Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/08/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]R9? Who cares! According to what I've heard, experimental CCD technology is two thirds of the way to 25 Ektachrome in terms of resolution. When it gets there, at a reasonable price it's the end of photography as we know it. With CCD, picture taking will start to look more like image designing with each image corrected on a PC or perhaps even onboard for color abberations and distortion and evenness of illumination Lens designers will change their priorities away from striking a balance between all parameters towards a design philosophy that stresses resolution and to hell with everything else. (except speed) Infact resolution will be the sole parameter that CCD technology will not be able to compensate for, except with cheat schemes like interpolation and contrast expansion. Of course you'll be able to use the old wetzlar artillery with CCD and might even be able to design or download all sorts of correction schemes. Most of them don't require much more than mouse clicking and some highschool algebra to produce. But you'll still be short on resolution.... Other things will change too Motor Drives, Shutters, Databacks will all be obsolete Althoug the fP shutter may still be employed occasionally to produce the motion effect! ETA 5 years. Now then, Do we really care about the R9??? A lot of money for a potential CCD to lens coupler with built in mirror box and focusing screen for which you won't be able to get any film ANYWHERE! Also with the constantly size and price of ram everyone will be able totake as many hirez zillion color pictures as he she or it possibly can everyone will become a fantastic photographer and there will be much rejoicing This also drive home the point that Leitz can only survive by servicing the I/O That's to say lennses and eventually color printers maybe projectors. See Ya Javier - ----- Original Message ----- From: Larry Kopitnik <kopitnil@marketingcomm.com> To: <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Sent: Friday, August 20, 1999 10:28 AM Subject: Re: [Leica] Minolta made R9 > >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> > --> If and when Leica comes out with a next generation SLR, > you can be sure I'll try my best to understand how they > went about to circumvent Japanese autofocus patents. > Like Nikon AFS (microwave cavity resonance collimator), > Leica's way to get into autofocus is either going to have > something to do with existing patents or be some pretty > wild "third degree" technology because, it seems, the > wise Japanese ( not cynical here) have pretty much cornered > the potential patents and reverse engineering pathways > to an autofocus system. I just can't wait to see what Leica's > AutoFocus system is going to be related to, technology wise. > <<<<<<<<<<<<<<