Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Duct tape? Duct tape? Did someone call..... Dr. Black Tape? -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Kit McChesney Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 5:00 PM To: scott@adrenaline.com; 'Leica Users Group' Subject: RE: Digital M/Digital Rebel was Re: [Leica] Lost Faith in Leica Lordy, the way you folks talk about build quality, you'd think there are only two choices: Solid brass with gold paint or duct tape and cardboard! Like some contraption built at Possum Lodge on the Red Green Show! ;-) Kit -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+leicagalpal=earthlink.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+leicagalpal=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Scott McLoughlin Sent: Monday, September 20, 2004 1:52 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: Re: Digital M/Digital Rebel was Re: [Leica] Lost Faith in Leica I heartily agree on both points. Build-quality for the ages isn't a real selling point for a digital M body, and Epson and CV showed us that it's possible to do while hardly breaking a sweat. I'll add that even if some lenses won't work, if most of them will work, then that's plenty good enough. Leave the 21 SA and friends behind if need be (need = time or cost) and just market replacement glass. B. D. Colen wrote: >It's odd, though, Jonathan, that Cosina managed to pull the whole thing >off in next to no time. > >And it's also odd that people are in one breath telling us how no one >expect to hang on to one of them silly digicams for more than about 15 >minutes before having it labled obsolete, and in the next breath >they're telling us that Leica has to charge six arms and four legs for >a digital M because, after all, it wouldn't be a Leica without that >build quality. But if the damn thing's going to be obsolete in 15 >minutes, and doesn't have to be capabable of going off to boarding >school with little Skipper, Jr's little Skipper III, then why does it >have to have that Leica build and price tag? Confused minds really do >want to know. :-) > >-----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: Monday, September 20, 2004 3:35 PM >To: Leica Users Group >Subject: Re: Digital M/Digital Rebel was Re: [Leica] Lost Faith in >Leica > > >Scott McLoughlin wrote: > > > >>Just because it might cost Leica $3K to make a digi >>M body doesn't meant many buyers will be willing >>to pay $5K for it - or whatever the numbers might >>come out to. >> >>Right now, I don't think folks expect their digital >>cameras to last them many, many decades. It's not >>perceived as an "investment" in the same way. >> >> > >Build quality is one thing and if Leica were interested in 'getting >something out the door' at a lower price point, they might subcontract >the production to a japanese or even chinese firm -- this has been done >before with Minolta etc. and witness the current crop of Leica digital >P&S. > >For the digital M I suspect there are other technical issues -- namely >the distance between the rear element and the sensor. With wide angle >lenses designed for rangefinders i.e. the M series, the angle that which > >the light strikes the film at can be quite acute -- look at the SA 21 >for a great example. > >This doesn't work great with run of the mill digital sensors and so I >expect some real work with microlenses is being done -- but imagine >trying to design a sensor that will work well with anything from an SA >21 to a 135 -- not an easy task. The reason this is so much easier for >SLRs is that the lens already has to clear the mirror and consequently >the wide angle lenses are designed differently. > >Perhaps Epson has solved this problem. Perhaps it is not really a >problem. Perhaps the current R-D1 is a trial balloon for something >later. Perhaps Epson is going to use all the $$$ it makes on ink to buy >Leica and come out with a 20 mp R-D2. Who knows. We can speculate on >lots of things, but it is reasonable to speculate that the reason we >don't have a digital M *today* is that there are real engineering >issues. > >Jonathan >_______________________________________________ >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 _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information