RE: [Leica] Canon Optura

[Jim Laurel <jplaurel@microsoft.com>]

Yes, I actually bought one and Canon kindly loaned us another as well as a
pre-production XL1 and a IEEE1394 capture board.  We found image quality to
be about the same for both cameras (Optura and XL1, that is), which was a
surprise.

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Five Senses Productions [SMTP:fls@5senses.com]
> Sent:	Monday, June 22, 1998 4:28 PM
> To:	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
> 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
> Cc:	'B. D. Colen'
> Subject:	Re: [Leica] Canon Optura
> 
> Do you own the Optura?
> 
> 
> At 03:43 PM 6/22/98 , Jim Laurel wrote:
> >My lead picture of this dispatch was a beautiful Persian girl, drawing in
> >Imam Square in Esfahan, Iran.  It was taken with the Optura, which Canon
> >loaned us.
> >
> >	
> >http://www.mungopark.com/container.asp?issue=199712&sec=exp&page=dispatch
> es/
> >d01.asp
> >
> >Also, the shots on this page of the Bedouin farmer woman and Bedouin
> >Shepherd (near bottom of page) were taken with the Optura.  The surround
> >video at the top of the page was taken with a DCS 460 on a Peace River
> >Quicktime VR head.
> >
> >	
> >http://www.mungopark.com/container.asp?issue=199712&sec=exp&page=dispatch
> es/
> >d05.asp
> >
> >
> >Not bad for a little video camera...
> >
> >--Jim
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From:	Five Senses Productions [SMTP:fls@5senses.com]
> >> Sent:	Monday, June 22, 1998 2:59 PM
> >> To:	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
> >> 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
> >> Cc:	'B. D. Colen'
> >> Subject:	RE: [Leica] Is the Leica an endangered species?
> >> 
> >> I would consider a digital camera IF and only IF:
> >> 
> >> 1.  It were feasibly portable and not too big
> >> 2.  It could work with a laptop as a field camera for outdoor use
> >> 3.  It produced STUNNING images, AT LEAST as good as the 
> >>      ones I get from scanning Leica chromes onto PhotoCD
> >> 4.  It had a recycle time under a minute
> >> 5.  On the computer screen, an image created with it could not be
> >>      told apart from a high-res PhotoCD image
> >> 
> >> 
> >> Does anyone here know much about 3-CCD digital video machines like
> >> the Canon and the Sony?  How about the Optura?  I have seen an Optura
> >> demo at Samy's in LA and on a 32" TV screen its quality was extremely 
> >> good with 400 lines of resolution.  I am not sure what would happen
> when
> >> trying to get those images onto computer.  
> >> 
> >> Francesco
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> At 01:14 PM 6/22/98 , Jim Laurel wrote:
> >> >From what I can tell, the S1 is a dedicated high-res studio camera --
> >> pretty
> >> >big and ungainly.  And someone on the list mentioned that you have to
> >> wait
> >> >60 seconds between frames???  Yikes!  The 6m pixel DCS460 takes 3-4
> >> seconds
> >> >between frames to record the image to the PCMCIA card drive which, in
> >> >practical use, I found much too slow.  The new Canon EOSD2000 can
> shoot
> >> 12
> >> >frames at 3.5 fps before it has to write to disk -- not bad, but the
> >> D2000
> >> >is only a 2m pixel camera.
> >> >
> >> >--Jim
> >> >
> >> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> >> From:	Five Senses Productions [SMTP:fls@5senses.com]
> >> >> Sent:	Monday, June 22, 1998 12:03 PM
> >> >> To:	leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us;
> >> >> 'leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us'
> >> >> Cc:	'B. D. Colen'
> >> >> Subject:	RE: [Leica] Is the Leica an endangered species?
> >> >> 
> >> >> What about the S1 or 4x5 digital backs?
> >> >> 
> >> >> 
> >> >> At 10:55 AM 6/22/98 , Jim Laurel wrote:
> >> >> >Sorry, B.D., I've got to take issue with this.  I've shot features
> >> with
> >> >> the
> >> >> >Kodak DCS460 (billed as the highest resolution digital camera in
> >> >> >production).  The quality was nowhere near 35mm, particularly when
> it
> >> >> comes
> >> >> >to very contrasty scenes.  Reciprocity failure was a constant
> problem
> >> for
> >> >> >exposures over 1/4 second or so.  It's not just price...there are
> some
> >> >> >significant technology issues to overcome.  And there is
> significant
> >> >> >degradation when you use these digital backs at high ISO ratings as
> >> well.
> >> >> >Digital still has a long way to go to overtake 35mm.
> >> >> >
> >> >> >--Jim Laurel
> >> >> >
> >> >> >
> >> >> >> The quality is essentially here now, it's the price that's the
> >> >> >> issue - to which I note that the computer on which I send and
> >> receive
> >> >> >> E-mail
> >> >> >> goes today for literally less than half what it cost when I
> bought
> >> it 9
> >> >> >> months ago.
> >> >> >> 
> >> >> > 
> >> > 
> >