[Leica] Leica-Canon deal rumor

[Frank.Dernie at btinternet.com (Frank Dernie)]

I too would like a smaller quality rangefinder but where will all,  
the bits go? There are far more components in a digital camera than a  
film one. I have seen a cross section of the EOS 1Ds and, apart from  
a smaller battery, with all the plus and minuses, I don't see them  
getting the same bits in a much smaller space. I treat my EOS 1Ds as  
a medium format camera with cheaper lenses rather than a replacement  
for 35mm!
On top of this it seems that for best performance on a digital sensor  
telecentric lenses are required. I think this is plausible too and  
that what Leica said at the outset was quite true and the eventual  
arrival of the digital M will be because of very strong customer  
demand rather than them thinking it will be suitable for the older  
lenses. The first 15mm designed with the digital sensor in mind - the  
Zeiss Ikon - is huge.
I have an Epson RD1 and like using it but the 12mm and 15mm CV lenses  
I have, which are cropped to an equivalent angle of view to 18mm and  
22.5mm on film, both vignette massively, the 15mm much more than the  
12mm. I am sure this is for the easy to understand reasons frequently  
explained.
I look forward to a digital M but I would bet that:
The battery life will be poor if a small battery has to be used.
Software plugins will be provided to compensate for the unsuitability  
of certain wide angle current rangefinder lenses for digital sensors.
Any new lenses designed to be suitable for both film and digital will  
be bigger than we are used to, or rely entirely on software  
compensation.
Frank

On 1 Jan, 2006, at 20:41, Jim Laurel wrote:

> You guys are all missing the point of such a deal between Leica and  
> Canon.
> There is currently no product in the digital market that gives top  
> quality
> results, yet has a very small form factor.  I'm talking about  
> quality on the
> order of the EOS-1DS MkII, but in a reasonably-sized package.
>
> I've said this many times here on the LUG.  The EOS-1DS cameras are
> ridiculously huge to the point that they are just impractical to  
> deal with
> while traveling.  Even a single body with a 24-70 is just too big  
> and heavy.
> What I want is something that has high quality lenses of large maximum
> apertures and produces an image with the pixel density of the 1DS,  
> but with
> the size of an M rangefinder.  THERE IS NO SUCH THING ON THE MARKET  
> TODAY.
> Today, I am forced to either bite the bullet and carry the 1DS, or  
> continue
> shooting film in my M6s.  There is no in-between.  The 20D and its  
> small
> sensor don't do it for me.  The 5D is still too large, and the fast  
> lenses
> for either (Canon's EF 35mm f1.4L, for example) are huge and still not
> nearly the equal of the Leica designs.  And as a practical matter,  
> fast
> lenses for rangefinders can be made more compact.
>
> By now, Leica is probably well down the development path on the  
> digital M.
> By acquiring Leica, Canon gets the halo effect of a venerable name in
> photography, and a new product (the digital M) that fills a market  
> void that
> no other company is addressing.  If this deal is for real, my bet  
> is that
> Canon will provide sensor and electronics technology (imagine a  
> full frame
> CMOS sensor and Digic II for the new M digi!), help Leica improve  
> their
> efficiency, and allow Leica to continue producing equipment under  
> the Leica
> name.  Look to Ford, which owns Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover,  
> Volvo,
> etc. for an example.  These cars are still produced in the same  
> facilities,
> but have taken advantage of Ford's production technologies and in  
> some cases
> (much to my chagrin), share parts from the family bins.  The new Land
> Rovers, for example, are still produced in the Solihull factory,  
> and are
> truly Land Rover designs.  But Ford has done a lot of good in  
> improving
> quality control and providing capital for Land Rover to realize their
> designs.  Land Rover has had very advanced 4x4 tech for a long  
> time, but
> insufficient R&D budgets.  "Terrain Response" on the new LR3 and  
> Range Rover
> Sport is a good example of this.  Along with many other  
> enthusiasts, I still
> consider these new vehicles true Land Rover designs.  They are not
> warmed-over Explorers.  They are designed and built in Solihull.   
> In fact,
> the new Explorer inherits some design and technology from the new LR3
> platform.
>
> I see this development as a good thing.  If true, it gives me hope  
> that we
> will finally see a professional grade rangefinder with a full frame  
> sensor.
> Mark my words, that would be a hot seller.
>
> --Jim Laurel
>
>
>
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