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[OM] Re: OT Re: Changing Perceptions

Subject: [OM] Re: OT Re: Changing Perceptions
From: Jim Brokaw <jbrokaw@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2004 18:07:45 -0800
on 2/19/04 5:02 AM, Skip Williams at om2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

> 
> OT
> 
> The R8 looks clunky, but it handles very well, from my one-day experience.
> Howerver, it's mechanical reliability is questionable from reports that I've
> read.  It's a shame that Leica has continued to pour resources into the R
> line, which has a very questionable future, although specactular lenses.  The
> digital back for the R9 is a boondoggle, IMO; a waste of scarce R&D resources.
> And the Digital M, when/if it shows up, will cost a fortune for something that
> is 3 years behind the times.  Recent speculations say $6k for the body!
> 
> It's as if Leica is a blindfolded rider on a thoroughbread, running with the
> best equipment, but not knowing where they're going.
> 
> Skip

Leica will screw it up trying to be too electronic and too 'trendy-digital'.
I can't see any market at all for the body at $6k, unless it has a
full-frame sensor... and those will probably be semi-common by the time they
can launch their M-digital.

Had a nice discussion with Mike Butler today, expanding a bit on your
speculation about a Cosina-built digital SLR with interchangeable lens
mounts... it seems very do-able. The digital rangefinder is also, as well as
making a digital interchangeable back, either with adapters for different
SLR's or in different specific versions. Where the camera companies seem to
be heading is that every new digital has to have even more automatic
computerized 'wonder-functions' that the last one. There seems to be no
interest in just adding digital capture to the manual film-camera experience
from any of the established big camera companies, though I think that is a
niche waiting to be tapped.

My alternative would be to offer digital functionality for image capture,
but interfacing seamlessly with the manual focusing, manual exposure
adjustment, and general handling of the older SLR cameras, for instance an
OM-1n. There's no reason technically why a digital-back unit couldn't be
built that would offer digital image capture, while preserving all the
normal handling actions of the OM-1n... use match-needle metering, winding
the shutter, manual focusing, etc. The back unit could have its own controls
for adjusting ISO, preview of exposure via a 'test shot' via after the fact
histograms, post-exposure image review (but not TTL preview), and its own
'electronic shutter' for high shutter speeds (given the way focal plane
shutters work I think you'd have to use the OM body at 1/60 maximum shutter
setting).

The only real problems are cost and size of market... even the necessary
engineering could be done in a well-equipped garage, except for the
electronics expertise. We probably have ME's and EE's on this list who could
do it. I'm still thinking of hacking an old digicam to use 8mm movie camera
lenses... just to see if I can.
-- 

Jim Brokaw
OM-'s of all sorts, and no OM-oney...




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