The worst kind of puzzle is the one that is too easy to answer. Leica’s new teaser is this kind of “conundrum”. See if you can work it out.
The event will take place next week, on September 9th, 2009. That’s 9/9/09. Leica says that we shall “witness the unveiling of the next generation of Leica Cameras.” To me, this must be the M9, the follow-up to the German company’s first fitful foray into the digital rangefinder realm with the M8.
Rumors have been swirling about the M9. Some say it will have a full-frame sensor, others that this sensor will be the same as found inside the Canon 5D MkII. This would mean that all of Leica’s wonderful old lenses would be useful again, and that its M8 crop-sensor lenses would fade quickly into the mists of obsolescence. The Canon sensor seems unlikely, though, as one of the big problems with digital rangefinders is that the lens is so close to the sensor. Film doesn’t care what angle light comes from, but digital sensors are more fussy about anything that doesn’t hit almost straight-on.
The announcement (at 9AM EST, natch) will come via a webcast, rather than by the dusty fax we might expect. It hints at several new products, for both novice and pro, so we might also see Leica’s large sensor behemoth, the S2.
Press release [Leica]
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