"Cool?" With an estimated retail body price of $6000? I don't think so. . . <g>
keith whaley frank theriault wrote: > > Here's Steve Gandy's take on what seems so far to be the sensation at > Photokina (as reported here by Shel, yesterday): > > "Holy Digital Batman, what a surprise! No one expected this. The new > digital Bessa was probably the most photographed camera at PMA, photog > after photog taking shots of it. I will have a page with pics up early > next week. It was amazing to see a early 1930's 50/2.5 Leitz Hektor > mounted on a new digital RF. Don't think the people who put together > the display did not understand the historical significance of the 70 > year old lens being used with full compatibility on their new camera. > > it's for real, Epson and Cosina combined in a secret joint project to > produce the first interchangeable lens digital rangefinder ever. I > wondered why the film cameras I was told about at last year's PMA did > not materialize when expected. Apparently they were put aside > temporarily for the digital Bessa. This new camera is a really big > deal, especially since RF users have been told for years such a camera > was impossible due to technical limitations of the digital sensors. Only > last week Leica announced that with improvements in technology, a > digital Leica M was about two years away. Privately Leica estimated a > retail body price of $6000. > > officially the details of the camera will not be officially released > until March 11. my guesses and observations are: > > Leica M mount > 6 megapixel digital chip > APS size sensor > electronic Copal shutter, 1 to 1/2000th, 1/125th flash sync metered > manual and aperture priority AE, counterweighted metering exposure lock > availability by summer 2004 the rear mounted LCD screen flips around to > store it out of the way, not only to save batteries, but also to make > the shooting experience as much as possible like a traditional RF > traditional PC outlet as well as hot shoe, no TTL flash traditional > screw in remote shutter release --- Mr. K apparently does not like buy > $75 remote electronic shutter releases either plus/minus 2 stops EV > compensation traditional ISO film setting in shutter dial > > the digital Bessa is designed to make traditional RF users right at > home, with a minimum of computer geekdom required. I think this was > exactly the right move. > > I estimate the price much less than the Leica digital M's at $6000, but > much more than previous Voigtlander cameras. It is even possible the > digital Bessa may be more expensive than Leica's M7 and MP. It would > be interesting if Leica M owners had to endure kidding as the "bargain > priced rangefinder" for the first time since the Leica / Contax > competition of the 1930's. > > Let me make it clear I have not handled the digital Bessa. Epson had > the only samples locked up on display. The mostly analog controls are a > welcomed site to me, compared to most camera computer's controls, but > your guess is as good as mine so far as exactly what each control is > for. > > Being the first digital interchangeable lens RF, and probably the only > one for up to two years until the Leica Digital M arrives, this is a > very important camera, not only to Cosina Voigtlander, but to all RF > shooters. > > The Epson connection comes as big a surprise as the camera. Who would > have thought Epson would be interested in making in a digital RF > camera? It remains to be seen how this plays, we find out March 11. > > Stephen" > > Cool, eh? > > cheers, > frank
