Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/09/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]HayZeusHKeeeerist! Everybody moans, groans and prattles on and on and on and on about how they'd kill to have a digital M - assuming that they acknowledge the existence of digital. Finally, Leica awakens from its endless sleep and claims that it is developing - a digital M. And not only a digital M, a digital M with a 10-11 megp full-frame sensor. Now whether we will ever see this camera, and whether it will cost less than the new Medicare prescription drug bill, is another story entirely. But taking the gnomes of Solms at face value, they are doing what everyone - myself included - desperately hoped they would. So what's the reaction... Why won't they make a monochrome full-frame, 11mgp M!!!!!!!!!!!! First off, one of the glories of digital is that every single shot is both color and monochrome. ;-) Second off, it should be possible to have the monochrome option in the firmware. If they develop the write algorithms, having the b&w, bw-green, bw-red, bw-yellow built into the camera could be wonderful. Carry around a pile of filters? Why? B. D. Wandering off muttering, shaking head in utter amazement.:-) -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+bdcolen=earthlink.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Adam Bridge Sent: Friday, March 26, 2004 9:48 PM To: Leica Users Group Subject: Re: [Leica] More RD-1 news On Friday, March 26, 2004 Dan C thoughtfully wrote: >http://www.dp-now.com/archives/000677.html > >Apparently only 10,000 will be made, period, and half are expected to >be sold in Japan. And the price...are you sitting down?...$3500 USD. Looking through the specs I notice that there is no manual setting for white balance. And there's this strange set of B&W modes that simulate various color filters. What's the deal with this? You can fork over $3k for a camera and not buy Photoshop? I'd rather clap a real filter on the lens. OR have a version of the camera that's JUST monochrome and then I can use those real filters with a substantial gain in resolution. Sigh, probably no one is making a monochrome sensor. If Leica does make a digital M then I'd desperately hope that they make a no-holds-barred all out monochrome version. I never put color film in either of my M's and I'd pay extra to get a full-frame monochrome sensor that ran from 100 to 1600 with an optional 3200 setting that's noisier but will let me post-process on my computer. Why? Because the M and it's wonderful lenses are made for available dark shooting. It's the joy of owning a range finder camera. Couple that with the pleasures of digital shooting with a histogram available so I can really get a handle on exposure and you have an amazingly powerful tool for black and white photography. If there is any company that could make and market a monochrome camera it's Leica. Adam Bridge _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information