Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/04/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]
If, as they have demonstrated fairly clearly to my eyes, Leica is barely
capable of producing zoom lenses or motor drives and incapable of AF
production it seems inconceivable they will have a digital body that is
competitive in the next decade or so. As I understand it all good digital
SLR cameras require distance information for accurate real time TTL flash
exposure which is something Nikon D lenses and Canon EF lenses for example
provide: no current Leica lenses do. So you would need new lenses or some
clever new technology. The former would be commercial suicide but not
inconceivable that Leica may come up with the latter but it is IMHO
inconceivable that they have the means to produce a digital camera
themselves and highly improbable they can get a custom design outsourced for
the tiny numbers they would be able to sell.
So where does this leave them? As niche manufacturers who make great old
fashioned lenses and who might consider concentrating on producing the most
refined mechanical SLR and rangefinder system on the market. This should be
easy since in a very short time it will be the only such system left. Suits
me fine.
And yes I have a D30 and have shot a few pix with Leica lenses on it with an
appropriate adaptor but why bother? Most Canon lenses are cheap and work
better on it.
- --
Adrian Bradshaw
Corporate and Editorial Photography
Beijing, China
tel/fax +86 10 6532 5112
mobile +86 139 108 22292
e-mail apbbeijing@yahoo.com
OR adrianpeterbradshaw@compuserve.com
website: http://www.apbphoto.com
http://www.liaisonintl.com/bradshaw.htm
http://www.liaisonintl.com/bradshaw_e.htm
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com