[AprilForever]

the BW image quality at dpreview looks unimpressiv.
and for that money?

i guess only saudis princes and weapon dealer will find this camera interesting. 

cost more than 1D X

my god, i like black and white but i better stick with canon

not enough money to burn

I'd far far far far rather have a 1DX... and still a pile of money to spend on an autofocus 50 1.2, and some more wonderful loot... than this...

Indeed...

[jouster]

"So when I see them announcing a new segment of 35mm digital camera for $8000, and still retaining things like the 5 year old technology 230,000 pixel LCD displays, I’m not sure what to tell people about getting into Leica."

Tell 'em "Don't - this is a bad joke."

[Neeneko]

If their new 50mm f2 is as good as they say, I'll be amazed that nobody has created such a good 50mm lens before. The double Gauss formula has been tinkered with for 100+ years and it has always had its flaws. Top build quality alone doesn't magically result in a near flawless lens so I'm intrigued to see what Leica has done differently.

Well, historically there have been a number of fantastic prototype lenses that never got off the ground due to issues related to manufacturing rather then 'can it be built', so it is plausible that they found a way to make them at a price point that works and maintains sufficient QC to be marketable.

[Neeneko]

That's precisely my sentiments as well. A full frame mirrorless camera is gonna ROCK. Throw in a good 40 MP sensor with wide dynamic range at low ISO and landscape photographers will be all over it. Cheap (no expensive pentaprism), light weight, good image quality... what's not to like?

You forget how image conscious the photography market is.  Mirrorless cameras are 'small', professional looking gear is 'large'.  Many people will avoid mirrorless because it looks too 'consumer', at least until the 'we actually make our living off this' professionals start switching.

I still hear people complain about how ridiculous a large lens looks on a mirrorless (or even crop) body.. which is amusing since good astrophotography cameras are tiny boxes attached to massive lenses and no one calls them toys ^_^

[AdamJ]

while the double Gauss has flaws, it delivers very good performance even in basic designs. And the design here is not a classic double Gauss. The back part is quite different. Also, it's only f2, not very fast for a 50 mm. That plus the liberal use of expensive glass types should do it.
my guess is Canon could produce the same for 2k. it's just a matter of market.

Not a classic double Gauss but presumably still a variation on the theme, as all 50s are. I agree a double Gauss delivers very good performance but look again at what Leica is claiming: "a historic milestone." My point is, in most lens categories, "historic milestones" come and go but a 50 has to brush aside rather more history to be conferred that kind of status. I have yet to encounter a 50 that outperforms my Zeiss Planar 50 f/1.7 and that's 30 years old (I bought it new). That's why I'm so intrigued to know what Leica has done.

[bchernicoff]

My first thought about the lens was that they are simply creating a much larger than needed image circle so that the sensor utilizes the sharpest center part.

[jweu]

while the double Gauss has flaws, it delivers very good performance even in basic designs. And the design here is not a classic double Gauss. The back part is quite different. Also, it's only f2, not very fast for a 50 mm. That plus the liberal use of expensive glass types should do it.
my guess is Canon could produce the same for 2k. it's just a matter of market.

If you look at MTF, you will find an extreme sharp lens at f/2. No canon 50mm lens is that sharp at f/2. Why should I buy a Canon lens with f/1.2, when the lens is not better at f/2 than the Leica one and realy smooth at f/1.2 ? The lens is expensive but outperfomes all other lenses. Zeiss Macro-Planar is the best at about 1.2K€ at 50mm f/2.

At times of more than 100 lines per mm at the sensor, Canon professional 50mm lenses are soft at 30 lines per mm wide open. Canon should show a lens with an mtf of 120 lines per mm if the lens ist ready for the actural sensor.

[jweu]

Now’s the time Canon, lets see the worlds first full frame autofocus mirrorless camera! Consider it preordered.

That's precisely my sentiments as well. A full frame mirrorless camera is gonna ROCK. Throw in a good 40 MP sensor with wide dynamic range at low ISO and landscape photographers will be all over it. Cheap (no expensive pentaprism), light weight, good image quality... what's not to like?

No mirror, no fast autofocus. If we have fast autofocus using the chip, the chip gets warm and the ISO-level decreases. I like my EOS with fast AF. A 50mm f/2 with an aspherical lens for comparable image quality (ready for 30MP at f/2) is a must now! I hope, canon is working on it, i waiting for.

[jweu]

If their new 50mm f2 is as good as they say, I'll be amazed that nobody has created such a good 50mm lens before. The double Gauss formula has been tinkered with for 100+ years and it has always had its flaws. Top build quality alone doesn't magically result in a near flawless lens so I'm intrigued to see what Leica has done differently.

Well, historically there have been a number of fantastic prototype lenses that never got off the ground due to issues related to manufacturing rather then 'can it be built', so it is plausible that they found a way to make them at a price point that works and maintains sufficient QC to be marketable.

Computing a 50mm with an asperical lens the calculation has much more parameters and i think you need new software with intelligent heuristics for optimization and more calculation power to get good results.