Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/03/27
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 12:46 PM -0800 3/27/04, Adam Bridge wrote:
>On Saturday, March 27, 2004 B. D. Colen thoughtfully wrote:
>
>>First off, one of the glories of digital is that every single shot is
>>both color and monochrome. ;-) Second off, it should be possible to have
>>the monochrome option in the firmware. If they develop the write
>>algorithms, having the b&w, bw-green, bw-red, bw-yellow built into the
>>camera could be wonderful. Carry around a pile of filters? Why?
>
>Aaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhh!
>
>NO, B. D., it's NOT the same. Because IF you're not shooting onto a
>color sensor
>you can either have MORE sensors for a higher pixel density OR you can larger
>sensors for a better signal:noise ratio. Otherwise you're letting the firmware
>of the camera play Hobb by attempting to make a monochrome image from various
>parts of red and green and blue.
When Kodak did their B&W digital camera, the advantages weren't all
that great over colour cameras. What has changed since then?
>It's not the same thing at all. Why shoot with black and white film
>at all then?
>Why not just shoot color? But we DO shoot black and white. But even this isn't
>as great a difference as between a digital color and a digital monochrome
>sensor.
>
>When the color sensors are of sufficient density and the SNR is up to par then
>I'll relax this. But it's damn clear that Leica ain't likely to have access to
>anything that's remotely close.
>
>So why shouldn't I ask for something that makes a lot of sense?
>Using an M to me
>means shooting in available light without flash. And all those fabulously
>expensive pieces of glass that Leica makes are there to make it even more
>possible.
>
>So why shouldn't Leica make a camera that exploits these features
>like no other
>camera can - that uses all the system's capabilities so that, by
>golly, you can
>shoot at ASA 3200 or even higher and have a SNR like that of the best current
>cameras at, say 1600 (thinking of 1Ds and its CMOS sensor).
>
>Leica is a niche market. If they can figure out how to deal with the
>process in
>order to make it happen then there will be a reason to consider investing in
>Leica.?
>
>We're seeing an increase in interest in black and white portraiture. Why not a
>camera that does it superbly?
>
>Adam Bridge
>
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--
* Henning J. Wulff
/|\ Wulff Photography & Design
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