RE: [Leica] R8/R9 Digital Back announced

["Jeffery Smith" <jsmith@dcc.edu>]

I have been cautiously looking at the Signa digital SLR that uses existing
Sigma lenses. But the rate at which digital is changing convinces me to wait
until prices come down a bit more.

JLS

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us] On Behalf Of Martin Howard
Sent: Wednesday, June 25, 2003 11:03 AM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: Re: [Leica] R8/R9 Digital Back announced


Karen Nakamura wrote:

> So Leica has announced their digital back for the R8/R9 system:
>
> http://www.leica-camera.com/produkte/rsystem/digitalmodul/index_e.html
>
> Sounds quite interesting!

$5,200 for a 10MP reduced-frame digital back, that requires a $2,000 
camera to work, and that won't be available for another 16 months.  
Interesting!??

Let's put this in perspective: Moore's Law operates on an 18 month 
cycle.  The Canon EOS1D was a full-frame 11MP camera that came out in 
August 2002 ($7,500 @ B&H).  The Kodak DCS 14n, a 13.7MP camera, the 
same month ($4,995 @ B&H).  There is a PMA Imaging Conference & Mini 
Trade Show in September of this year, and the PMA Annual 2004 is in 
February.

The only possibly interesting thing about this is the technical 
achievement of grafting a digital back to an existing film camera, 
while allowing its use as either by switching back and forth.  But in 
the Real World, the question is how interesting is that?  Especially 
when you take those $5,200 into consideration.

It's perfectly Leica, of course.  It's the digital Visoflex answer to a 
world of Japanese SLRs.  Too little, too late.

M.

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