Jeff Ascough under NDA for new Rangefinder

[kevin m]

I think the April fool's joke is that it's meant to look like an April fool's joke! Think about it

Well, it's the only thing that could salvage this nonsense at this point.

 

[squirrel$$$bandit]

OK, I have to ask, since this April Fool's thing will not go away. What would be the point of a "joke" like this? Most people aren't especially invested in rangefinders except for this board, and the Leica user board...this guy isn't a member of this community...and he has a highly successful business to maintain, not to mention professional ties to a major camera manufacturer.

Non-losers do not perpetrate internet hoaxes. It would just be stupid. It would be the most obscure imaginable joke, and if you got suckered in, well, so what, because there are half a dozen other great small cameras on the market right now, so who cares.

Right?

Well, I stand corrected. "Luminance Optimized Optical Framelines" has convinced me--this is an unbelievably lame joke. It's like...one of the only photographers in America who actually can make a decent living is mocking all the hobbyists? Nasty.

 

[Kevin]

Well, I stand corrected. "Luminance Optimized Optical Framelines" has convinced me--this is an unbelievably lame joke. 😡

Aren't asian companies known for giving new technologies funny names? Think about "Vibration Reduction", "Dust Suppression" and "Supersonic Wave Filter" as just three of many examples.

 

[Keith]

If this does turn out to be a 'wind up' and it is starting to look that way sadly, it's bad form IMO and he'll be going in the same mental compartment I created for Ken Rockwell a while ago ... Ken needs company he can relate to after all! 😛

 

[Pickett Wilson]

The issue is, how much of this was his original tweet and how much has been added by others as it has made the rounds?

Although, if it isn't his game, why hasn't he spoken out about it?

 

[Keith]

It's a bit more than a tweet ... this is from his latest blog entry dated 31/03/10:

AF RF update

I'm still having issues with hosting some images. The camera company aren't happy about them being hosted on a third party site, so we are looking at the option of upgrading my server to keep up with the massive traffic that the pics demonstrated.

I've had a couple of emails about the camera, and I can tell you a couple of things which I think are important. The high iso is really good, especially if you use the different picture modes that are built into the camera. The HCB/Tri-X mode is really good, and with the camera connected up to the computer you can tweak the tonal curve and noise reduction in that mode to get a really authentic black and white image straight out of camera. These can be saved as presets within the camera.

The framelines and AF are the biggest thing for me. The camera uses a system which the manufacturers call Luminance Optimized Optical Framelines. Basically the framelines alter size depending on focus distance, and they also get brighter or darker depending on the outside light. This makes seeing them a lot easier especially in the dark which was always an issue with standard Rangefinders.

Hopefully I'll be able to get some more pics up within the next 24-48 hours.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

What link are you going to?

If it's AF, it isn't an RF by definition.

 

[Keith]

What link are you going to?

If it's AF, it isn't an RF by definition.

http://jeffascough.typepad.com/af_rangefinder_blog/

 

[Kevin]

If it's AF, it isn't an RF by definition.

The blog implies that this cam supports both types of focusing: AF like the Contax G and MF like a classic rangefinder.

My Contax 645AF also supports hybrid focussing. I can autofocus and then fine-tune manually on the lens barrel or forgo AF altogether!

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I don't understand why a camera company would care where they were hosted. Once they are posted, it really doesn't matter where they live.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

So the Contax has autofocus and a conventional rangefinder built in? Haven't used one.

 

[andredossantos]

I was convinced this was a joke as soon as I read "HCB/Tri-X mode". LOL

 

[Kevin]

Not quite. The Contax is a medium-format SLR shaped kind of like a Hassy. It has AF but the lens has a focus ring which you can use as well, even in AF mode.

 

[morgan]

i'm hoping for the cindy sherman mode - it puts your face on whomever is in the shot.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

The other odd thing is that he talks about in his latest entry the massive bandwidth the photos took when they were posted. Yet, nobody seems to have actually seen them, so who was creating the massive bandwidth draw he claims?

 

[Paul T.]

The other odd thing is that he talks about in his latest entry the massive bandwidth the photos took when they were posted. Yet, nobody seems to have actually seen them, so who was creating the massive bandwidth draw he claims?

NOt odd. Just half-assed.

His photographic skills certainly exceed his comedic gift.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Yeah. Pretty lame idea.

 

[Renzsu]

"Luminance Optimized Optical Framelines" = LOOF, or FOOL backwards. 😉

Hah, ok that's it.. I'll check back in on April 2nd, no more of this nonsense for me 🙄

 

[rover]

Do you guys think this new thing will help lower my golf handicap? The only group of gear junkies worst than us cameraphiles are golfers. Try living with that double affliction.

 

[akarin]

Well, I'm still holding out for the chance that this is true, however slim it may seem now, but prepare for the worst joke I've ever heard.