Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/12/06

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 35mm color vs. the tyranny of the masses
From: Frank Dernie <Frank.Dernie@btinternet.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2003 14:07:13 +0000

The size of the sensor has everything to do with the quality that comes 
out of it - just like film. Number of pixels is just one parameter of 
significance, it used to be the most important sales feature of a 
digital camera. It is still the salesman's mantra even now that it no 
longer is. Manufacturing cost of silicon chips goes up exponentially 
(or more) with size. There is a chip size above which manufacturing 
scrap rate is statistically 100%. Most chips have got cheaper with time 
by packing more onto a small chip. This is a limited option for image 
sensors. I agree that it is likely that LF quality may one day be 
available from a smaller camera.


On Friday, December 5, 2003, at 02:39  pm, Eric Welch wrote:

> You forget. I was shooting professionally with a $13,000 1.3 megapixel 
> camera in 1997. The same economies of scale will work with medium 
> format backs. Maybe not to the same extreme where we now have 5 
> megapixel cameras under $500. But they will become less expensive 
> rather quickly.
>
> And the 36x36 vs. 55x55 is irrelevant. The size of the sensor has 
> nothing to do with it. It's the quality of the image that comes out of 
> it. Except the 36x36 allows for a smaller form factor in the camera. 
> Chances are, we can expect a whole new range of significantly smaller 
> cameras once the price of the sensors come down. I can imagine some 
> day owning a view camera that is the size of the current crop of 
> medium format view cameras with the image quality of 8x10. Now, maybe 
> I'll have to wait for retirement for that one. That's about the time 
> I'll be ready to start shooting those kinds of photos.
>
> On Dec 5, 2003, at 3:39 AM, Dante Stella wrote:
>
>> That's not a statement; that's a speculation.  You don't have to 
>> believe it, but I don't have to believe that $8,000-12,000 for a 
>> 36x36mm back (to say nothing of the camera) is comparable to $400 for 
>> a 55x55mm frame for the purposes of someone who doesn't get to write 
>> equipment off.  I think that it is a legitimate question whether the 
>> economy of scale for larger digital backs is such that they will ever 
>> be in a price range to compete economically with even expensive 
>> conventional MF equipment.  This statement is not pointed at people 
>> who have unlimited budgets.
>
> Eric Welch
> Carlsbad, CA
> http://www.jphotog.com
>
> There are three kinds of men. The ones that learn by reading. The few 
> who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric 
> fence. - Will Rogers.
>
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