Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2009/02/17

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Cheaper Leica
From: douglas.sharp at gmx.de (Douglas Sharp)
Date: Tue Feb 17 02:03:51 2009
References: <200902170300.n1H30IaS007669@server1.waverley.reid.org> <7875AF61-89CE-4F46-B685-BFE10DE1B82D@optonline.net> <36172e5a0902162241h19c3de47h7b79ac76190bf796@mail.gmail.com> <8D555D84-5209-44D9-B16F-FA733180E6E6@teleport.com> <36172e5a0902170003oee34f08rbf6cce8f36127102@mail.gmail.com>

Larry,
there's plenty of room in the film chamber for all the electronics you 
could ever need for a camera. removing the take up spool would also 
provude room for the power source.

I'm still rather sad about the eventual failure of the Rollei 3003 
concept, that would have been ideal for an interchangeable digital back. 
(Rollei did have one planned, recording images on a floppy, but it never 
got far beyond the prototype stage).

Geoff,

the "digital film" went the same way as the laser player for vinyl LPs - 
sadly.

Cheers
Douglas

Geoff Hopkinson wrote:
> I actually found the original e-film idea like this I remenbered now, going
> back about 10 years, It was initially going to take 24x 1.3MP shots. The
> vaporwarwe version at the end was meant to capture a 10MP image, that one
> announced back in 2002.
> Never quite made it ;-)
>  Google EFS-1 or EFS10-SF for a peep.
>
> 2009/2/17 Mark Kronquist <mak@teleport.com>
>
>   
>> I have actually tried to homebrew M backs with VERY poor results from MF
>> 4MB Sensors mounted on M back doors as tethered units....
>>
>> On Feb 16, 2009, at 10:41 PM, Geoff Hopkinson wrote:
>>
>> Larry, I think your design concept is safe from any patent infringement!
>>     
>>> OK, put down that 6th triple espresso and back away from the keyboard
>>> slowly
>>> ;-)
>>> We have a saying over here commonly used in a friendly way... Don't give
>>> up
>>> your day job ;-) ;-)
>>>
>>> 2009/2/17 Lawrence Zeitlin <lrzeitlin@optonline.net>
>>>
>>>
>>>       
>>>> On Feb 16, 2009, at 10:00 PM, Geoff wrote:
>>>>
>>>> The 'CL of digital' seems to have popular support on the internet 
>>>> forums.
>>>>
>>>>         
>>>>> It
>>>>> certainly sounds like Leica are hinting in that direction. I don't see
>>>>> what
>>>>> you could remove from the M8 design to make it much simpler though. If
>>>>> that
>>>>> is so, you need a much cheaper to manufacture body with an M mount. If
>>>>> that
>>>>> means an EVF I think it would lose its rangefinder essence.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>           
>>>> Not necessarily. The CL cost much less than the M series Leicas to
>>>> produce.
>>>> They sold retail for about 1/3 the price. I bought one new in 1970 for
>>>> less
>>>> than $400 USD. While I have no definitive knowledge, I suspect that the
>>>> bulk
>>>> of of the cost of the M8 comes from the mechanical and optical parts.
>>>> With a
>>>> digital CL using the mass marketed mini 4/3 components, it could sell 
>>>> for
>>>> considerably less than the M8 yet still use an optical RF system. It all
>>>> depends on whether Leica is making enough money from selling a small
>>>> number
>>>> of expensive M8s or wants to broaden its base by selling many more
>>>> cheaper
>>>> digital CLs. Remember that Leica killed the CL because it was selling 
>>>> too
>>>> many of them and felt that it was cannibalizing sales of the M cameras.
>>>> Perhaps Konica Minolta still has the tooling tucked away in some
>>>> warehouse.
>>>>
>>>> Alternatively Leica, or another supplier, could retrofit existing M
>>>> cameras
>>>> for digital photography by making a 4/3 digital sensor module to replace
>>>> the
>>>> inspection door in the back and incorporate digital electronics in a
>>>> somewhat enlarged base plate. Everything else is already there, the
>>>> shutter,
>>>> the range finder and the view finder. You would have to advance the
>>>> "film"
>>>> normally to cock the shutter. In addition to extending the useful life 
>>>> of
>>>> a
>>>> generation of film cameras, the original back door could be replaced to
>>>> use
>>>> film if desired.
>>>>
>>>> Leica, you can have my suggestion without a fee. I'll even let you have 
>>>> a
>>>> couple of M3s to modify digitally, as long as I can get them back.
>>>>
>>>> Larry Z
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>         
>>> --
>>> Cheers
>>> Geoff
>>> 'Licence to Chill'
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> 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
>>
>>     
>
>
>
>   

Replies: Reply from leica at web-options.com (Bob W) ([Leica] Re: Cheaper Leica)
In reply to: Message from lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin) ([Leica] Re: Cheaper Leica)
Message from hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Re: Cheaper Leica)
Message from mak at teleport.com (Mark Kronquist) ([Leica] Re: Cheaper Leica)
Message from hopsternew at gmail.com (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Re: Cheaper Leica)