Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/07/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]B.D. I think you might be a mite too pessimistic about Leica's digital efforts. They are teamed up with Kodak and Imacon, two of the leaders in digital R&D. The Japanese, for all the technological prowess in country, are still tied into their combines which inhibit innovations used. The Foveon sensor is one example of good technology ignored. You will recall that I am no fan whatsoever of Kodak: I do however highly respect the technology that Kodak has invented. Kodak is desperate to penetrate the digital market beyond the technologically challenged with docking stations. If Leica will serve as their test bed for innovation and move a few tens of thousands of boxes then everybody wins. For perspective on numbers, I suspect that Canon is shipping 30,000 to 40,000 digital Rebels a month. Leica, since the sixties has not been a company of "good enough". Their market consists in part of people who are willing to pay the premium for the best possible. You continue to complain about Leica pricing, but premium tools of any kind are expensive. You can by a 71/2inch "Skill" saw at Wal-Mart for $29: you can also spend more than $500 for a real Skill worm drive model. I can tell you which one is best for cutting rafters by the thousands, day after day. Likewise, I am not sure even Nikon's F model can hold up to professional use decade after decade as a properly maintained M will. Then there are lenses; the aluminum barreled lenses that Nikon sold in the sixties are just plain loose and sloppy now. Even my Summar from the 1930's is still useable today in the same conditions it was good for in the thirties. Price is something that every user of a tool has to determine for themselves. No one but the person(s) paying the bill can say what is too much. 0.02 Don dorysrus@mindspring.com -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+dorysrus=mindspring.com@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+dorysrus=mindspring.com@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of B. D. Colen Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 8:48 AM To: 'Leica Users Group' Subject: RE: [Leica] Why a digital M Reasonable? Switch sensors at "nominal cost?" Come on guys, get real. I wouldn't expect any company to do that - upgrade the firmware for free? Sure. But not the sensor. Face it - what they give you is what you get. And what they're going to give you is going to be VERY pricey and far from ideal. It may be 'good enough' for what you want to do, and the price may not deter you. So buy it and use it in good health. But don't expect anything at a give-away price; don't expect any real innovation; and don't expect a camera that is up to the top digital standards at the time of release. ;-) B. D. -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Leonard J Kapner Sent: Tuesday, July 13, 2004 12:40 AM To: 'Leica Users Group' Subject: RE: [Leica] Why a digital M Bob, This sounds like a reasonable if somewhat complicated approach, but it's not a bad idea if Leica want to stem the tide of defection. But who knows? It may already be too late, as B.D. has recently suggested... Len -- -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+ljkapner=cox.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+ljkapner=cox.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Afterswift@aol.com Sent: Monday, July 12, 2004 9:29 PM To: lug@leica-users.org Subject: [Leica] Why a digital M In a message dated 7/12/04 7:23:50 PM, lug-request@leica-users.org writes: << to put it really bluntly, why would anyone in his or her right mind pay 5500K - for example - for an "M" body when for the same amount of money he or she could buy an 8 mpg Canon Eos MkII and an array of Canon's best lenses? >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---- -- -------------- If Leica Solms wants to jump into the digital sea with an M, then let its frames show the standard film lenses with the APS sensor subframes and guarantee to buyers that Leica will update the sensor frame to full 35mm at nominal cost when it becomes available. So the digital M would have modular construction. >From personal experience with the fast D70 and standard Nikkor film >lenses, I found that the APS sized sensor can produce professional quality images. The present full 35mm frame 13MP sensor used in the Kodak 14n leaves a lot to be desired from reports I've read. The Kodak 14n is rather ponderous. Bob _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information