When I first laid my hands on an SL, I felt the camera was like a young man and the M was so obviously a dying man of over 100 years. SL was like Leica's rebirth. However Leica is essentially an old man who is so fond of his past and who is so slow. It never gets enough of its limited editions and gadgets...When I first looked through SL's EVF, it was a death order to my Ms. The Rangefinder was too old a technology to have a future. Ever since getting my first SL, I have barely touched my Ms...Now the old man is trying to lock the young man in a cage. 24MP FF sensor is just not enough for large prints, and it is way below market driven industry standard. I have replaced my SL with a CL with its IQ close enough to SL IMHO. For me, the SL today is like a sick young man...Will Leica ever wakes up?? Probably the old man is not at sleeping at all. Instead he is putting together a dark scheme not to release an SL2...let Panasonic and Sigma do the 40MP something FF. Is the old man trying to put handcuffs on the young man?? I wish what I had said was wrong...
Hi yes it is frustrating I know your feeling about this, as I have worked with a large German company for nearly 30 years. My first 10 year’s where very fulfilling but as I became further into the life of this company I found it frustrating, I was able to see many of the prototypes and only to be put aside. I kept asking why not release some of them, but what they learnt got broken up to be put into models to go into production. Now after coming to understand the bigger picture the rest of my time was very fulfilling again.
One of the biggest things I learned is that some if not all German companies, they will not spend money developing something if someone else is marking it to the standards they would manufacture. The L alliance this is why it will work for Leica,
also the other company’s. Sigma / Minolta / Panasonic have had a long history.
What they lean from Leica obviously helps them grow but Leica benefits also,
If we look back at the R system when Leica came to make the R 8 by themselves
a lot of the components were made by the best in the field. Companies all over Europe and Japan.
These components shipped back for Leica to put together. So Leica has the time now not only to recreate it self but great new products. Now to the SL2 Leica most probably will release it and I understand it frustrating. Leica will want to learn and push the SL as far as possible so they can release the SL2 with not only a great sensor but many other great features that will place them in the forefront in the industry. The M system well that is a big part of their history, now some companies lose part or most of their identity. Leica’s M if they can keep it live with the help of the other products feeding into it, this adds massively to their stances in the industry.
Hang in there it will be worth it even though it’s frustrating
Regards Peter ?