Regardless of whether you own a Leica, own 50 Leicas, wish you had a Leica or couldn’t care less about a Leica camera, the camera maker’s recent announcement of a new film camera is important news for the film, and perhaps even the photographic community as a whole.
Last year, I published an article on Petapixel that made a number of detailed predictions about the shape the new Leica M film camera might take. I factor in current market interest and Leica’s design and construction habits and history into this guess. This week, I talked to some friends about their thoughts. Dan Tamarkin, of Tamarkin Camera, America’s premier Leica dealer, and Jason Nicholson, Leica’s rock film and digital photographer (but almost always b&w) are considering it.
Even though Tamarkin Camera has been selling Leica products for over fifty years, Dan has no idea what the company has in store for us. You see, the folks at Wetzlar are pretty tight-lipped about this exciting new product.
Jason has been a collector and photographer of Leica for over thirty years. He’s used everything from 1920s and 30s cameras and 35mm lenses to contemporary digital Ms, and lots of cool stuff in between. You may remember the interview with him I posted a few years ago.
(the following has been copied and edited for clarity, in part, from my Petapixel article, with Mr Tamarkin’s and Mr Nicholson’s reactions to my previous statement added)
RETURNED LEICA M6?
The popular Leica Rumors website predicts a reinvented M6. A critical point about the M6 that I didn’t mention in my Petapixel article is that it’s the most affordable and most direct MP alternative, but has more than doubled in price in the last decade. So Leica might release a new M6-type camera to compete and capitalize on the enthusiastic used market.
Jason Nicholson: “Maybe a cheaper MP ie, no brass tops etc. they have most of the spare parts etc. Maybe they will make parts in Portugal to keep costs under control.”
Johnny Martyr: “The new Leica 35mm has to be very different from the MP and MA to keep the price tag down without destroying the very strong market for these cameras. But the new Leica also has to closely resemble the MP and MA, or perhaps the still-popular M6, to inspire sales from the start.
Dan Tamarkins: “I especially like the idea that ‘the new Leica 35mm has to be very different from the MP…. [but] it would also have to be very similar to the MP and MA, or perhaps the still-popular M6, to inspire sales from the start.’ Bingo.”
TAKE CUE FROM THE VOIGTLANDER BESSA R SERIES
Johnny Martyr: “The finely engraved brass top-plate on a Leica camera is loved by aficionados of classic cameras. But the M5 and M6 models have for decades featured a molded zinc top plate and I think we can expect to see the same for this new Leica M. They might even choose to use a magnesium alloy like Cosina did with Bessa’s Voigtlander series. This move in materials will not only reduce the cost of the new M but will also maintain an important difference between premium 35mm cameras and budget Leicas. Leica has experimented with this before when they released a special edition M6 TTL with a brass top plate instead of the conventional zinc one.
Many new Leica shooters may want to look at conventional film loaders like Bessa’s Voigtlander series has to offer. This threatens the silhouette and handling of the iconic Leica rangefinder.
Leica was even able to save money by reverting to its earliest product loading style. They might exclude the rear film door altogether.
Dan Tamarkins: “I also wondered if the new “M” film cameras would not have the film loading style of a hinged rear door… and it was clear that the top plate would be zinc and not brass.”
A TRUE, SHORT ALBIET, RANGEFINDER
Johnny Martyr: “I envision that Leica will shorten the rangefinder baselength and/or zoom as a further differentiation from the MP and MA and because they can use parts of their digital rangefinder where they have already made this trade-off. Doing so not only saves on assembly costs but also on providing service since the adjustment will be less than satisfactory. Since the top plate will not be shared with the MP or MA (as it will not be made of brass), Leica is free to install any VF/RF in it as they see fit. Shortening the base length and/or zooming results in a nicer viewfinder (a shorter base length finder can result in brighter optics) but a less accurate range finder. Leica used a short base length and high zoom on their early screw mount cameras and Voigtlander sold a lot of 35mm rangefinders in the early 2000s that had short EBLs, mostly because their viewfinders were so bright and clear. For photographers using a 50mm f2 or 35mm f2 as an entry lens, the shorter effective base length is perfectly adequate and impresses the eye to the degree of enjoyment of use.
Dan Tamarkins: “Your VF/RF part is right about the money, I think. Shortening the base is a very astute observation – I don’t think it will be a deterrent for most potential buyers.”
LEICA CM OR MINILUX
Dan Tamarkins: “I wouldn’t be surprised if the next Leica film camera isn’t a point-and-shoot, like the Leica CM, for example, or the Leica Minilux.”
I asked Dan if there was a particular reason he made this prediction and he replied, “The only reason I think it could be P&S is because Leica never did what I thought they would do, so I let my imagination run wild. , and that’s what I thought!”
As imaginative as that, Dan and I could BOTH be right according to Jason.
WHAT ABOUT A RETURNED LEICA MINOLTA CL?
Jason Nicholson: “By P&S I probably mean in the spirit of a Leica CL film camera that accepts M lenses; i.e. an old Minolta/Leica camera effort. But a Panasonic/Leica collaboration, definitely the M series. I think they need to get to the sub-$3.5K level but still keep their brand on. There is a great market out there that is similar to renaissance vinyl records. Especially with all the recent marketing hinted at by Leica. It’s impact for their brand with a 100 year anniversary around the corner from Barnack’s launch as well. Given the requests and wait times I was 2024/25 by the time they filled the order.
Jason has a good point here. Today, the German-made Leica MP and MA are often back-ordered. So, a collaborative effort can reduce manufacturing stress as well as lower costs. CL-type cameras will take my idea of an M rangefinder with reduced Effective Base Length into account as well as Dan’s electronics-driven specs. Maybe a CL with a hinged film door and a modern meter? Not a professional but very small camera that accepts M lenses? Sounds really cool actually.
As an active 35mm film photographer, I was eager to see a full-bodied manual rangefinder camera in the Leica tradition – one I could afford! But Dan and Jason were right. Leica has previously produced a slew of point-and-shoots, and whatever the CL (!) is for weekend warriors and vacationing professionals alike. For the sake of practicality of manufacture and because of the popularity of high-end used p&s film cameras like the Contax T2 Leica could try again in this market. Given that electronics-based p&s film cameras are getting older and less and less in working condition, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to roll out a new product for shooters who like this kind of rig.
WRAP
OK, so why should we care? Maybe you have a Leica camera, you might already own as many as you need, or you prefer the classic collection over the modern upstart. Maybe you don’t care about Leica as a company either because you think it’s a class institution or you can’t afford their products personally.
Even if you don’t plan to buy this new Leica film camera, whatever form it takes, I think it will be great for the market as a whole. The new film cameras keep service departments open at their respective manufacturers as well as providing work for third-party camera repairs. New film cameras also, eventually, trickle into the used market, usually dropping in price and providing opportunities for new ER used camera ownership.
Following very limited service to their older film cameras, Nikon stopped making film cameras two years ago and Voigtlander began ending production in 2015. Leica is really the only company making new 35mm cameras if you don’t count the toy offerings by Lomo and RETO (as is their cool new Kodak half frame camera.) Meanwhile, competent used camera repair shops are closed around the clock.
Whatever Leica has in store for us next month, I think it’s going to be cool, it’s interesting, and it’s going to stir things up. What do you think of Jason, Dan, and I’s predictions? What’s your prediction? What camera do you wish Leica would produce?
Finally, I have to pin my friends’ good works. If you’re in the market for a new or used Leica camera, lens, or accessory, I highly recommend checking out Tamarkin Camera in Chicago. And if you enjoy music by artists like Billy Idol, The Psychedelic Furs, Morrissey, Bauhaus, Garbage, Sting and many others, I think you’ll be most impressed by Jason Nicholson’s concert photography. To me, the photos prove that our cool, funky old cameras can be used for meaningful work.
Thanks for reading and happy shooting!
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