[Leica] R10 news

[wildlightphoto at earthlink.net (wildlightphoto@earthlink.net)]

Geoff Hopkinson wrote:

>Jayanand I only have smaller (A4) prints here from you and they are not from
>your D3. I'm sure that it is a great outfit for convenient wildlife
>photography with a big AF zoom. The recent stuff you have shown from Africa
>is very impressive in its web sizes. 
>What I do have though are two large prints (up to 450mm) from Doug, one by
>him and one carefully printed by me from an original file for a charity
>auction. That one is higher key and subtle toned. Both are absolutely superb
>in detail and colour rendition and in fact every technical quality. To look
>at these close up is a revelation and a joy.
>You might need to qualify your statement that the Nikon combo is better ;-)
>Do you mean more practical /easier to get good results with? Obviously Doug
>is an acknowledged dedicated expert here. It would be a pretty bold claim
>that the Nikon output is technically better than that of the DMR in expert
>hands.
>

I have no doubt the D3 + 200-400 Zoom is a much more convenient combination 
for wildlife photos, and if there was any doubt of its suitability, 
Jayanand's photos from Africa are evidence enough.

Both Hoppy and Jayanand have 11x14 prints made with my DMR and 560mm Telyt.  
The Telyt is a 1970 design and I've had my sample of it for at least 20 
years (it cost me ~US$1000, demo) so my annual cost neglecting the time 
value of money is US$50.  If I were to sell it today I'd get nearly $1000 
for it, so the cost is essentially the time value of money.  Not bad 
bang-for-the-buck.  However the 560, as much as I enjoy using it, comes 
nowhere near testing the DMR's capabilities.  To see what the DMR can 
deliver you'd have to use something like the 280mm f/4 APO.  When I'm 
hitting on all cylinders the results from the DMR & 280 are breathtaking.  
For a technical comparison the D3 & 200-400 should be compared with the DMR 
& 280 (field of view like the D3 & 400mm).  The 560 is antique.  I love the 
image quality I get from it but as a nearly 40-year-old lens the image 
quality isn't state-of-the-art.  The 280mm f/4 APO, a 15-year-old design, is.

Doug Herr
Birdman of Sacramento
http://www.wildlightphoto.com