Digital Hexar RF ?

To tell the truth, I'd guess it will be a long wait before anyone other than Leica brings out a digital RF. Leica is the only company that has a reason to be really committed to rangefinders. If for no other reason than to hedge their bets on film, they need to stay in the digital game. Cosina had other irons in the fire.

Improvements in digital technology may produce a p&s camera with the size of a rangefinder, an electronic viewfinder with the size, clarity and brightness of a rangefinder, and a built-in zoom with optical quality matching old fashioned primes. I know I'd like one.
 
I don't see either Cosina or Zeiss doing the whole digital thing without a partner to provide electronics, like Epson with the RD-1.

So what about a Cosina body with Zeiss lenses and Sony sensor/branding? That seems vaguely likely (which isn't saying much, considering how unlikely all this DRF talk is)
 
It does sound like a bit of a waste of money, but then it's not my money being wasted and Nikon is free to choose what to do with their money.

Regarding the point of reissue models, well I don't really understand it either - if you want to use a classic you can always use the original, it's not like they're particularly rare or something. Of course there are now many mintish S3s and SPs around that gather dust in collectors' glass cupboards, but that's hardly a market a camera company can sensibly cater to. I just can't figure out what the big deal is.
 
rxmd said:
To be honest Canon isn't particularly nostalgic either, and Nikon's nostalgia hasn't really been paying off in the end from what I hear. Leica is nostalgic, but then nostalgia is their business model.

There won't be any other digital RFs in the near future, within a two- or three-year timeframe at least. No R-D2, no digital Zeiss Ikon, no digital Hexar. It's a niche market, where everyone wants lots of features (full frame etc.), while the low-end customers don't have a lot of money, and the high-end customers have already got M8s. It's not worth it at present. Wait until full-frame sensors become commodified. When the M9 is there in 2010 or so for $7000, some people can stick Noctiluxes in front of them and walk about with $13.000 camera/body combinations, and companies might find that the time is right for a $3000 digital Zeiss Ikon for all the other people, if the sensors are cheap enough by then.

Philipp
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Looks like the ugly truth to me.
 
rxmd said:
To be honest Canon isn't particularly nostalgic either, and Nikon's nostalgia hasn't really been paying off in the end from what I hear. Leica is nostalgic, but then nostalgia is their business model.

There won't be any other digital RFs in the near future, within a two- or three-year timeframe at least. No R-D2, no digital Zeiss Ikon, no digital Hexar. It's a niche market, where everyone wants lots of features (full frame etc.), while the low-end customers don't have a lot of money, and the high-end customers have already got M8s. It's not worth it at present. Wait until full-frame sensors become commodified. When the M9 is there in 2010 or so for $7000, some people can stick Noctiluxes in front of them and walk about with $13.000 camera/body combinations, and companies might find that the time is right for a $3000 digital Zeiss Ikon for all the other people, if the sensors are cheap enough by then.

Philipp
Click to expand...

Now, now, don't ruin it for the dreamers among us :)

Nikon and Cosina has proven that when ideals are met with determination, something good can come out.

I am convinced of one thing, we can't predict human behaviors. In general yes, but splinter groups with money always surprises us. Let's just hope that there are some out there who values the things that we value and actually have the resource to pull it off.
 
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