[Leica] So folks laugh at a 35 digi back?

[locke at straylight.ca (Greg Locke)]

As I said,  there appears to be no reason to introduce an F6 other than to
modify the design of the F5 for digital back conversion.  I've looked at the
specs of the F6 and the F5 (as I am considering it for my new film SLR
system) and the ONLY difference I can see is...

Updated version of their AF system (don't need a new model for that)
More refined colour metering system (don't need a new model for that)

...and the battery pack/drive configuration is NOW DETACHABLE.

The ONLY reason to do this is if you wanted/needed to attach something else.

I'd lay odds on seeing a digital back for the F6 before Photokina 2005

It's a logical step from both a engineering and marketing perspective.

Let face it, for most of us, all our discussion of digital pro and cons
would end if it was only a matter of replacing the "FILM" with a "CMOS"?

All the things we hate about digital are based on camera design that takes
us away from what we know as cameras and photography.

As Leica lovers would we not prefer a manual focus camera with shutter speed
dials and aperture rings?

"Digital" is not the problem but all the engineering nonsence crap that
comes with it. All bescasue some techno geek thinks its "COOL"! And it will
let him take better pictures of his girlfriend because he is such a useless
photographer that he can't focus and camera and set an exposure so he thinks
he can build a computer that will overcome his inadaquacies as a
mand...sorry, I mean photographer. I was getting carried away.

And while magnification factors are great for long lens shooters, those of
us who do most of our work in the 21 to 90 mm range think IT SUCKS!!!

I even hate the readout screens on the F5's and EOS thingies. (What the
F____ is f7.1?!)

Greg Locke
St. John's, Newfoundland
http://blog.greglocke.com
-----------------------------
Independent journalism from
Newfoundland & Labrador
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+locke=straylight.ca@leica-users.org 
> [mailto:lug-bounces+locke=straylight.ca@leica-users.org] On 
> Behalf Of George Lottermoser
> Sent: Friday, September 24, 2004 8:17 PM
> To: Leica Users Group
> Subject: [Leica] So folks laugh at a 35 digi back?
> 
> this came off of a 'high-end' digital back mail list:
> 
> -------------------------
> > Just got off the phone with a Nikon guy. He was all "nudge, nudge, 
> > wink, wink" pointing at the announcement of the new F6 at Photokina 
> > (which I gather is a pretty seriously good replacement for 
> the already 
> > seriously good F5), even though it's a FILM camera, fer chrissakes.
> > 
> > The "nudge" business was his way of pointing out how easy 
> it would be 
> > "nudge, nudge" to convert the F6 into a digital camera, if 
> something 
> > like that WERE being considered, "wink, wink" in a 
> full-frame format 
> > many-megapixel camera designed to do compete with the Canon 
> > top-o-the-line.
> > 
> > No point modifying the N80 the way Fuji did, or the F5, or of even 
> > designing a hybrid camera body the way Kodak did, if the F6 and all 
> > its new goodies were right around the corner.
> > 
> > Okay, says I -- get the damned thing onto the market then.
> > 
> > "What thing?" he says, winking...
> ----------------------------------------
> 
> So why were some laughing at Leica's R digital back? What's 
> the joke? Oh yeah no autofocus, autododad, autoeverything, 
> that's right. Just a blazingly bright focusing screen and 
> some really fine glass to hang in front of it. HA- ha -ha.
> 
> And if this rumor mill turns out to be true - I'd bet the 
> price will make the R back look quite competitive in this new 
> 'other' market.
> 
> Fond regards,
> 
> G e o r g e   L o t t e r m o s e r,    imagist?
> 
> <*>Peace<*>   <*>Harmony<*>  <*>Stewardship<*>
> 
> Presenting effective messages in beautiful ways
>                                      since 1969 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> web                              <www.imagist.com>
> eMail                        george@imagist.com
> voice                              262 241 9375 
> fax                                262 241 9398 
>                       Lotter Moser & Associates 10050 N Port 
> Washington Rd  -  Mequon, WI 53092 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>