Re: [Leica] digital M

[Michael Darling <cosmo@drexel.edu>]

on 7/22/01 10:23 AM, Ed Kowaleski at ekowaleski@twmi.rr.com wrote:

> I'd hope to see a digital M that uses existing Leica glass.  I'm getting
> confused (easily done) by statements that exiting glass wont work or wont
> work well.  My confusion is born from my use of a Fuji S1 with "old" Nikon
> lenses that have yielded spectacular results when printed on my Epson 2000P.

My take on the issue ---

It's not that M lenses WON'T work with digital sensors.  They surely will,
probably not as well as glass thatıs designed and optimized for CCD capture,
but they'll work.  The point is that the lens isn't the limiting factor in
this equation.  

That your lens can resolve x lines per millimeter, and your CCD can only
resolve y lines is the problem.  For Leica glass I'm assuming x is MUCH
greater than y, so what is the point?  You would need a lens only capable of
resolving what the CCD could read.

Sure a Digital M would be great for long time users, and those with even
more money to throw at a camera than those just buying a body (maybe even
used and 30 years old) and a couple of lenses.

Leica's economics (and mine) probably just don't justify this.  Look at the
market of hardcore M users compared to the market for point and shoot
digitals.  Pro's (using Nikon's and Fuji's) don't count in my book.  They're
using existing glass, long lenses and whatnot, to get images to print
quickly.  They require image quality only up to a point for magazines and
print.  Output for gallery display is secondary to their career which is
photojournalism.

Granted, technology is making leaps faster than ever, but my guess is there
won't be a TRUE digital M camera for 10 years (if ever).  Why put ~$5 grand
into a digital camera thatıs going to be competing with Nikons and Fuji's
and Cannons that will be coming in at half that price with the next
generation of CCD sensors that are twice as sensitive?  If consumers can't
justify that (and those with Leica fetishes don't count as consumers,
they're more like junkies and addicts)  neither can Leica.

This is just my take on the situation.  As an engineering student that can
barely afford his Olympus gear but steals a Leica from his dad at every
opportunity, I may be talking to a group and making assumptions way beyond
my experience.  

FWIW, I'm going to be souping the first 5 rolls I've taken with Leica glass
in the coming days.  Comparing them to my OM gear should be fun (maybe a
little frustrating...) but a learning experience none the less.

Now if I can just take care of these midterms without getting sucked into
photography again...

Mike