Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/06/22

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Canon Optura
From: Five Senses Productions <fls@5senses.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 1998 17:13:59 -0700

Would you say you could get an Optura image as good as a PhotoCD scan
on a computer screen?

At 04:44 PM 6/22/98 , Jim Laurel wrote:
>Yes, I actually bought one and Canon kindly loaned us another as well as a
>pre-production XL1 and a IEEE1394 capture board.  We found image quality to
>be about the same for both cameras (Optura and XL1, that is), which was a
>surprise.
>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From:	Five Senses Productions [SMTP:fls@5senses.com]
>> Sent:	Monday, June 22, 1998 4:28 PM
>> To:	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
>> 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
>> Cc:	'B. D. Colen'
>> Subject:	Re: [Leica] Canon Optura
>> 
>> Do you own the Optura?
>> 
>> 
>> At 03:43 PM 6/22/98 , Jim Laurel wrote:
>> >My lead picture of this dispatch was a beautiful Persian girl, drawing in
>> >Imam Square in Esfahan, Iran.  It was taken with the Optura, which Canon
>> >loaned us.
>> >
>> >	
>> >http://www.mungopark.com/container.asp?issue=199712&sec=exp&page=dispatch
>> es/
>> >d01.asp
>> >
>> >Also, the shots on this page of the Bedouin farmer woman and Bedouin
>> >Shepherd (near bottom of page) were taken with the Optura.  The surround
>> >video at the top of the page was taken with a DCS 460 on a Peace River
>> >Quicktime VR head.
>> >
>> >	
>> >http://www.mungopark.com/container.asp?issue=199712&sec=exp&page=dispatch
>> es/
>> >d05.asp
>> >
>> >
>> >Not bad for a little video camera...
>> >
>> >--Jim
>> >
>> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> From:	Five Senses Productions [SMTP:fls@5senses.com]
>> >> Sent:	Monday, June 22, 1998 2:59 PM
>> >> To:	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
>> >> 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
>> >> Cc:	'B. D. Colen'
>> >> Subject:	RE: [Leica] Is the Leica an endangered species?
>> >> 
>> >> I would consider a digital camera IF and only IF:
>> >> 
>> >> 1.  It were feasibly portable and not too big
>> >> 2.  It could work with a laptop as a field camera for outdoor use
>> >> 3.  It produced STUNNING images, AT LEAST as good as the 
>> >>      ones I get from scanning Leica chromes onto PhotoCD
>> >> 4.  It had a recycle time under a minute
>> >> 5.  On the computer screen, an image created with it could not be
>> >>      told apart from a high-res PhotoCD image
>> >> 
>> >> 
>> >> Does anyone here know much about 3-CCD digital video machines like
>> >> the Canon and the Sony?  How about the Optura?  I have seen an Optura
>> >> demo at Samy's in LA and on a 32" TV screen its quality was extremely 
>> >> good with 400 lines of resolution.  I am not sure what would happen
>> when
>> >> trying to get those images onto computer.  
>> >> 
>> >> Francesco
>> >> 
>> >> 
>> >> 
>> >> 
>> >> 
>> >> At 01:14 PM 6/22/98 , Jim Laurel wrote:
>> >> >From what I can tell, the S1 is a dedicated high-res studio camera --
>> >> pretty
>> >> >big and ungainly.  And someone on the list mentioned that you have to
>> >> wait
>> >> >60 seconds between frames???  Yikes!  The 6m pixel DCS460 takes 3-4
>> >> seconds
>> >> >between frames to record the image to the PCMCIA card drive which, in
>> >> >practical use, I found much too slow.  The new Canon EOSD2000 can
>> shoot
>> >> 12
>> >> >frames at 3.5 fps before it has to write to disk -- not bad, but the
>> >> D2000
>> >> >is only a 2m pixel camera.
>> >> >
>> >> >--Jim
>> >> >
>> >> >> -----Original Message-----
>> >> >> From:	Five Senses Productions [SMTP:fls@5senses.com]
>> >> >> Sent:	Monday, June 22, 1998 12:03 PM
>> >> >> To:	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
>> >> >> 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
>> >> >> Cc:	'B. D. Colen'
>> >> >> Subject:	RE: [Leica] Is the Leica an endangered species?
>> >> >> 
>> >> >> What about the S1 or 4x5 digital backs?
>> >> >> 
>> >> >> 
>> >> >> At 10:55 AM 6/22/98 , Jim Laurel wrote:
>> >> >> >Sorry, B.D., I've got to take issue with this.  I've shot features
>> >> with
>> >> >> the
>> >> >> >Kodak DCS460 (billed as the highest resolution digital camera in
>> >> >> >production).  The quality was nowhere near 35mm, particularly when
>> it
>> >> >> comes
>> >> >> >to very contrasty scenes.  Reciprocity failure was a constant
>> problem
>> >> for
>> >> >> >exposures over 1/4 second or so.  It's not just price...there are
>> some
>> >> >> >significant technology issues to overcome.  And there is
>> significant
>> >> >> >degradation when you use these digital backs at high ISO ratings as
>> >> well.
>> >> >> >Digital still has a long way to go to overtake 35mm.
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >--Jim Laurel
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >
>> >> >> >> The quality is essentially here now, it's the price that's the
>> >> >> >> issue - to which I note that the computer on which I send and
>> >> receive
>> >> >> >> E-mail
>> >> >> >> goes today for literally less than half what it cost when I
>> bought
>> >> it 9
>> >> >> >> months ago.
>> >> >> >> 
>> >> >> > 
>> >> > 
>> > 
>