Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/11/24

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Subject: [Leica] E: digital R question
From: lowiemanuel at yahoo.ca (Emanuel Lowi)
Date: Wed Nov 24 15:23:58 2004

feli wrote:
> 
> It proabaly was a lot easier and cheaper for them 
> to develop the R-Back first. That way all they had 
> to concentrate on was the sensor, electronics 
> and software. For Leica a good way to get their 
> feet wet in
> anticipation of doing the real thing. Maybe Leica
> will come up with somekind of modular digital 
> only camera.
> It would make sense for them. That way they 
> wouldn't have to retool (expensive!) everytime 
> they come out with a new camera. 
> 

I'm only guessing -- not relying on inside info -- but
I suspect that a great deal of the R&D costs and the
very high selling price of the DMR has to do with the
fact that this is a component that had to be designed
to interact and meld with a pre-existing 35mm film
camera.

I confess to not understanding/accepting this concept.

I believe it would have made much more sense,
ultimately, to design a digital R from the ground up,
even if it took a little more time and R&D money.

They will have to do that soon enough, anyway.

I also suspect that Solms decided to go the way they
have because of some sense of building within a
tradition, on an existing product, which was always
the old Leica way -- evolutionary development that
doesn't alienate customers.

However, for me, the R8/R9 represent absolutely
nothing within the Leica tradition.

I imagine our Frank Dernie could engineer the stuffing
of an F1 engine into a Mazda Miata. I'm sure we'd all
be happier with a stock Porsche 911.

Emanuel Lowi
Montreal





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Replies: Reply from feli2 at earthlink.net (Feli) ([Leica] E: digital R question)