another digital rangefinder?

[gns]

Here is what I was thinking. Mamiya is making this new ZD "Medium Format" DSLR. I don't know much about it, like when it will be out or if it is any good, and would not want one. But, Mamiya has shown some pretty strong dedication to the rangefinder market with many great cameras. Suppose they took the electronics from this new large chip dslr and built a quality rf around it. Would that be possible or practical? What do you think?

 

[vincentbenoit]

Here is what I was thinking. Mamiya is making this new ZD "Medium Format" DSLR. I don't know much about it, like when it will be out or if it is any good, and would not want one. But, Mamiya has shown some pretty strong dedication to the rangefinder market with many great cameras. Suppose they took the electronics from this new large chip dslr and built a quality rf around it. Would that be possible or practical? What do you think?

Possible and practical, maybe. Expensive, certainly.

 

[StuartR]

Sounds good, but their ZD looks pretty beefy and it is only 645 right? I think if you did it for a Mamiya 7 type body it would make it quite heavy and bulky. The argument in favor of rangefinders is usually their smaller size and better optics compared to the comparable SLR's...in this case I think you would run into the problem of adding a lot of bulk, as well as the same problems that come up with designing the sensor for the digital M. That is, how do you deal with lenses like the 43mm which are extremely close to the film plane (now sensor). The oblique light causes very strong vignetting. Though I am no engineer, I think we are probably still pretty far from a medium format digital rangefinder...I think it needs to be mastered in 35mm before any MF stuff can be realistic.