Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2003/06/26

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: Re: [Leica] Digital Back - I like the first step!
From: Rolfe Tessem <rolfe@ldp.com>
Date: Thu, 26 Jun 2003 15:53:12 -0400
References: <000001c33c19$832c18a0$6401a8c0@dorysrusp4>

Don Dory wrote:

> Rolfe,
> It means one of a couple of things.  One, Nikon is feeling the heat of
> the 1Ds and needed to get into the more pixel race to keep users or
> avoid losing face.
> 
> It could also mean that Nikon has a GF like image interpolator that lets
> them create images that appear to be from a 10MP camera.

But where is this documented? I don't see anything on Nikon's web site 
or anything about a software or firmware upgrade (other than those 
previously announced for other purposes).

> 
> Possibly we are in a transition era just like in the late 30's where
> Rollie's were capable of quality near enough to 4X5 that medium format
> started to take images away from large format, and in the fifties and
> sixties where 35mm (Leica, Contax, Nikon) offered quality good enough
> that the majority of shooters switched to 35mm.  Well, now, I am
> proposing that somewhere in the 6-14 MP range the quality is good enough
> that most images for the next little while will be taken with sensors in
> that rough range.

I don't disagree with this. The exception will be magazine covers, at 
least in the short to medium term. I actually think that in terms of new 
camera sales, medium format will be the big loser rather than 35mm. I 
would be willing to bet that on a nationwide basis, wedding 
photographers are the largest users of medium format and they are going 
digital in droves.
> 
> I don't really see the point of a 20 MP sensor for use up to 20X30.  The
> images I have seen coming out of the 11 MP 1Ds easily make that cut for
> most users.
> 
> Others will chime in, but computers are not going to get much faster in
> the near term.  Making motherboards clock faster than 800 MH is a real
> issue as those speeds create a lot of RF that is really difficult to
> handle.  And really, what is the point of a 4 GH chip if the motherboard
> is only running at 800 MH?  Are we all really going to be using
> multiprocessor computers: I don't think that will be mainstream practice
> for some time.

I don't know -- the new Apple G5 dual processor looks pretty nice :-).

- -- 
Rolfe Tessem      |     Lucky Duck Productions, Inc.
rolfe@ldp.com     |     96 Morton Street
(212) 463-0029    |     New York, Ny 10014

- --
To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html

In reply to: Message from "Don Dory" <dorysrus@mindspring.com> (RE: [Leica] Digital Back - I like the first step!)