Leica wanted to create a buzz with a worldwide video conference tomorrow, a well chosen date : 9/9/9.... but official brochures from Leica now spread on the Internet showing interesting specs of what should be the very forst 35mm full frame rangefinder of the digital era, the first among Leica's range. Chances are that this new M9 will be launched with Canon EOS 5D MKII 24 megapixels sensor.
In the brochure, Leica also add that their M9 will bring back the Leica-M line where it traditionally belong :
- a quiet shutter for very discrete picture shootings
- a very bright and wide viewer (rangefinder)
Interesting enough, an other camera could be announced that day : the Leica X1. What we know is that the Leica X1 will be a compact camera with an SLR sensor inside. What is still unclear is whether this X1 will come with the Olympus-Panasonic Micro 4:3 mount and sensor or with an APS-C sensor. We know that Panasonic and Leica are partners : Leica handles Panasonic best lenses certification and production process while borrowing some digital cameras to Panasonic and put them on the market under their own brand, like the D-Lux 4 for instance. Therefore, a Leica X1 without Micro 4:3 technology would be quite a surprise, but Leica knows about surprising us (Leica S2 medium format camera system).
We don't have that much long to wait until we find out....
