gepetto Posted September 14, 2006 Share #1 Posted September 14, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am sure this must have been discussed before. LCT has been a long proponent of a Leica CL type digital. Instead of going the route of Pana/Olys L1/E330 Leica should heed LCT's request with a 4:3 Rangefinder. The Rangefinder set up is ideally suited for digital capture. Most especially for the concept of Live View. Without the need for a mirror to start with digitally a Rangefinder does not even need a physical shutter as an electronic shutter can be used. An instant Live View camera that also combines simultaneously the use of the optical viewfinder. The L1/E330 have over engineered what the simplicity of the Rangefinder already brings. A digital 4:3 CL with Live View would be an extremely capable and silent camera. Just some thoughts before the upcoming releases. In another thread was mentioned Leica possibly having 4 new releases pending. 1. M8 2. D-LUX 3 Brother to LX2 3. C-LUX 2 Sister to FX07 4. Could be a toss up. An L1/E330 Leica variant or the rumored superzoom V-LUX partner to the FZ50. I tend to think it may be the V-LUX over an L1/E330. The L1/E330 is a collaboration between Oly and Pana. Leica should stick with it's Rangefinder strengths. The 4:3 digital format could bring a whole new age to the Rangefinder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 14, 2006 Posted September 14, 2006 Hi gepetto, Take a look here 4:3 Rangefinder. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
john_f Posted September 14, 2006 Share #2 Posted September 14, 2006 Gepetto, The idea of a "live view" with a rangefinder (i.e. non reflex, no mirror in the way) does indeed look interesting. In practice however, this would mean using the type of sensor used in most everyday digicams (based on "Interline Transfer" technology). These sensor types are of lower quality than those used in more advanced digital cameras (all D-SLR, DMR, M8, etc.. ). For more detailed info on this issue, click on Kodak Pro DCS620x Review: 1. Intro: Digital Photography Review (wish DPR would include this in their glossary). There is also the fact that the Leica M rangefinder mechanism is VERY expensive to make and assemble. Would anyone be willing to pay the full price of a RF Leica M camera if it used a digicam type sensor? That is the main reason behind those EVF viewfinders - it keeps the cost down. Best to keep an eye out for the Digilux 3. Cheers, John F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gepetto Posted September 14, 2006 Author Share #3 Posted September 14, 2006 John thanks for the response. I thought Pana had developed the 4/3 type MOS ('Live MOS sensor') just for the specific use for Live View. I would not complain about a Digilux3 with an EVF. I just started warming up to LCT's insistence on an optical viewfinder. Examining the Rangefinder more closely it seemed like a very feasible undertaking to develop a 4:3's Digital CL. Photokina can not come soon enough. Some really major announcement all around. Including the new Sigma SD14. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertwang Posted September 14, 2006 Share #4 Posted September 14, 2006 Olympus E-400 just announced already... very compact and awesome... but only in Europe eh? ugh... please grey market this for us! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Mitchum Posted September 14, 2006 Share #5 Posted September 14, 2006 The E-400 is only available in Europe and it doesn't sound all that great. ISO warnings for anything over 640 indicates very bad noise levels and shows the limits of the 4/3 format. The Pentax K10D looks much, much better. I'm not a pentax fan but I'm shocked to see something this good for such a low price. On paper anyway, well see how well it does in testing soon. I have no doubt it will leave the E-400 in the dust though. I've always felt the 4/3 format would be better for prosumer cameras than SLRs. Noise is always going to be an issue going up against APS-C and FF sensors. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted September 14, 2006 Share #6 Posted September 14, 2006 What i dream of is an APS compact rangefinder a la Leica CL that could use M lenses. A true Leica without live view please, it is too disturbing. To each his own... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddawn Posted September 14, 2006 Share #7 Posted September 14, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Olympus E-400 just announced already... very compact and awesome... but only in Europe eh? ugh... please grey market this for us! albert's operating logic seems to be anything he hasn't actually touched but is non-Canon is "awesome" and anything Canon is sh*t, no matter the advantages sorry, couldn't resist Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddawn Posted September 14, 2006 Share #8 Posted September 14, 2006 The E-400 is only available in Europe and it doesn't sound all that great. ISO warnings for anything over 640 indicates very bad noise levels and shows the limits of the 4/3 format. The Pentax K10D looks much, much better. I'm not a pentax fan but I'm shocked to see something this good for such a low price. On paper anyway, well see how well it does in testing soon. I have no doubt it will leave the E-400 in the dust though. I've always felt the 4/3 format would be better for prosumer cameras than SLRs. Noise is always going to be an issue going up against APS-C and FF sensors. the K10D is weather sealed! must be the cheapest weather sealed DSLR ever... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albertwang Posted September 14, 2006 Share #9 Posted September 14, 2006 Red Dawn is at best a video game that only plays on the upcoming Sony PS3... Vapor ware!!! :eek: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gepetto Posted September 14, 2006 Author Share #10 Posted September 14, 2006 Wow what a difference one night can make. Many new Announcements! LCT said: What i dream of is an APS compact rangefinder a la Leica CL that could use M lenses. This would be nice but this dream camera would compete directly with the Digital M. The same problem they had with the original CL. A 4:3 Rangefinder would target a whole different market segment. As Leica made it known today they have announced the Digilux 3 brother to the Pana L1. If I am reading the pricing correctly the D3 is 33% more in price than the L1. I would be willing to spend 33% more which in the states is $1100(~850euro) for a Leica 4:3 Rangefinder but not for a Silver L1. My next Leica may be the D-LUX 3. Pricing is around what I paid for my D1. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_f Posted September 14, 2006 Share #11 Posted September 14, 2006 Yes indeed - the wait is over. And what great products - When it rains, it pours! Here is the first article on the Digilux 3 courtesy of dpreview: Leica DIGILUX 3: Digital Photography Review The 7.5MP D3 is a "modified" (souped-up?) Panasonic DMC-L1 (cosmetic and electronic modifications). It will support both sRGB and Adobe RGB color space. Leica Camera has also developed a profile specific to its D3. The D3 uses USB 2.0 High-Speed. It supports the new SDHC standard (SD cards higher than 2GB) and comes standard with a 1GB SD card. Finally a manufacturer that understands that those silly 32 and 64Meg "trial cards" are useless! The D3 gives you a choice of RAW+JPEG or JPEG alone. Maximum sensor speed is 1600 ISO and max shutter speed is 1/4000 sec (flash X-synch at 1/160 sec). All very good specs. Will be interesting to see how it compares to the LC1 in ease of use and image quality. Overall, congratulations to the new Leica Camera management for a job well done ! Cheers, John F. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gepetto Posted September 15, 2006 Author Share #12 Posted September 15, 2006 John it certainly seems like cats and dogs out there. DPReview has even added a Leica Forum. The Digilux 3 is going to be a hard sell with cameras like the new Pentax K10D someone mentioned earlier in this thread. The K10D has an APS-c 10MP sensor with IS built into the body so almost all Pentax lenses ever produced will have IS. Even manual K-mount lenses. It is weather sealed. There is an optional battery grip that has protrait shutter release built into the grip. It looks like a nice package for $899 retail for the body alone. It uses SD cards as well. For the price of the D3 you could get the Pentax K10D and 10 or 15 K-mount lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gepetto Posted September 15, 2006 Author Share #13 Posted September 15, 2006 Assecories for the D3 lists an Adapter for attaching Leica R lenses to 4/3”-mount cameras Order No. 18628. The electronics retailer J&R in New York City is listing the Panasonic DMC-L1 as in stock shipping time 1 to 2 business days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.