Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/03/02

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Electronic film
From: Jim Brick <jimbrick@photoaccess.com>
Date: Tue, 02 Mar 1999 19:03:11 -0800

Digital photography is "different" than film photography. The "I'm A Geek"
(IMAGEK) product is trying to turn film photography into digital
photography. This is fraught with problems. You still must have a computer
device to "unload" the cartridges after they are full. Or else you have to
buy more $800 rolls of digital film. And if you want 36 exposures, the
resolution is completely in the dumper.

The single thing that this technology will do, if it ever gets off the
ground, is let people use a 35mm camera system they already own, and take
"low res" digital pictures, for use on the web. Or perhaps marginal 4x6
happy snaps.

Rule of thumb. 1 megabyte of file is required for each 3 square inches of
print (for acceptable resolution). A 4x6 print is 24 square inches. Divide
by three... equals 8 megabytes to produce a good  4x6 print. 36 times 8 =
288 megabytes. Not with this product!!!

The I'm A Geek" insert, will hold 24, 1.4 megabyte images. Each image will,
therefore, print a reasonable 3"x3" print.

Basically, the images produced by this product have limited usefulness.
Like 1000 times worse than film. Need a quick picture for the web, it'll
work, but I'd rather pay $400 or so for a Digilux, Fuji MX700, or Nikon
CP900, and have way more fun, features, and usefulness. And you can see the
image immediately, right on the camera, so if someone blinked, push the
button again.

Jim


At 10:13 AM 3/2/99 -0700, you wrote:
>Hmm...no doubt they had *something* working, but I wonder if that something
>was a fully self-contained, full-frame device that fits into an unmodified
>camera? For what it's worth, I have a 1.5 megapixel camera, and find it
>nice, but so far, have not seen results that really got me excited. I will
>take the thing with me on one of my outings and see what it can *really* do,
>side-by-side with my film cameras.
>
>Jeff
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Alex Hurst <corkflor@iol.ie>
>>Tought you might be interested in the following exchange with Lynn O'Mara,
>>PR lady for Irvine Sensors.  Their subsidiary, IMAGEK, is developing the
>>EFS-1 unit as a digital film substitute.
>>
>>>Alex -
>>>Just to let you know they did have the EFS-1 there ( a developmental
>>>prototype unit with a .8 megapixel imager), and it did work.  They also
>had
>>>quite a few pictures on display that they've taken with that unit.
>
>