Re: [Leica] Digital Back - I like the first step!

[Martin Howard <mvhoward@mac.com>]

Kit McChesney wrote:

> By analogy--though I know this will get me into trouble--not everyone 
> can or
> wants to drive an Aston-Martin, but there are those who do, and who are
> willing to pay the extra money to get what that experience offers.

Again, you're missing the point: A Ferrari Enzo, or Aston-Martin 
Vanquish offers something that no-one else does: the experience is 
UNIQUE.  If you drop around $1M on an Enzo (should you be one of the 
select few whom Ferrari allows to buy one), it's because it is a 
completely unique product.  The same is true, but to a slightly lesser 
extent, of the Vanquish.

A 10mp, reduced frame, 35mm digital back 16 months down the line is NOT 
a unique product, other than that it allows you to bolt $5,000 Leica 
glass onto it (and technically, it's not even that, if you care to use 
the right adaptors).  Outside of the three professional news/sports R 
shooters in the world, and the two free backs that are going to be 
given to Luis Castaneda and Bryan Adams, I'm having a really hard time 
understanding who is going to need one, and who is going to be able to 
justify to themselves the price/performance tradeoff.

And I'm not even sure the news/sports arguments holds water, since the 
R is a manual focus system (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know all about 
zone-focussing and how it was done in the 50s.  Ask yourself this: How 
many professional news/sports photogs TODAY use manual focus systems?  
How many use autofocus systems?)

I'm not concerned that I'll never afford one and it doesn't bother me 
the slightest that there are people who will -- any more than it 
bothers me that there are people who happily pay $1M for a car that 
they'll drive no more than 4,000 miles in and only in sunshine.  
Couldn't care less.  What I find bizarre is that Leica as a company 
choose to pursue an overpriced, outdated technology, for a minimal 
market, without actually offering any benefit over competitors of any 
kind -- except, of course, a red roundel.

Or maybe they just consider themselves in a league of their own and 
they don't have competitors.

Whatever.  I should know better than try to argue reason when it comes 
to this brand.

Quite honestly, though, I don't really care.  They might as well have 
designed a digital back for the Null Series for all the difference it 
makes.  They'll probably offer a special Leica-embossed Firewire cable 
for $350 as an accessory.

'nuff said.  I'll spare you all my ramblings on this from now on.

M.

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