07-11-2011, 09:41 PM
Removing the mirror box, no AF, and the closer distance possible to the sensor contribute all to th esmall size of th elenses. Also, there aren't really any long lenses for the Leica-M series, which makes it look better than it may seem at first glance, too. However, most is gained by far from having no AF, and the closer distance to the sensor.
The shorter a lens is, the larger the advantage becomes as a result - a mirror box requires a retrofocus construction, which not only adds many more elements to the lens at the rear, but also makes the lenses in front much bigger in diameter in order to cater for the large viewing angle. With a range finder, you could even make symmetrical wideangle lenses, which essentially allows for the shortest, and narrowest, (ultra)wide angle lenses possible.
If you'd want or need the smallest high quality FF sensor system, don't need long lenses, don't mind manual focus and almost everything else manual, and have a fairly relaxed style of shooting, Leica-M is probably the way to go, provided you have the budget for it.
HTH, kind regards, Wim
The shorter a lens is, the larger the advantage becomes as a result - a mirror box requires a retrofocus construction, which not only adds many more elements to the lens at the rear, but also makes the lenses in front much bigger in diameter in order to cater for the large viewing angle. With a range finder, you could even make symmetrical wideangle lenses, which essentially allows for the shortest, and narrowest, (ultra)wide angle lenses possible.
If you'd want or need the smallest high quality FF sensor system, don't need long lenses, don't mind manual focus and almost everything else manual, and have a fairly relaxed style of shooting, Leica-M is probably the way to go, provided you have the budget for it.
HTH, kind regards, Wim
Gear: Canon EOS R with 3 primes and 2 zooms, 4 EF-R adapters, Canon EOS 5 (analog), 9 Canon EF primes, a lone Canon EF zoom, 2 extenders, 2 converters, tubes; Olympus OM-D 1 Mk II & Pen F with 12 primes, 6 zooms, and 3 Metabones EF-MFT adapters ....