Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/07/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Peter, It's a question of marketing. The pitch is simple: Here is a product that produces results of the highest order, exceeding what can be produced by the best DSLRs. The range of focal lengths is limited, as is the case with all RF systems, but you get high quality output in a compact space. The lenses are fast, so you can shoot in lower light without raising the ISO, which invites more noise. All things being equal in terms of sensor sensitivity vs noise, a faster lens is still a huge advantage. I can't understand why this is not an interesting market niche for any of the major manufacturers. Everyone wants quality results from a compact device. The point and shoots with slow fixed zoom lenses just don't fit the bill. If Konica produces a digital Hexar, the only products Leica will have that will be of any interest at all are the M lenses, and that's only if they can be adapted to focus accurately on the Hexar D. This all seems so obvious to me, and I can't imagine that smart people at Leica don't see it as well. The DMR seems to be a waste of time. What is the unique value proposition of such a device as compared to your garden variety CaNikon DSLR? An R9 with the DMR will not be able to do anything the D1s cannot do, and in 18-24 months the DMR's specs will likely be equaled by the current $1500 DSLR from Canon. No one is positioned to build the compact digital RF better than Leica. It would be a huge coup for them. There must be a way... - --Jim Peter Klein wrote: > Of course, there's the question of whether rangefinder users are a big > enough market to warrant any camera company making such a camera. I have > a feeling that if anyone does it, it will be a company with deeper R&D > pockets than Leica. We may see a digital Hexar RF, not an M. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html