Jeff Ascough under NDA for new Rangefinder

[dcsang]

Remember, there are less than 10 vaild, reasonable, sensor makers.

Out of those sensor makers, who could either make or want to make a Rangefinder camera?

Which companies have experience in such devices? Leica, Canon, Nikon, Konica, Cosina/Voigtlander/Zeiss, and Fuji (via xpan and "new" Bessa III)

It could be a Canon if it has a Canon sensor.
It could be a Nikon if it has a Sony sensor (Nikon doesn't make their own sensors currently to the best of my knowledge)
It could be a Leica if it contains another Kodak sensor
Don't know who would sell Konica a sensor even if they made a camera.
Same goes for Cosina/Voigtlander/Zeiss - BUT they do have previous experience via Epson's RD-1.

There are plenty of options here.
We can all hope for one thing or the other but I would really think that everyone's hoping that this is not an April Fool's joke 🙂

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Nigel Meaby]

Why would it not be in the realms of a possible canon product? I said i wasn't going to speculate but thinking about it we have micro 4/3rds from Panasonic and Olympus which are probably eating into the Canon G series sales. The G series are not a million miles away from a rangefinder type camera. Why wouldn't Canon take it to a new level and produce a real "game changer"?

 

[ZeissFan]

I don't understand why anyone would think it was a Fuji. I think they exited the 35mm rangefinder market in the 1960s and the number of interchangeable-lens 35mm rangefinders produced by Fuji totals ... um ... zero.

But I'll qualify this by saying that anything is possible, even if it's unlikely.

By the way, I'm increasingly thinking the blogger is pulling a fast one on everyone. Guess we'll know tomorrow.

And since when does a blogger make a product announcement and not the manufacturer?

 

[dcsang]

And since when does a blogger make a product announcement and not the manufacturer?

Mike,

You neglect the fact that this is not just a "blogger".
You may have never heard of Jeff Ascough but he is a well respected and popular wedding photojournalist who's been shooting Leica M's for years (only recently - in the last 4-5 years tops moving to Canon DSLRs). 🙂

Cheers,
Dave

 

[snausages]

A(pril) F(ools) Rangefinder. Grumble grumble...

 

[Kevin]

Because Ascough is a wedding photographer and wedding photographers loved the Fuji DSLRs for their dynamic range. Also, Fuji hasn't brought out any new professional digital cameras for some time.

If it's not a Fuji then it could be a Nikon. Or a Canon.

 

[Paul T.]

Remember, there are less than 10 vaild, reasonable, sensor makers.

Out of those sensor makers, who could either make or want to make a Rangefinder camera?

Which companies have experience in such devices? Leica, Canon, Nikon, Konica, Cosina/Voigtlander/Zeiss, and Fuji (via xpan and "new" Bessa III)

It could be a Canon if it has a Canon sensor.
It could be a Nikon if it has a Sony sensor (Nikon doesn't make their own sensors currently to the best of my knowledge)
It could be a Leica if it contains another Kodak sensor
Don't know who would sell Konica a sensor even if they made a camera.
Same goes for Cosina/Voigtlander/Zeiss - BUT they do have previous experience via Epson's RD-1.

Cheers,
Dave

If we're going to speculate.... which let's face it, is fun:

1: Sony provided the R-D1 sensor.
2: Sony own the Konica name.
3: According to Stephen Gandy, "Konica had working Hexar RF Digital prototypes [ready before] the 2004 PMA show.
4: Sony desperately need credibility in the pro camera world.

I place my 50 cent bet on the fact it is an automated RF like the G2, designed by the Hexar design house, with a Sony sensor.

 

[Ming Rider]

Uhmm.

AutoFocus Rangefinder. Isn't that an oxymoron?

 

[dcsang]

Uhmm.

AutoFocus Rangefinder. Isn't that an oxymoron?

That is what the Contax G1 and G2 were called 😀

Cheers,
Dave

 

[dcsang]

A(pril) F(ools) Rangefinder. Grumble grumble...

ya ya.. a lot of folks here are ignoring that obvious (and maybe inevitable) possibility 😉

Cheers,
Dave

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Apparently this "tweet" was picked up from a google cache and was actually made on March 19, before he protected his twitter account. So it's hard to tell what is going on.

But if it's AF, it's not an M mount, and who cares about still another new camera mount.

 

[dcsang]

Apparently this "tweet" was picked up from a google cache and was actually made on March 19, before he protected his twitter account. So it's hard to tell what is going on.

The plot thickens . . .

Dave

 

[snausages]

Six months ago, Ascough wrote a lengthy entry on his blog about his conversion (for weddings) to SLR from RF's. It'd make sense for a happy, well-employed SLR shooter to poke fun at RF shooters with an April Fools joke. The speculation on this thread is fun and funny and I'm not sure how Ascough's reputation would be fazed by having titillated a few hundred RF enthusiasts. His "AF Rangefinder Blog" doesn't even link from his website - seems very much like a targeted prank. Here's some of what he wrote on October 11:

The problem for me now, is that I much prefer through the lens shooting, and the current range of Canon DSLR's are far more suited to my work and I'll try to explain why.

With a rangefinder you look through a viewfinder and roughly compose the image using superimposed framelines which change depending on the lens attached to the camera; this has the advantage of allowing the photographer to see the image at the moment of exposure and also to see elements outside of the frame - useful in situations when people are moving in and out of the frame.

The disadvantage is that you can never really tell how the image is going to relate to the lens. You have no idea of how the lens 'sees' the image; no idea of lens compression, depth of field, or how a wide angle interprets the scene. The actual image you see through the viewfinder is essentially the same regardless of whether you have a wide angle or a telephoto attached to the camera. The only feedback you have on a lens is the field of view given by the frame lines.

My work involves a lot of accurate compositional elements - it is part of my style, and I need to know that what I see through the lens will be translated correctly into print. With Leica film cameras I heavily used a 50mm lens along with a 0.85 viewfinder as it offered the most accurate field of view for my eye. Don't get me wrong, I loved that combination of camera, lens and viewfinder and adored the images I achieved with it, but when digital hit and I took up SLR shooting again, suddenly a whole new world opened up with both wide angle and telephoto optics. This in turn allowed me to take my images to a completely different level - especially with wide angles. With a rangefinder, composing images with ultra wide lenses is almost impossible to do with any accuracy, even with the various viewfinder attachments that are available.​

http://jeffascough.typepad.com/jeff_ascough_blog/2009/10/rangefinder-photography.html

 

[Phillym]

I would love love love to see a new digital rangefinder by Nikon or Cosina with an M mount but with new prime Auto Focus lenses. It would certainly wake up Leica and either make them come to the come to the price party by either increasing production and or adding product or making less profit on what they now offer.

either way......a win win situation for the consumer.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

The thing that is interesting is that Ascough could easily comment on all this furor on his blog, but has remained silent. Which leads me to believe he may be enjoying it. 🙂

 

[FS Vontz]

I hope when he says "brand new" he just means brand new to him. That would really piss off all you junkies, wouldn't it?

 

[aizan]

What style of camera can compensate for focus shift?

autofocus cameras!

i don't want to derail this thread, so here's a link:

http://www.imx.nl/photo/leica/camera/M8/M8/page26.html

 

[Kevin]

According to Stephen Gandy, "Konica had working Hexar RF Digital prototypes [ready before] the 2004 PMA show.

That's also a strong possibility - a digital Hexar AF!

It could also be the highly anticipated Sigma DP3 with interchangeable lenses, electronic viewfinder and full-frame Foveon sensor!

 

[Pickett Wilson]

If he's really posting all of this stuff, I'm guessing nobody will trust his signature on an NDA again. 🙂

 

[danielschwartzkopf]

If he's really posting all of this stuff, I'm guessing nobody will trust his signature on an NDA again. 🙂

(assuming this is real)

NDAs vary in scope. If it is the goal of the manufacturer to gain some viral internet interest, then I see nothing wrong with instructing testers that they may reveal they are testing a new X-type camera and the only restriction being they cannot give exact specifications, names, or share images with real exif data. Jeff is a professional, he isn't a moron who would jeopardize his relationship with any company just to leak some news on his own.

(of course, again, assuming it is real)