[Leica] Re: Digital Leica back

[abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)]

I find your idea intriguing but you do this hand-waving thing that
completely ignores the cost of firmware development not to mention the
lens array that will be needed in front of the CCD. That's some
serious R&D bucks to be spent that isn't on the order of machining up
an example of a rapid-winder or making a soft-touch release. Some very
substantial buck-a-ding-dongs are gonna have to be spent to put the
pieces together with the risk that the hoity-toity or maybe stodgey
will look at it, sniff "Well it's on 8M and it's low-light isn't that
hot and . . ." it will go on and on.

I think if anyone could develop a product like this it would be Leica
itself who now understands most if not all the issues related to the
sensor's location and what those micro-lens arrays have to do.

Adam

On 12/8/06, Lawrence Zeitlin <lrzeitlin@optonline.net> wrote:
> Bringing together a number of threads: Walt's minimal digital Leica,
> the LUG anti-chimping attitude, high M8 prices, and the multitude of
> old film Leicas.
>
> A current issue of an electronics trade publication mentioned that
> large area 8 Mb CCD sensor chips and associated circuitry were
> becoming commodity items and would be featured in next year's
> consumer digital cameras. The expected retail price point of the
> cameras would be around $200. The Apple web site featured a USB to
> iPod connector that would download images from a digital camera,
> storing the data on the iPod's 20 or 30 Gb disc and simultaneously
> displaying the image on the iPod's screen.
>
> Bringing all this together: With digital electronics getting cheaper
> and cheaper it is apparent that the main cost of a digital Leica is
> the mechanical components. Based on years of consulting to the
> optoelectronics industry, I estimate that the mechanical and optical
> components of the M8 account for more than 80% of the manufacturing
> cost. But all the old M Leicas already have the costly items.
>
> It may be time to dust off the idea of a digital add on for the older
> Leica cameras. If a digital sensor chip was fashioned to replace the
> film inspection port, and the electronics, battery and memory card
> were contained in a baseplate extension, older Leicas could be
> updated to the digital age without losing their film capability.
> Eight Mb is enough for quality work. Note that the concept does not
> include a viewing screen. No chimping allowed. Yet if the
> photographer wanted to chimp, the iPod download would let him/her do
> so at leisure. In addition the iPod would allow storage of a weeks
> shooting without changing memory cards and you could listen to music
> between exposures.
>
> The probable cost of such an add on would be less that $1000. I would
> certainly buy one at that price. It is obvious that Leica would never
> make such a device because it would cannibalize sales of the M8, but
> one of the Asian makers of digital cameras might jump into the
> market. After all, in the early days of the Leica, dozens of small
> companies made a reasonable income feeding off the body of the German
> giant. Leica is no giant any more but there are thousands of Leica
> owners out there who think that $5000 is too much for the opportunity
> of using their old lenses.
>
> Larry Z
>
>
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