[Leica] Leica/Digital - heresy?

[scott at adrenaline.com (Scott McLoughlin)]

To me, the digital camera market will only get really
interesting when the CCD, accessory software and most
of the electronics becomes a commodity widely accessible
to any and all camera manufacturers.

It will happen (think CPUs and hard drives and operating
systems in the computer industry).

I don't want to buy Leica or Nikon or CV film. I want
to buy their camera bodies and lenses and accessories.
Let other companies make the film.

The idea you mention of  a user replacable CCD is
something I've thought about as well. Knowing the
electronics industry, I suspect that there is more than
one lab out there  in the industry working on just this
kind of "horizontal integration" type of system design.

I just snagged a D70 to check it out and try to come
up to speed more quickly on flash photography.

Pretty neat little camera, but the viewfinder completely
sucks.  Perfectly servicable for many or most things, I
guess, but in my book not really a "quality tool." If  I
could have spent the $1K on a digital back for my
FM3a instead, I would have done so in a minute.

Scott

Douglas M. Sharp wrote:

> A slightly heretical question.Does anyone really think that a Leica
> Digital Back, or maybe even an M7D is going to make such
> a difference when compared with, for example,  an EOS with Leica lenses
> on it , as far as I'm concerned the breakdown of
> a qualitively good image is as follows, in order of importance.
>
> A) the human factor
>
> 1) Being there
> 2) Seeing the shot
> 3) Timing
> 4) Correct settings - experience
>
> B) The equipment Factor
>
> 1) Good lenses (OK, Leica are the best, if they are good for digital
> sensors then, QED, they're also good on an EOS, there won't be
> any autofocus on either, the Leica or the EOS, )
> 2) Good film/digital sensor  (is there a Leica sensor ? No, there isn't)
> 3) Good ergonomics of the camera body - easy and intuitive operation,
> the EOS 300 feels a bit cheap, but solid up-market bodies are still
> cheaper than a Leica DigiBack)
> 4) Good software - intuitive , versatile (does Leica develop their own 
> ? No)
>
> Unless Leica comes up with something really new and innovative, IMO,
> they are still going to be lagging behind the rest of the field.
> If they built the DigiBack with an option of changing sensors for higher
> resolution or updating to a full frame that would be really
> something. Or a plug in viewing screen with the size of a palm pc,maybe
> touch screen control of all parameters (remote too)
> then it would start getting interesting. The only advantage I can see
> for a digital back is the option of film or sensor on one body - and
> that at close
> to the price of  4 digital Rebels!!
> Is it worth it just to have the name Leica on the camera ?
>
> Douglas
> who will continue using his bunch of Leicas until they fall apart (or
> until I fall apart, whichever the case may be) but is not averse to
> putting Leica glass
> on another marque.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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