Industry News: Leica makes 5 announcements, including a new Leica S series camera

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A first-of-its-kind mount that sets a new industry standard, the next evolution of the Leica S-System, a new mobile application and more take center stage
September 25, 2018- Leica Camera today unveils five major announcements at photokina including a groundbreaking L-mount, a new mobile application – Leica FOTOS, the Leica S3, a new color option for the Leica CL, and firmware updates. Each announcement, on their own and collectively, both raise and challenge the bar for what innovation, craftsmanship and ingenuity mean in the photography industry.
The Game-Changing L-Mount
The new L-mount sets a new industry standard and marks the start of a new era of creative freedom. A first of its kind, the mount will allow for a nearly limitless array of options by combining different interchangeable lenses with cameras featuring different sensor formats. This user-friendly solution pioneered by Leica in strategic collaboration with Panasonic and SIGMA, three key players in the...

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Apr 23, 2018
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Wasn't the mount itself published in 2014, the news today was the consortium with Panasonic and Sigma? There already exists a number of L-mount cameras and lenses by Leica.

yes. It was introduced as Leica T-mount for APS-C. Then in Oct. 2015 Leica launched FF-sensored SL camera system and used the same mount for it. renamed the mount "L-mount" then. There are FF lenses for it and APS-C lenses. "1-mount solution" for both FF and APS-C image circle, like Sony E-mount.

Today's L-mount press release says 20 mm FFD and 51.6 mm "diameter", other/older sources state 48.8 throat width. Needs to be confirmed.

Unfortunately for me, so far, all L-mount bodies are BEHEMOTH. Leica SL is BIG & FAT and Pana S1/R are also way bigger than Nikon Z and Canon EOS R. similar to GH5: oversize shell relative to sensor surface. So for all with large hands and a preference for CHUNKY cameras, this is for you. Me, I'll pass. :)

Oh how I would like to get a compact FF mirrorfree camera without hump on top ... "range-finder-styled" .. a bit similar to new Fuji GFR, but of course not stupid retro looks and retro-UI with monofunctional pseudo-mechanical dials, but fully "digital", late 2018 UI.

Eventually I will get it. I There are enough people who would also like just that.
 
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Apr 23, 2018
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I'm a little confused: what's new about this L mount vs the old L mount?

nothing as far as mount geometry and parameters are concerned. But now it's no longer Leica-proprietary but supported also by Panasonic and Sigma. "gang-of-3 alliance" .. similar to mFT consortium. :)

https://l-mount.com/en/Overview


There will or might be bodies and lenses from all 3 of them. They will or should be "cross-compatible" amongst each other, but likely a good number of small-print footnote caveats and limitations will apply. :)
 
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This is very interesting news indeed. I hope Sigma makes an L-mount camera with a Foveon sensor. When you want to impress your friends, you take your Leica. If you want to shoot video, you'll take the Panasonic. And if you want the Foveon look for your photos, you'll take your (so far not announced) Sigma. This may be a game changer.
 
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Has Sigma comented on Canon R or Nikon Z mount support? Makes you wonder if Canon and Nikon are trying to shut them out.

nope. Sigma only said the do native Sony (F)E-mount lenses (FF as well). I also think Canon and Nikon are shutting 3rd party out of R and Z mount using new, extremely proprietary, fully patented and technically protected software/protocol means. Just spoofing a 3-digit "lens-ID" will not give access to system any longer, but rather "error 99: not compatible lens" :)
 
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This is very interesting news indeed. I hope Sigma makes an L-mount camera with a Foveon sensor. When you want to impress your friends, you take your Leica. If you want to shoot video, you'll take the Panasonic. And if you want the Foveon look for your photos, you'll take your (so far not announced) Sigma. This may be a game changer.

oh boy, I hope Sigma is cured from that Foveon-virus. If not, they will suffer the same fate as with all their Foveon cameras so far. Nice at ISO 100, pretty much useless otherwise.
 
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I also think Canon and Nikon are shutting 3rd party out of R and Z mount using new, extremely proprietary, fully patented and technically protected software/protocol means. Just spoofing a 3-digit "lens-ID" will not give access to system any longer, but rather "error 99: not compatible lens" :)
Canon and Nikon may very well try to keep the Z and R mounts closed by using e.g. simple cryptographic protection in the lens to body communications protocol. I personally think that would not be a good idea, it would isolate these systems from possibly very useful extensions and options from third parties. In any case, as they have to provide full EF / F compatibility to the foreseeable future, third party manufacturers could probably still produce (physical) R-mount and Z-mount lenses that use EF or F protocol. Unless the adapter/body protocol also contains logic to prevent an 3rd party lens from talking to the body. In that case they would have to stick with EF and F mount lenses with adapter.
 
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FramerMCB

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nope. Sigma only said the do native Sony (F)E-mount lenses (FF as well). I also think Canon and Nikon are shutting 3rd party out of R and Z mount using new, extremely proprietary, fully patented and technically protected software/protocol means. Just spoofing a 3-digit "lens-ID" will not give access to system any longer, but rather "error 99: not compatible lens" :)
That may be, but you can still use all of the current (and future) Sigma Art's (etc.) on the R with the new Canon EOS EF/EF-S adapters. I'd like to see someone review Sigma's 14mm f1.8 using the fancier of the adapters (the one with the drop-in and "dial-up" with the ND) for some waterfall and landscape stuff (and/or the CPL adapter too)...
 
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Quirkz

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well, iif i was on the "porprietary trip" as a company, I would make DEAD SURE i lock out anything and everything as best as i can.
If not, i would license or go open standrad.

As a customer i would prefer legal EU requirement for ONE unified lens mount + protocol.

Absolutely. Let’s get the government to design it and mandate all cameras conform to this new lens mount. Damn the corporations. They don’t know what they are doing, and I dislike this competition and choice.

While we’re at it, I’m sick of this Mac vs windows. I think the EU should require all computers be Linux from now on.

While we’re at it, what’s with this plethora of color choices in clothing and cars?

Colour puce from now on. Only puce.
 
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Absolutely. Let’s get the government to design it and mandate all cameras conform to this new lens mount. Damn the corporations. They don’t know what they are doing, and I dislike this competition and choice.

While we’re at it, I’m sick of this Mac vs windows. I think the EU should require all computers be Linux from now on.

While we’re at it, what’s with this plethora of color choices in clothing and cars?

Colour puce from now on. Only puce.

Seriously. It's like some people don't understand how innovation is usually triggered within markets. Want to kill the camera industry... have the E.U. step in and toss around mandates.
 
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