Digital M/Digital Rebel was Re: [Leica] Lost Faith in Leica

[scott at adrenaline.com (Scott McLoughlin)]

Roger what B.D. said.  APS sensor at 6MP or so with
good noise control at higher ISO (IMHO, 800 has to
be very, very usable) is just fine.  Just let the customers
get used to the crop, tell them which lenses just won't
work and get something out the door.  Hi megapix
count is just a distraction, and full frame ain't gonna
happen at anything but a stratospheric price point.

I think by putting off an RF M for so long, Leica's just
raising the bar higher and higher for itself, setting
up customers for an eventual let down. For digital, the
product cycle has to more than one or two designs
per decade.

RD-1 is a first data point in a digital M body. It's too pricey
for what it is, but it shows everybody that a company can
get such a body out the door without moving heaven and
earth or like heroics.

FWIW, I believe the "price-point" for an APS sensor digi
M is about what the film bodies cost today: $2,700 USD.
Anything more, and only the collectors and fondlers will
buy them.  At a much higher price than the current M's,
Leica faithful shooters (and M newbies) will buy M7's and
MP's for shooting film, but go elsewhere for digital wants/
needs.

Again, just IMHO. I guess we'll have to wait 2 years to
find out :-)


B. D. Colen wrote:

>What would be the point? Quite simply the point would be to use them
>with whatever crop factor is necessary. I can think of allot worse
>things than having the 35 Summilux ASPH morph into what might be the
>world's best 50 mm lens. ;-)
>
>And don't put any money on the image quality of the digital M being any
>better than that of the Nikon D70 or the Digital Rebel. It's the build
>that sucks on those two, not the image quality.
>
>Oh, P.S.  Leica has not for years been the company we all so fondly
>remember as E. Leitz, and some of our memories of that company may be a
>bit too nostalgia clouded as it is.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org
>[mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of
>Jonathan Borden
>Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2004 5:44 PM
>To: Leica Users Group
>Subject: Digital M/Digital Rebel was Re: [Leica] Lost Faith in Leica
>
>
>
>B. D. Colen wrote:
>
>  
>
>>This just in from Mars:
>>I would buy a digital M - IF it was price-point competitive with Canon
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>and Nikon bodies offering the same image quality. In other words, if 
>>Leica produces a digital M for about $3K to 4K, that is comparable in 
>>image quality, megp count, etc., to a Canon Rebel or Nikon D70, I 
>>wouldn't buy it. If, however, they produce a 10+ megp digital M that 
>>compares to the high end Canons or Nikons, I would indeed buy it.
>>
>>    
>>
>
>Amen.
>
>Of course if they made a digital M that was of the quality of a Digital 
>Rebel then the company formerly known as E. Leitz will have entirely 
>ceased to exist.
>
>My hope is that they are being properly anally compulsive and delaying 
>the digital M until a 10mp+ sensor can be made that works well with the 
>current crop of wide angle M lenses ... otherwise what would be the 
>point of a digital M?
>
>Jonathan
>
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>  
>