Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/10/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Most of the most of the Bessa R3's were in the $600+/- range IIRC, or about $900 with a normalish lens. Maybe that's where the 900 figure came from - with lens. Tom Schofield On Oct 9, 2006, at 4:13 AM, Don Dory wrote: > Jayanand, > Interesting, the price Stephen told me last week was higher. Mr. > Kobyashi > must have gotten better estimates from the factory floor after > Stephen came > back. Good news nonetheless. > > Don > don.dory@gmail.com > > > On 10/8/06, Jayanand Govindaraj <jgovindaraj@eth.net> wrote: >> >> Don, >> According to Stephen Gandy - $649. >> Cheers >> Jayanand >> >> Don Dory wrote: >> >> > First, I think that the upcoming wide angle vewfinder >> Voigtlander is a >> > really big deal. The usual wide angle lenses showing without an >> > accessory >> > viewfinder will get me out of the Leica fold. Price will be around >> > $900 if >> > memory serves. >> > >> > Second, lets get real about the viewfinder for the new Tri- >> Elmar. It >> > shows >> > a very clear, very low distortion image with parallax compensation. >> > It has >> > good eye relief. It is smaller than a MR meter that a lot of folks >> used. >> > No, it doesn't affect the balance of the camera, especially with >> the >> > Tri-Elmar attached. Please try before you complain. The images I >> > took with >> > the pre-production Tri-Elmar at 16-18-21 looked pretty good to >> me wide >> > open >> > on my M6. If it looks good full frame then it will look good on >> an M8. >> > >> > The folks at Leica were pretty sure that the shipping version of >> the >> > firmware would come out on October 15th giving the good folks in >> Solms >> > time >> > to check, verify, and upload to shipping cameras. And, based on >> the >> many >> > boxes of demo cameras sitting at the factory, they have a pretty >> good >> > idea >> > of what needs to happen. >> > >> > I will echo others that the display of all the Leica goodies >> glued to >> > stands >> > was great fun, was full all the time, and had some young folk >> looking >> > very >> > interested. Between halls Leica had a riser set up with a good >> > selection of >> > cameras, lenses, and sport optics designed with a enough light and >> > space so >> > that you could really come to terms with the equipment. >> > >> > Zeiss is doing some really nice things for the M mount. I had a >> > chance to >> > shoot with the Sonnar 1.5, the Biogon 21, and the Biogon 25. I >> prefer >> > the >> > 50 Summilux ASPH to the Sonnar 1.5, but the Sonnar does a >> really, really >> > good job of imaging with a pretty flat field, good rendition of >> fine >> > detail, >> > and good off center abilities. I prefer the Summilux because it >> has >> > better >> > really fine detail capture, better contrast, and does better at >> really >> > close >> > distances; but you pay almost three times the price for that >> relatively >> > small improvement. The Biogon 21 is a winner and will probably >> find >> > its way >> > into my bag as the 21 SA won't image well on a digital. >> > >> > I used the 25 Biogon extensively as a fellow LHSA member loaned me >> > his. It >> > is a very nice lens with good detail capture and I loved the 1/3 >> > stops. But >> > just like the 50, the 24 ASPH has a little more contrast, better >> > capture of >> > really fine detail, and a flatter field. Again, not loads >> better, but >> > noticeably better at a steep price. >> > >> > For the Pentax shooters out there, the new 10MP is a real >> winner. Small >> > changes to the controls but an improved finder and a very nice >> vertical >> > grip. With a price under $900 and acces to all those lovely lenses >> > including the new Zeiss offerings it is mighty tempting. >> > >> > The new 50mm F1.2 Canon is an extremely well built lens that focus >> > quickly. >> > Image quality through the viewfinder is very good and field >> flatness is >> > quite good. Finally Canon has a good 50mm both optically and >> > mechanically. >> > Tina and Ted will love this lens as you can use 3200 ISO and 1.2. >> > >> > Sony is really building on the Alpha mount. They were showing a >> good >> > 70-200 >> > F2.8 and a 300 F2.8 both of which cover full frame images. The 300 >> > was at >> > least a re-design of the old Minolta lens. >> > >> > Olympus was showing an addition to their 4/3 system that was >> proportioned >> > more like a film camera than the other E series. If memory >> serves it >> was >> > 10MP with a good viewfinder. I am sorry to be so brief but the >> number >> of >> > cameras was small and the line was long, boisterous, and quite >> rude. >> > >> > Rollei offered a new IR film that did not need to be loaded in >> the dark. >> > Not as grainy as Kodak's but a similar response to filtration and a >> > similar >> > tendency to halate. >> > >> > The real fun of walking all ten halls was seeing all the wierdness. >> > Strange >> > ball heads, software to fix any ill, models dressed as space aliens >> > walking >> > to break, tripods of all shapes, leg number, material, lock >> mechanism, >> > half >> > a hall filled with telescopes, half a hall filled with inkjet paper >> > manufacturers and more to fill a book. Unlike others, I will >> probably >> go >> > back for two days next time as the international efforts are a >> little >> > more >> > entertaining than at PMA. >> > >> > Don >> > don.dory@gmail.com >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > 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 >> > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information