This sounds a lot like a digital rangefinder... from Canon?!

[allthumbs]

From the Canon A700 press release:

"In a first for a 6x optical zoom digital compact camera, the PowerShot A700 features a real-image optical viewfinder, allowing fast framing and precise manual focusing without the LCD."

Emphs mine. Manual focusing through an optical viewfinder...that's got to be a typo, right?

And ISO 800... I hope a speed race replaces the various size races. It's about time.

 

[RML]

Seeing is believing. 🙂

 

[Finder]

Sounds like a fixed lens SLR.

 

[wyk_penguin]

Sounds like the viewfinder is one of those EVFs (electronic viewfinder)

 

[Derkduit@xs4all]

Overhere they say it doesn't have a EVF

http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/camera/specification/1228/show.html

But is doesn't look like a rangefinder...

 

[Doug]

Maybe the AF provides a focus confirmation in the viewfinder?

 

[hth]

Most likely a typo and definitely not an RF, there are only a single viewfinder window on front.

I do not think there will be an affordable digital RF anytime soon. The market for such camera is too small, which means the few that will come will be niche products at a high price.

I have decided to relax and get used to it. I will use film and also have a small digicam with good low light performance. In essence, I use RFs for small/decent size, excellent manual control and good low light capability. I will never buy an expensive digital RF. If I can get all except excellent manual control in a digital camera, why bother dreaming when I cannot afford it?

That Fuji F30 seems interesting..

/Håkan

 

[Trius]

Yeah, optical means <> EVF. I'm kind of intersted in the new Olympus E-330. Not an RF, but with a real-time LCD that they dub "Live View". The LCD can be twisted and turned for viewing from a variety of shooting positions and needs. The form factor of the camera is more like an RF, and the body will be priced at $999. I'm not sold on the 4/3 sensor size and the market viability of the format, but I'm watching carefully. I have a bunch of Zuiko glass, and I think my chances at financing a digital RF is very low unless I sell off a bunch of other stuff.

 

[Rob]

From the Canon A700 press release:

"In a first for a 6x optical zoom digital compact camera, the PowerShot A700 features a real-image optical viewfinder, allowing fast framing and precise manual focusing without the LCD."

Emphs mine. Manual focusing through an optical viewfinder...that's got to be a typo, right?

And ISO 800... I hope a speed race replaces the various size races. It's about time.


Dont get too excited its not a rangefinder. Canon calls all their viewfinders real image optical viewfinders...First mention of manual focus without the LCD tho... Lot of discussion of this camera on Dpreview. No one likes it just from the specs...Claimed to be the flagship of the Canon powershot A series...No way, they took out several good features of the A620 and it really should be called the A600 as its a lesser model than the A620.

 

[yossarian]

T2 type focusing?

T2 type focusing?

The Contax T2 maintained its "electronic rangefinder" for aid in manual focusing. Red
arrows and the usual green dot aided the operation which was controlled by the dial
atop the camera. If Canon has managed something like that, they have my respect.

Fred

 

[jano]

Most likely a typo and definitely not an RF, there are only a single viewfinder window on front.

What if the second "window" is through the lens? Does it HAVE to be seperate from the lens?

 

[jlw]

The specs table on DPReview definitely says the focusing system is TTL, as on all other consumer digicams.

Based on that, I agree that what Canon means is that the camera has a conventional zooming optical viewfinder and some kind of in-finder indicator (or possibly just a scale) for manual focusing. Nice if you like that sort of thing, but no biggie, and certainly not the same as an optical rangefinder.

There'd be no way to use a zoom lens as the second window of an optical rangefinder focusing system -- it'd be too hard to keep primary and secondary images in sync.

 

[allthumbs]

My pessimistic guess right now is that these days "focus" is a euphemism for "zoom", and that even if they do mean manual focus, they mean manual focus via pushbuttons, which is not what I want at all.

No matter what, though, I applaud any digicam maker for bucking the trend of useless, vestigial, or nonexistent optical finders. If this finder is as precise as Canon claims, that's a big step forward. Or backward. In a good way.