[Leica] Epson digital, or what?

[mark at rabinergroup.com (Mark Rabiner)]

> Scanning all the pictures I want to show is taking too much time, and I'm
> not even half through yet.

Hi Peter! all that scanning would be a no brainer - no timer if you just got
a bulk feeder for some of the scanners I know they make one for mine, the
Nikon 5000 and think they also did for the 4000. For 500usd.
It just turns out the the scanner is THE key piece of equipment in digital
photography which I maintain can easily be considered film based. Mid range
priced scanners might not cut it for such serious use.
As far as getting paid for for what? There are even wedding photographers
who offer "that nostalgic quaint flare of "FILM"" for a little extra just
like they used to offer black and white or infra red. Or no flash Leica M.
IN other words create a slightly exclusive nitch for yourself because if you
don?t your going to go crazy anyway competing against the masses of
commercial photographers all doing the same general thing; upgrading their
gear by at least 10 large USD a year.

I can't understand why you are combining the thoughts of getting paid for
photography and dig-cams. That is surely not a common nitch and not an
obvious one. Most of the serious digital shooting is certainly done with
digital cameras in which the lens comes off. Would you go do a film based
job with a point and shoot? It's been done but they are usually done by
photographers who have a coffee table book out and a cult following. Ralph
Gibson could pull it off.
The Epson R-D1 as you say body for Leica M glass is about to come out any
second and the world is going to change for a lot of us on this list.
I'd be amazed if this cameras target market would be as you say "collectors
and status buyers"
Its going to be a tool to use our Leica M glass with for digital photography
in the rangefinder fashion. I expect it might easily cost more than a new M7
or MP but Epson wants this camera out there in use.
I suspect that it will increase the sales of Leica glass. And the
combination will make for more of an option for pros. In other worlds the
Leica M system will get more of the pro market. If it has 2 percent now I'd
predict it would get 8 in 9 months.
8 out of a hundred pros who should wonder if they should bring their Leica M
digital / film system to their next job instead of or along side of their
Nikon/Canon SLR system. Or that's all they got.

Why would you compare the pricing of the Epson body for Leica M to a Remco
toy-like Nikon d70? The d70 being an even cheaper starter camera than the
d100 but still maybe possibly usable by a very broke cheapskate pro on the
very short run. For however many cycles. Till next Tuesday. The d100 being
really cheap enough at $1500. The n7 at the much more popular for amateur
$1000 magic price point.
The Epson will be targeted at much more serious shooters who don?t mind NOT
using a 24-85 zoom for 500 to 1200 bucks but are willing to invest in 4 gems
of Leica M glass instead for $6 grand and juggle them.
I'm covered by these:
24mm    f2.8 Elmarit M    ASPH
35mm    f2 Summicron M    ASPH
50mm    f2 Summicron M
90mm    f2 Summicron M    ASPH APO
Or just bring a 50 and run back and forth in the latest high tech sneakers
from Nike. Make sure my shoelaces were tied. Lenscap off.

DSLR's run from $850 for a Canon Rebel,
$1500 for the D100 and it's competitors,
3 grand for a d2h and competition.
4 grand for a D1 or canon EOS 1d, etc,
5 grand for the full frame Kodak DCS Pro SLR, 13.8 Megapixel for Nikon or
Canon.
8 grand for Canon's full frame EOS-1Ds, 11.1 megapixel.

I think the Epson could easily come in at 3 grand if they can pull it off
and we'd be getting off easy but 4 grand because of it's limited run.
Perhaps its a question of how much money they're willing to loose to
establish the market and get the jump on the Leica M digital camera coming
out just before the ozone layer gives out on us.

So I'm saving up a dollar a day.
I think we all wish we'd invested in Epson ten years ago we'd all be
millionaires in the post dot com apocalyptic era.
Which company has had a handle on capturing the imagination of the
photographic world and putting a real spin on it I don?t know. I trust Epson
to dazzle us.

As for getting into the Canon system I have too numerous to mention Nikon
glass I've amassed from 1974 to 2004 which I can mix and match on any of my
half dozen Nikon bodies strung over that 30 year era. Manual AI lenses work
and even look just fine on AF bodies and AF lenses work and look great on
the manual bodies. For the most part;
 and of course some of the very latest Nikon glass are G lens series which
are just like the Canon lenses. No aperture ring. So you have a little
trouble using them on manual bodies although I think it's till possible on
an A setting. The lens mount of course is the same. Oh a whim I can pick up
all kinds of cool cheap Nikon glass from behind the counter of my favorite
pro photo shop for 50 to 100 bucks and go out and shoot pictures with it;
digital or otherwise. With their own inimical fingerprint.
I have a big grey soft cover Nikon collectors but and the stuff really does
go back and get involved just like the Leica stuff does. Many many versions
of each f-stop focal length combination going way way back. It's very
involving and satisfying and involving just like Leica from the shooters and
I'm sure the colle3ctors standpoints.

I just got a B&H catalog in the mail and under Nikon page their also is a
manual corner for new bodies and glass. Not so on the facing Canon page.
Each lens his it's own silent micromotor in it. Whoopee! I think that says
it all.



Mark Rabiner
Portland Oregon



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