RML said:
Taipei-Metro, people also called mr K nuts to revive the Voigtlander brand. Perhaps it wasn't a definite financial success but it wasn't a failure, even though everyone and his granny had predicted so. Besides, success isn't always measure in money, which is what you seem to think (at least, I get that idea from reading your posts on the viability of a digital M).
If I want the best bang for my buck I'd stick with some cheap B&W film (Efke, or perhaps the Chinese film Bill is researching), a cheap FED-2 or Zorki, or a cheap 20 year old SLR, and a cheap 50mm lens. I have that at home:a nice Praktica MTL-5B with a nice 50/1.8 lens; and a nice FED-2 or Zorki 4 with sweet Jupiter-8 50mm. However, I don't use them because they don't suit my shooting style. The Bessas, my M2 and my R-D1 do suit my style. And the R-D1, though it's an incredibly expensive piece of gear, suits me best. Yes, it might develop hick-ups and such but until that time I'll use it to the fullest. If the R-D1 ever dies on me, and there's a digital M out that I can afford, I might get that instead. 10 Mpix and 1.3x crop is enough for me. I don't even really need the preview screen, though I've grown accustomed to it on the R-D1. If I really need better for some reason I'll could delve into the wonderous world of MF. A nice Bronica 456 or so would do nice (though I'll need a good MF scanner then). Some people, like me, are crazy and don't care for what's most useful for the large majority of the world but care for what's most useful for them.
Frequent RFF-ers have one side blind loyality for their M, incl. RD1.
I do not care about your shooting "style" nor you care about mine, you may tied up one of your arm and do the shooting, or hired an assistant to change M films, or cock the RD1 shutter lever for you, and claimmed thats your shooting style, I don't care.
What I'm saying in this one-sided Forum is, RD1(or M7 digital) plus a 28 elmarit will be way over $5,000 big clams, the IMAGES produced by these cameras are not worth the money. Your buying expensive gears are not only for photography purpose, but to showing off you're 'different', 'and 'well established financially' dude, same as my older sister buying a $15,000 Catier is not just to chcek 'what time is it?'. If you view photography as 'sports', then all debates are of useless.
What I'm saying, the large amount of $ for defective RD1(if Epson is a car co., RD1 should be 'recalled', big time), or for (NEVER made a digital camera before), Leica digital M7 is going to follow the RD1 road, your purchase of innitial batch of M7 digital is going to be a a waste of $5,000 or more euros, save the money for your daughter's baby grand Yamaha( my daughter has a up-right Yamaha, now she wants a baby grand).
One word, Leica does not have the 'experience' or 'know-how' to make digital M7, mark my word. You're throwing your money away by blind loyality. People buys Delorean when they first came out too, as Joe the moderator describe a guy selling rip-off priced Canon rf 7 for $2,000, NUTS!
As I said before, if spending big bucks for un-worthy M7 digital makes you happy, go ahead be my guest, a chat w your daught make you happy too, now that's priceless.
One poster call me Leica bashing, well, there are bigger Japan bashing, China bashing, Chinese bashing, French bashing (by American media on 'French against the invasion of Iraq')... Leica is in fianancial trouble now, now why it that? Because they don't do 'NOTHING' but re-milking the same M cow.
Digital is not film, M stuffs are 'best' for 50mm or shorter mm photography, should it be a debate here too? You have SLRs, you know what I am talking about.
May Leica die in peace(or take over by Canon?), or you guys's going to ends up owning a massive piece of frequent-repaired junk, ie. RD1 all over again.
Hey, look at Bill, owning a Pentax ist*D, put on that Pentax 31mm 1.9, now, you are in NaGeo magazine photographer league!
FYI, a new 1st*D-S-2 just came out.
Wake up Leica engineers, maybe hire some Pentax people.
This is a view from Taipei.
