Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/09/05

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Subject: [Leica] Re:Skin tone - film vs. digital (not a debate)
From: grduprey at mchsi.com (grduprey@mchsi.com)
Date: Tue Sep 5 22:27:07 2006

Jayanand,

How do you figur using R lenses on a Canon body gives you better 
flexibility?  You are stuck with Aperture metering and stop down viewing, 
unless you shoot wide open all the time.  Where with the DMR you have full 
functionality of all features of both the lenses and body.  I am certainly 
not a rich or well to do user, as 90% of my Leicas are used, but I would 
sell my D200 right now if I could afford the DMR.  I have seen the results 
and for me it is the correct solution.  The fact that 90% of pros use the 
Nikon or Canon solution does not degrade the quality or reasons for using 
the DMR.  If the photog, amateur or pro alike feels it is the solution for 
their photographic criteria, the cost is worth it.  Some here are finding 
the very low cost Pentax K100D is very much their solution.  In this light 
the $8000 Canon would seem to be in the Rich Man's world of pricey toys.  
then there is the world of MF and LF digital backs, they make the DMR seem 
low cost.

gene


-------------- Original message from Jayanand Govindaraj 
<jgovindaraj@eth.net>: -------------- 


> Scott, 
> Did I say "Cost" or "Cost/Benefit"? Your first three points make my case 
> - it is for rich amateurs, for those who buy Hermes ties - if it is of 
> any solace to you, I buy a lot of their ties, its part of my 
> professional get up, and therefore it is essential. But show me where 
> the DMR is in use professionally extensively (there are always a few odd 
> exceptions) . Any guy wanting to use Leica R lenses would logically do 
> so on a Canon body, which gives him overall maximum flexibility. I think 
> the first reason why Leica's cameras get bought is that it is a part of 
> the owners image (especially the a la carte stuff), and not as a 
> professional tool - like a Patek Philippe watch or a Montblanc pen (or 
> Hermes ties!!). It is a perfectly valid reason to own something, but for 
> some strange reason, people dont accept that as their prime motivation... 
> Cheers 
> Jayanand Govindaraj 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Scott McLoughlin wrote: 
> 
> > Wow, you're big on the whole "how much it costs" thing. 
> > 
> > I really do think this is an admirable quality!!!! Many of our 
> > proud, too highly leveraged U.S. consumers could use a healthy 
> > dose of thrift :-) 
> > But different folks find themselves in different economic 
> > situations, especially regarding different things and how they 
> > value them. 
> > 
> > So there are some folks (1) for whom cost is not an issue or 
> > (2) for whom cost is an issue, but starting a higher price points 
> > or (3) for whom cost is not an issue, but only for a select 
> > few product segments in their overall spending habits and of 
> > course (4) for whom nearly any incremental improvement is 
> > very worthwhile, say, professionally, and therefore cost be 
> > damned. 
> > 
> > I hope that makes sense. I guess one could say that whether 
> > or not a DMR is important and worth it depends very much on 
> > the person, their economic resources, what they value and 
> > hence, how they allocate those resources. 
> > 
> > Scott 
> > 
> > p.s. Over on photo.net, when folks would continually ask whether 
> > or not they "should" buy a Leica, I always chimed in that reason 
> > #1 should be "I can afford it." Then it's safe to consider the other 
> > reasons. 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Jayanand Govindaraj wrote: 
> > 
> >> Dont you think, in the world of professional photography (Doug Herr 
> >> excepted), that the DMR is irrelevant? If cost/benefit does not enter 
> >> an equation, then it is just an instrument for rich amateurs to gush 
> >> over each other, like Linn turntables or Lamborghinis - a status 
> >> symbol, to be sold at a high price, in low quantities, to keep the 
> >> cachet alive. Classic Hermes marketing. I have yet to read a 
> >> comparision of the DMR with anything anywhere, either in print or 
> >> online, in a non specialist site. A Leica rangefinder is pretty 
> >> unique, a Leica SLR much less so. 
> >> Cheers 
> >> Jayanand Govindaraj 
> >> Chennai, India 
> >> 
> >> David Young wrote: 
> >> 
> >>> Felix wondered: 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>>>> What's the nature of the difference 
> >>>>> > between the DMR and a D70/D200? 
> >>>> 
> >>>> 
> >>>> 
> >>>> Cost? 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> There is, obviously, a firmware difference between the Nikon and 
> >>> Leica digital cameras/backs. I like the colouring of both, though 
> >>> the DMR seems to be closer to a Kodachrome... more muted colours 
> >>> than,say, Fujichrome, but a wee bit more accurate, too. 
> >>> 
> >>> But the HUGE difference is that every APS-C format digital SLR out 
> >>> of Japan has an Anti-Alaising filter, to reduce Moire patterns in 
> >>> the photos. The DMR, in keeping with it's MF format heritage (it 
> >>> was designed my Imacon - the big 6x6 camera back maker), does not 
> >>> have one, and used software to solve the problem, if need be. As AA 
> >>> filters work by making the final image a bit "fuzzier" (for lack of 
> >>> a better word) the DMR will deliver much finer detail than any of 
> >>> the Japanese DSLRs - pixel for pixel. 
> >>> 
> >>> As a result, the DMR is most often compared with the 16 mpixel Canon 
> >>> 1DS MkII, in terms of resolution. Not bad for a 10.2 mpixel camera 
> >>> back. :-) 
> >>> 
> >>> And, of course, the DMR accepts Leica glass. True, the Canon's will 
> >>> do that, with an appropriate adapter, but only with stop down 
> >>> metering and no auto-diaphragm. 
> >>> 
> >>> And when you compare the 1 DS MkII, to the Leica R9 with DMR, even 
> >>> new, the Leica is not a lot more, so I'm not sure cost enters into 
> >>> an "apples to apples" comparison. 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> --- 
> >>> 
> >>> David Young, 
> >>> Logan Lake, CANADA 
> >>> 
> >>> Wildlife Photographs: http://www.telyt.com/ 
> >>> Personal Web-pages: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >>> _______________________________________________ 
> >>> Leica Users Group. 
> >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information 
> >>> 
> >>> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> 
> >> _______________________________________________ 
> >> Leica Users Group. 
> >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information 
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________ 
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> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information