LeicaRumors has received a tip that Leica is planning to introduce an EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) camera at Photokina 2010.
“We will see a full frame Leica EVIL on Photokina 2010. It will look like the Leicaflex 18X24 prototype. Of course without mirror or the film lever and so on. It will be a VERY small system camera, but there will be a big battery grip you can use, if you want. The AF is very special, moving chip, the phase AF is ON the main sensor. Only in black, 21 mp, 2fps, native ISO from 50 to 6400. Full magnesium. Price: body only 3200 EUR. Will start with 3(!) pancakes, 2 primes, 2 zooms.”
[Speculcations]
- This bodes for a very radical change in lens design. Moving the AF into the body is not new (Contax did that with their N-system), but Leica’s strength has always been lens design.
- Dedicated lenses for this platform would be much simpler in design and construction as they will lack a focusing mechanism.
- Manual focus will have to be controlled from the body since having a lens barrel focusing mechanism would throw off the AF.
- The rumored quantity of lenses will make a very strong showing for the platform. 4/3 & m4/3 had the benefit of being able to access a huge backlog of existing lenses.
[/Speculations]
Further thought and discussion leads me to believe that the lenses for this system would have to be retrofocal in nature, which allows for greater distance from the rear lens element to the imaging plane. This, in turn, would free up more space for the internal AF system to be able to move about without requiring a thicker camera.
Another thought is that since the distance from the imaging plane to the rear lens element is constantly changing, none of the lenses for this camera could be fixed minimum aperture. However, since the distance the AF sensor would move should be relatively small, the minimum aperture variation shouldn't be that much.
Another thought: The lenses could have a focussing ring with a lock. The camera can then autofocus without issues. Then when the user unlocks the focus ring, a signal can be sent to the camera body locking the AF systems and allowing the user to manually focus.
R compatible?
Unknown at this time. Having it use the R-system would breathe new life into the R-lens series (which is excellent like all Leica glass) and jive with an earlier comment made by Leica High Command.
The Contax N system used AF lenses. It was the Contax AX that used in body AF. It accomplished this with manual focus C/Y mount lenses and didn't require that the focus ring be locked in any way.
A Micro 4/3 Leica with an m4/3-R adapter is definitely a possibility here.