Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/07/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Mxsmanic wrote: > > Brad Daly writes: > > > i think that people who want to use digital > > cameras should use digital cameras and that > > people who want to use film cameras should > > use film cameras. > > The question here, though, is: What happens if the company that makes the > cameras you know and love decides to go out on a limb and make a completely > different camera, in the hope of making more money? And what happens if the > company is so small that it can't really do this without negatively affecting > the cameras _you_ prefer? > > Look at it this way: If Leica cannot make digital and film cameras (and it > cannot), and if it throws its modest resources behind digital cameras, the > classic M will suffer. Now, do you think that people who like the classic M > (unparalleled reliability and sturdiness, simplicity, etc.) are _also_ people > who like complex and newfangled digital cameras? Do you think that people who > buy Leica Ms because of the unique niche they occupy in the market will run out > and buy Leica digitals that are clones of every other digicam in existence, but > at three times the price? I don't think so. Thus, Leica loses the M market, > and gains nothing in return, and so do you. Leica already makes a digital camera to use with it's glass, the S1 Alpha and the S1 Pro. http://www.leica-camera.com/produkte/digitalimaging/index_e.html http://www.leica-camera.com/produkte/digitalimaging/s1kameras/bildansichten/index_e.html This is a studio camera which requires tripod use. I think Leica makes this camera themselves not having it farmed out by more high tech companies but I don't know for sure. Will they ever come out with a hand held version of this camera or something to the effect? It seems not at all unlikely. With Digital backs for medium format cameras the company which first comes out with scanning backs soon come out with single shot backs. The same trend could be followed here. They could farm it out like they do the DIGILUX or do it themselves. Mark Rabiner Portland, Oregon USA http://www.rabiner.cncoffice.com/