Who... Digital BESSA R5

[Sonnar2]

To me it'll be a nightmare.. especially in situations like bright light or in a crowded place or even in a simple street photography shot.
Moreover how big would this screen have to be?

As with most revolutionary things, there would be some people there who don't like it. Of course the preview-screens, as we have mostly now, needs to enhance a bit in quality. I thing like a loupe (one touch on/off) needs to be there too. As for size, if we'll come back to the state where most controls are on the topside of the camera, then there is quite a whole backside of a camera room for it.. shouldn't be enough AFAIK...

 

[Sparrow]

What do you mean with this? I do not understand your point.. you mean that one should you the preview LCD to focus? To me it'll be a nightmare.. especially in situations like bright light or in a crowded place or even in a simple street photography shot.
Moreover how big would this screen have to be? Are you suggesting to go back to the TLRs style with no viewfinder? 😱

I don't think this will work.
Rob.

EVF patch in an otherwise optical finder?

😉

 

[Sonnar2]

Sonnar2, I don't recommend the M mount be one of them. It is the M mount lenses that have Leica jumping through hoops to make a digital sensor work in an interchangeable lens rangefinder body.

You could be right. Some already predicted full-format to be dead. Maybe the future is in small sensors, short registration (without SLR mirror, of course) and focal lengths (smaller and cheaper lenses). In this case we can hope for interchangable lensmounts and adapters

 

[Roberto]

You could be right. Some already predicted full-format to be dead. Maybe the future is in small sensors, short registration (without SLR mirror, of course) and focal lengths (smaller and cheaper lenses). In this case we can hope for interchangable lensmounts and adapters

In fact, other than having no conversion factor, why do we want a full frame sensor?

😕

 

[Roberto]

It's part of the box Leica is in. People want their investment in legacy Leica stuff preserved.

"I want a full frame digital Leica M, but I want to maintain access to every M or screw mount lens Leica has ever made. I paid $5,000 for that Noctilux, Leica, and you better not obsolete it! Oh, and that M better look exactly like an M3."

Leica's wall.

Yes.. in fact it makes sense, I'm not a sensor expert at all, but, as a general question.. what if a *non* full frame sensor will be available with higher quality of *any* full frame?

 

[Sonnar2]

In fact, other than having no conversion factor, why do we want a full frame sensor?

Because of the myth of full frame. At a smaller extend, for sake of OOF area as well. Bigger format, smaller depth of field (as LF photogs. know)

The performance of a small sensor is limited by the wavelength of light. But this is the case for a mobile phone camera, not any 4/3 standard camera.

 

[parsec1]

Didn't I hear some company in the states was researching a film style digital cassette that would drop into any 35mm film camera. Something similar to the old 126 cartridge ?

 

[giellaleafapmu]

I am rather waiting for a decent digital point and shot. Say a fixed lens camera with a bright lens of focal roughly equivalent to a 35mm on 135 based on the 4/3 system...
I think Olympus announched something like that sometimes but...

GLF

 

[Roberto]

I am rather waiting for a decent digital point and shot. Say a fixed lens camera with a bright lens of focal roughly equivalent to a 35mm on 135 based on the 4/3 system...
I think Olympus announched something like that sometimes but...

GLF

Something like a Digital Canonet or similar? 😀

 

[Sonnar2]

I have such a camera. A Casio with 5MP and Canon f/2 zoom lens. Quite cheapo 2nd hand. Just a bit slow when shooting. All the closeups of my camera website are taken with it, mainly at f/2.8 - f/4.

 

[giellaleafapmu]

I have such a camera. A Casio with 5MP and Canon f/2 zoom lens. Quite cheapo 2nd hand. Just a bit slow when shooting. All the closeups of my camera website are taken with it, mainly at f/2.8 - f/4.

I don't know much about Casios but I strongly suspect that the sensor is not exactly the kind of size I would like to have...

And - Yes - I would like to have a sort of digital Canonet/Rollei 35/Miu...Leica I whatever with a lens designed specifically for the digital sensor and all things optimized to be digital.

When Barnack designed the ur-Leica he did not take a view camera lens and retrofit it to a small format box, he redisigned the whole thing from scratch, even the shutter (which could have easily been a leaf shutter) was redisigned, I don't know why now so many people would like a new sensor in an old design...

My dream would be as follows:

- Acceptable size sensor (4/3 or larger),
- Decently fast lens (this also depends on the sensor's size for reasonably shallow depth of field), either a moderate wide-angle or a short zoom (modern designs can produce really good quality constant aperture zooms),
- Possibility to manual focus, either with a rangefinder or with an electronic finder, plus fine on screen focus (á la Olympus E-series).
- Silent mode (is it so difficult to get as quite as the original Hexar?).

Of course I would not mind to have a real system (something like a the Contax G series) but maybe that would be so expensive that no manifacturer would seriously consider such a design...a fixed lens would be fine.

GLF

 

[jwhitley]

The performance of a small sensor is limited by the wavelength of light. But this is the case for a mobile phone camera, not any 4/3 standard camera.

Practically speaking, I'll pose that small sensors will be more limited by random photosite noise factors than light wavelength. Large sensors win from multiple angles here: If the small sensor has "enough" pixels, the large sensor can have larger photosites, thus less noise. If the small sensor doesn't have "enough" pixels, the larger has room for more. These advantages may also increase as higher dynamic range sensors begin to emerge; time will tell.

Just as 35mm didn't kill medium or large film formats, I really don't expect to see full-frame or crop sensors leave the scene anytime soon. Especially as prices drop, each format will offer useful tradeoffs when considering the camera plus lens(es) as a complete system.

 

[swoop]

I'd put money on a digital bessa within 3 years. It's bound to happen. I have an M8, And I really don't like it very much. I mean, it's a nice camera. But I don't shoot with it. I always end up using my M7. Digital only comes into play for certain circumstances. I'd probably sell it for a digital bessa and pocket the difference.

 

[swoop]

The 2008 started without any formal news about a new digital rangefinder.
In the web I found something related with Nikon planning to produce a digital rangefinder with a non Nikon S mount and without the Nikon name. Leica with a renewed M8, with a saphire eye finder, a new software, etc.
But nothing real by now, Zeiss Ikon, Epson and CV no signs about, nothing will appear in the escene this year???
Will be some surprise in Photokina this year?😕

Hopes and wishes that I still have!!! 😉

A Nikon M mount RF would be nice to see.

 

[polaski]

Sorry, Canon has the camera already. The G9 has all the features I need in a small handheld pocketable camera. If it doesn't look classic, why, neither do I.

 

[Paul T.]

I have the G9. It's OK. But it also exemplifies all the shortcomings of a digital P&S:
slow lens; terrible barrel distortion with the wide angle; pretty poor noise at high ISO. I like the fact it's pocketable, but it's not within a country mile of the digial Hexar AF I crave...

 

[Jamie Pillers]

Never say "Never"

Never say "Never"

Let's say that one day relatively soon, a relatively inexpensive sensor technology comes forth that provides the same dynamic range as film (or better.. 😱). What do you think would be the repercussion of that? My guesses as to what that day will look like.

From a photographer's point of view:
1) A LOT of film users would now be ready to switch to digital.
2) Most of those film users would want to take their lenses with them over to the digital side.

From a camera manufacturer's point of view:
1) Smart business person wants to grab the $$ from this group of potential customers banging on the door with lenses in hand.
2) Smart business person sees that this niche market is substantial.
3) Smart business person just so happens to already have experience building a camera body made to hold lots of different quality lenses (last name starts with a K and rhymes with Leica-mashi)

Here's the thing... its easy to see that the world of digital camera building is in chaos at the moment. There's still so many advances being made practically on a daily basis that jumping into this business today is way too risky. However, there's bound to be a time, hopefully relatively soon, when a plateau will be reached... technologically speaking. That world might look like the film 35mm world looked like when the 35mm film was standardized. From that time on, only relatively subtle changes in technology created only relatively small business risk.

My bets are still on the coming of a relatively inexpensive camera body capable of providing imagery as good as or better than film, and capable of accepting my beloved lenses. Maybe sometime in the next 5 years. Come on, Mr. K... You Can Do It!! 😀

 

[kxl]

And now some equal air time for Brand N...

An SP-based DRF with the D3 sensor would potentialy OWN the market, If it's even feasible AND if the price is right. 🙂

 

[Al Patterson]

And now some equal air time for Brand N...

An SP-based DRF with the D3 sensor would potentialy OWN the market, If it's even feasible AND if the price is right. 🙂

So far that only appears to be a rumor. But there are a lot of "Brand N" fans around here that hope it does see the light of day.

 

[Little Prince]

And now some equal air time for Brand N...

An SP-based DRF with the D3 sensor would potentialy OWN the market, If it's even feasible AND if the price is right. 🙂

Well, that may all be very true, but I'll bet my bottom dollar the price won't be right! At least not for that combination. There will certainly be some people who would be all right no matter the price, and certainly many more who will drool over it (myself included), but few who will be able to afford it.