Leica announcement on October 20th. Says it will be “the next chapter in the history of professional photography”!

The current Leicaflex SL (on sale on eBay).

Leica will announce their compltely new Leica SL FF system camera on October 20th. And their official invitation text clearly states something big is coming:

For more than 100 years, our thoughts and actions, and our passion, have been dedicated to only one thing – creating the perfect picture. With products that are always focused on “Das Wesentliche”, the essentials, we provide photographers around the world with the ideal tools for capturing the decisive moment and for bringing their own vision to life. This tradition is what drives us to achieve and gives us the power to reinvent ourselves time and again. The outcome is a portfolio of cameras and lenses that redefine the status quo as we know it and have one thing in common, despite a century of progress: a focus on “Das Wesentliche” – in other words, the picture.

We cordially invite you to a celebration of photography in the the spirit of “Das Wesentliche”. From October 20, 6:30 p.m. on until October 21, approximately 1:00 p.m, everything in the Leitz Park in Wetzlar will revolve around the fascinating nature of pictures and the exclusive presentation of a new milestone in the Leica Camera product range. Be one of the first to experience the next chapter in the history of professional photography, a historic moment that begins right here and now and will shape the future. Enjoy a delightful atmosphere and a special photographic program with friends of Leica, photographers, artists, media, and prominent and international guests – in other words, with all those who, just like you, breathe life into the fascination that is Leica.

This will not be the replacement to the M240 but rather a new system with new AF lenses, bulkier than the Q or M lines, with an EVF and lighter build despite the bulk. Sensor will be similar, if not the same, as the Q’s sensor. Anticipate that it will come bundled with a 50 mm f/2 Summicron lens and retail around $8,000 USD. Build quality will be comparable to the M line and Q line…much of the Q’s tech, including in body image stabilization, electronic shutter, and built in high res EVF, will be included. The camera may harken in design to Leicaflex bodies of years gone by…like a bulkier XT-1 with more simplified layout. This may end up being called the new “R” camera and may well take old R lenses via adapter, along with new AF R lenses. Not sure that it will take M lenses.