[Leica] Thoughts on the ZI rangefinder

[douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)]

Gene,
since it as announced at Photokina 2004 I've been writing the same (quite 
often).
Somehow some people will just not accept that the ZI is a totally new design 
and 
construction. To add to your list of differences :
The slow speeds go down to 8 seconds.
It has automatic parallax correction.
The lenses bring up the appropriate bright-line frame in the VF, not a 3 way 
switch a la Bessa.

Did anyone refuse to buy Lamborghini and Aston Martin cars on the basis that 
both were built by agricultural machinery manufacturers?
cheers
Douglas
Leica,Canon,CV, Contax AND Yashica user.

Cheers

Gene E. McCluney wrote:
>> I am not so sure that the Zeiss offering will do all that well.  The
>> Konica RF was and is a pretty good rangefinder with a much better than
>> average rangefinder and good ergonomics.  Build quality was also
>> nothing to complain about.  Yet this camera did not succeed in the
>> marketplace.
>>
>> The Zeiss offering is going to be a dressed up Bessa, I am not sure
>> you can dress up a Bessa enough to get 2.5 to 3 times the price.  If
>> the rangefinder works well with parallax correction in the close range
>> that the lenses allow for then that might compensate for a percieved
>> lack of build quality.
>>
>> Snip
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> 0.02
>>
>> Don
>> don.dory@gmail.com
>>
> 
> I honestly don't know how to get across to people that the Zeiss is 
> definately NOT a
> "dressed up" Bessa.   The ONLY things it has in common with the Bessa 
> cameras are
> the Copal shutter, which is used in a zillion other cameras including 
> most of the
> popular digital DSLR's, and the "M" lens mount.
> 
> There is no single common body casting between the Zeiss Ikon and any 
> Bessa,
> the RFDR is different, the viewfinder is different, the advance lever is 
> different,
> the rewind lever is different (and on the bottom)
> 
> The Zeiss Ikon has final quality control by Zeiss.  It is Zeiss 
> reputation that is
> at stake here, not Cosina.
> 
> The only way it could be MORE different from the Bessa is if it were 
> made by
> some other manufacturer.  The only common denominator is the manufacturer.
> 
> Are we going to belittle ANY camera body from Cosina?    Just wait and
> try out the Zeiss Ikon before making such statements.
> 
> Are all the recently discontinued Contax SLR's and AF cameras just "dressed
> up Kyocera's?"   If that were the case, then wouldn't one be better off 
> getting
> the "Yashica" SLR equivalent of the Contax SLR?  They did make a Yashica
> slr with the Contax lens mount.
> 
> Is a Leica CL, just a "dressed up" Minolta because that is who made it, or
> rather is it a unique camera that has its own merits which happened to be
> made for Leitz under contract by Minolta.  Just like the Zeiss Ikon is a
> unique camera with unique features made for Zeiss by Cosina.
> 
> I will grant you that the Zeiss Ikon is not going to be a runaway best 
> seller,
> but that is because of the nature of the photo market, not the quality of
> the camera.  RFDR cameras are a "niche" market, which happens to
> be going through a "boomlet" at the moment.  I'll bet it will sell better
> than the Konica RF because of the Zeiss Ikon brand recognition in 
> association
> with pro quality cameras and pro quality optics.
> 
> 
> Gene McCluney
> who owns Bessa and Leica and Zeiss Contax cameras and likes them all.
> 
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