What new Voigtlander RF or SLR product would you like to see?

new voigtlander... a periflex

new voigtlander... a periflex

We need something unique, and so I thought, what would be different and useful and fill a gap in the film camera pantheon.

In the 1950-s Corfield, of Wolverhampton, England, ( I doubt if there is another Wolverhampton anywhere) built an M39 camera of modest performance: but it had an automatically retracting mirror periscope device that extended down inside the camera where a mirror box on an SLR would be, but just in the central portion.. Et voila (as they don't say in Wolverhampton) you have a pocketable rangefinder size camera with through the lens focussing. Now... couple this with TTL metering, a bright but small pentaprism which allows you to see the central part of the image and.... interchangeable lens mounts so you can resurrect your old SLR lenses of whatever manufacturer they were... it even with a little thought could be made auto stop down and full aperture metering. With the masses of old loveable exquisite bokeh (bokehful?) lenses out there CV would struggle to keep up supply.

If CV (God Bless you for reviving an art form) are out there reading this and you do start producing this . I would like to buy camera No 1 off the production line, with all the possible adapter mounts
 
Mini Digital Shoe Spot Meter

Mini Digital Shoe Spot Meter

A highly profitable item for Bessa could be in my opinion a totally new designed top shoe digital light meter with a very narrow angle and a small built in finder

All you need there is to select either Aperture or Speed priority, so that when you select your exact priority number, BY A SINGLE BUTTON PUSH you will get the counterpart. By susbsequent pushings you will get the other combinations.

No need for flash socket nor incident white dome: Mini Digital Shoe Spot Meter

All the info should be displayed inside the viewing window pointing to the subject. This is crucial for not waisting time. From the meter viewfinder the photog should go directly to adjust his camera settings. If you want to add a secondary top display, thank you - but inside meter viewfinder display comes first.

Dear Cosina friends, consider the following factors:

a) Such a shoe meter doesn't exist. Gossen digisix is a failure and a mess, and a backwards design. Digitalization is compacting more and more. Take a bold initiative.

b) There is no limit to how many meters a photog may buy, provided the meter is good.

c) For such a meter, and for me, $200 ~ $250 will make it unpossible to abstain from purchase.

d) Notice that if the light metering angle will make it alike a Spot only meter, you will be appealing to even a wider public.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
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I too would totally buy a smaller and more compact 35 1.2. Dont know if that's technologically possible, but it'd be sweet as hell. Otherwise I'd love a full frame digital bessa.
 
mknawabi said:
I'd buy a digital bessa instantly
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Boys & Ladies,


I would abstain from commenting about the significance of asking by own will from a nowadays film camera manufacturer to go digital.

But could you explain why should Bessa build for you a digital camera ? What exactly are you expecting that has not been already built ?

Are you talking about a new kind of hybrid, or what ?

Kindly enlighten me.
Ruben
 
Because the Bessa to me is a 'cheap leica'--
it works, it's not as mechanically 'perfected' but it works. And, it works very very well with all of the things you'd need at a great price.

If cosina could come out with a modern digital Bessa with the same kind of philosophy (cheap, modern, gets the job done), then i'd buy it. Build quality wouldnt be a problem to me because i'm not reckless with my gear.

PS: Modern means using a sensor and image processor that can achieve decent noise handling at ISO 1600/3200.. at least what can be achieved by the 5D.

This is flamebait, but with the M8's shortfalls, I don't think it would be very hard to come up with a competitor at a competitive price. Being able to use M-mount lenses sounds like heaven; If cosina can't do it, then I guess I'll have to keep saving up to buy a M8/M9.

I know a lot of you guys are all film fanatics and therefore go out of your way to make excuses why digital sucks and film is oh so good.. I agree, film is great, but digital is great too. Unlike many, however, I don't see what the big deal is for a film camera manufacturer to enter itself into another market, allowing that company to maximize its revenue, gain funding for additional R&D, and crank out even better film cameras (whilst coming out with digital ones as well).


Anyways, I just read the first page and it asked 'besides the digital bessa'..heh. If that's the case, then increase the build quality and the baselength and I'll grab a bessa.
 
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Here's an idea: it has to do with the undersized 50mm frameline in Leicas from the late model M4-P to the present time. While they seem to have reduced the size of all framelines (reportedly to improve accuracy at close distances) the accuracy at medium and long distance has suffered. My M6, M7, and MP finders show, at a subject distance around 13 feet, the same subject area I see in my R6 finder with the 60mm lens fitted! That's just not good enough.

Now, since Leica will never admit this problem, let alone correct it with a better frameline set, Would Cosina like to make a lens of around 60mm to use with late model leicas having undersized 50mm framelines? They could start with something modest, like a well-corrected 60mm f/2 or f/2.5, and then offer faster models according to the demand that sales of the first version suggest.

I'd buy one.

Actually, I think a 60mm f/1.4 would be the way to go. I'd sell my 50/1.4 Summilux for it.
 
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I've not read through the whole thread so if someone's already come up with this, sorry :)

The light meter LEDs replicated on the top casing (in the style of Yashica Electro GTN/GSN) as well as the viewfinder. An easy feature to factor into production, should hardly affect the price, and VERY useful (could even be switchable)

Heavier-duty construction, metal rather than plastic, brass rather than aluminium etc

The film-advance lever less likely to catch on camera bags
 
Rob-F said:
Now, since Leica will never admit this problem, let alone correct it with a better frameline set, Would Cosina like to make a lens of around 60mm to use with late model leicas having undersized 50mm framelines? They could start with something modest, like a well-corrected 60mm f/2 or f/2.5, and then offer faster models according to the demand that sales of the first version suggest.

I'd buy one.
Click to expand...
Or, in the meantime, you could track down and buy one of these. Yes, you'll need the appropriate M-mount adapter, but you'd be set.



- Barrett
 
A longer RF base...to compete with the length of the Zeiss Ikon. No use in having a stupidly fast 50 if you can't focus it. What about a carbon fiber shutter damped with carbon in the opposite direction so the shutter is super quiet but can tolerate really fast sync speeds?

Otherwise I really agree with the offerings they have and the price points they hit. Their lenses are really pretty...just getting my first rolls back today after shooting a 28/3.5 and the 15/4.5. Once their prices start to ascend, will they continue to do that? I hope not.
 
Huge list here. Can't read them all so pardon if redundant. But I thought I'd add a few.

How about some nice low light MF lenses in Panasonic Micro-4/3rds mount? Obviously there are adapters out, but what about the classic triple of 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm (14mm, 18mm, and 25mm) in something like f1.9 or something. No viewfinder to worry about, so the lens could be shaped like a flower pot if need be to get the speed. Bokeh would be the primary consideration as well as color saturation.

A VC meter that had an auto read out like a Sekonic Flashmate L308. No fiddly dials that only a young person can read. Punch, read, set, go. Read out on the back of the meter, or with a see-thru viewfinder like a spot meter.

A multi-finder with a rectangular aperture that closed down to various focal lengths with a twist of a ring around the eyepiece. 28 - 35 - 50 or 21 - 28 - 35. Nice click stops on ring.

An inexpensive Tri-Elmar.

An M-mount focusing helical with adjustments that allowed for lens hacks using a variety of lens heads, including Viso, LF lenses, and other things.

And a pony and a Red Rider BB gun, and and and.....
 
The British made Perriflex was a good idea but I thought it was more like in the mid sixties. At any rate they seemed to have problems keeping the perriscope mirror in correct alignment, and like the screw mount Leicas you had to move your eye back and forth between the focusing eyepiece and the viewfinder eyeiece.

I think the BB gun was Red Ryder, with a "Y".
 
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