"Alexandre A. P. Suaide" wrote:
>
> I didn't mean It will sell fine. I was just saying that
> it is not difficult to build a digital back for a film
> camera.... I am sure it will not sell well but we can
> dream about a world where money is not so important ... :)
I presume you are aware of the 'digital film' product Imagek
have been talking about for a couple of years now (and which
may, possibly, actually become a real product this year)?
That has all the drawbacks of a simple digital back except one;
it's rather easier to switch between this and film in the same body.
It had additional drawbacks, too, as there's no way to communicate
with the device once it's inserted in the camera. But for the
purposes you describe no such communication is necessary.
It suffers from the usual set of technological limitations; small
sensor size (so nowhere near full frame); limited memory capacity
(about 24 shots, at unspecified compression), although this has
been addressed by an external image store you can transfer data
to (although you can't do this while the device is in the camera);
and a low-pixel-count CMOS sensor (to reduce power consumption).
It's biggest problem, though, is the price - it costs about as
much as a typical 3-megapixel digital camera such as the Nikon 880,
while offering nowhere near their level of performance.
Kodak are also said to be looking into this kind of technology,
so it is possible that something will eventually show up on the
street that offers performance levels a bit close to what a
stand-alone digital camera can do, and with a lower price premium.
But that won't be for a year or so.
And while some of us are fortunate enough that price isn't the
most important consideration in deciding whether to buy cameras,
it's still hard to rationalise paying more for less functionality
and less convenience - carrying two bodies isn't that much worse
than carrying one body plus a separate back in a protective case,
which is the only real advantage a swappable back would offer.
--
John Francis [EMAIL PROTECTED] Silicon Graphics, Inc.
(650)933-8295 2011 N. Shoreline Blvd. MS 43U-991
(650)932-0828 (Fax) Mountain View, CA 94043-1389
Hello. My name is Darth Vader. I am your father. Prepare to die.
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