Fixed lens digital rangefinder options

[stephen_lumsden]

Hi

I plan to stick with my Contax/Kiev options and MF stuff for a good while yet, but I would like to get rid of the rest of my 35mm stuff, which prompts me to ask:

Is there or are there any plans to bring out a fixed lens digital RF, with s.t. like the equivalent of the 40mm lens thats on the Canonet QL17, Rollei afm 35 or Leica Minilux. preferably wiyth a big sensor, so one can get the bokah effect easily. I know there is somewhat of an option on 28mm now with Ricoh/Sigma, but an 40-45mm lens would be more practical, and I do not have the money or interest to be shelling out big bucks on an M8 just to get the digi equivalent of my Rollei afm35 or Canonet.

Just some thoughts.

regards

Stephen

 

[Bromo33333]

I know there is somewhat of an option on 28mm now with Ricoh/Sigma, but an 40-45mm lens would be more practical, and I do not have the money or interest to be shelling out big bucks on an M8 just to get the digi equivalent of my Rollei afm35 or Canonet.

I think the digital equivalent of the RF is the Live LCD - like on a number of cameras. Non-zoom is not very popular, so that will limit your options if you think you need that.

I have been impressed with the Sony DSC-R1 - it has a zoom, but it is fixed, has an APS sized sensor, 10 mega-pixels. Nice, though a little plastickey - but given the 5 year sshelf life of mosy digicams, this is probably OK.

If you want fixed lenses, I think Ricoh and Sigma are your best bets, unless you want to get with a DSLR or DSLR-oid camera (Like the Olympus E-330) and get a prime lens to put on it...

 

[jlw]

There is no digital rangefinder camera (i.e., a camera focused via an optical rangefinder) with a fixed lens. The only digital rangefinder cameras are the Epson R-D 1 (available now) and the Leica M8 (announced, but so far available only to pop stars, photo celebs, and selected reviewers.)

Since nobody any longer makes a fixed-lens rangefinder film camera because of the prohibitive labor costs involved, I can't see it as likely that someone would make a digital version of this now-extinct camera type. The precision required to make an optical rangefinder/viewfinder module is so expensive that the relatively low additional cost to add interchangeable lenses makes this feature almost a no-brainer.