A mirrorless S with more compact lenses would make sense.
Once I'd got over my WTF moment, my first thought was of
Richard Young ( the original pap) – how he would have loved this cam!
Thinking it over and glancing through the first reports, perhaps Leica aren't quite as dumb as a majority here seems to think. They're the first, and so far only one, to have brought a fully interoperable AF mirrorless to market capable of using their whole range of lenses – 145 of them: including 48 M's, 51 R's, 16 S's and even their C- range cine lenses (21). For anyone with Leica glass, particularly the S & M crowd (unintentional pun) It's the long awaited mirrorless body, in the same vein as the S. No more doubling up on lenses or cobbling a makeshift amalgam of other makes – assuming you 'like' or own Leica glass. It's even probable that you'll be able to use MF Contax and Hassy glass too – although piggy backing adapters probably wasn't uppermost in the design team's thoughts at inception.
For those who are hovering over a move to MF - for the price of a PhaseOne XF IQ140 kit, you could buy a Leica S(006) with 70mm Summarit AND an SL, all interoperable – and still have change left over. Probably the same with an IQ 250/350 vs S(007) comparison – I haven't done the maths yet. You own legacy Leica glass – even more appealing.
The only question mark, IMO, would be Leica's ability/intention to move to a a larger MF sensor in the future. And regarding the €6,000 / $7,500 body only price – well it's about the price of a new M / M-P, so take your pick.
It's not a cam with the appeal of the Sony A7xx series, nor the same price point, but as part of a 'complete' MF system, it has it's merits. I'd reserve any judgement until we get a clearer idea of the IQ.
I won't be buying it, but I give them kudos for having the guts to take on the heavyweights.
I wish them well.
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