Thanks for the info. The article in the original email cited lack of expertise or investment as the big problem with the film to digital transition. It seems to me that Pentax was trying to keep up but definitely needed a partner in the electronics industry to make the sensors. Maybe they should have tried Kodak. I do remember (now) that Canon was in-house but that Nikon was getting their chips from elsewhere.
-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Adam Maas Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 3:00 PM To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List Subject: Re: The Rise of Digital imaging and the Fall of the Old Camera industry Canon's sensors have been in-house since the D30 in 2000, prior to that they supplied bodies to Kodak for Canon-mount derivations of the Kodak/Nikon DCS series bodies. Nikon's a mix, they partnered heavily with Kodak on the Kodak-branded DCS series (there were also a couple Canon-based DCS models) while the D1 series had Nikon-designed sensors custom-fabricated for them. Their first camera with a commercially-available sensor was the D100 in 2002, which was the launch camera for the Sony 6MP sensor and Nikon almost assuredly had a 1 year exclusivity contract on that sensor. The *istD was the second camera to use that sensor and it was announced just about exactly 1 year later. Nikon had a similar deal with the DX 10MP CCD sensor in the D200 (and later in the K10D, Sony A100 and their derivatives). -Adam On Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 2:44 PM, Desjardins, Steve <[email protected]> wrote: > What were Nikon and Canon using? > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Adam > Maas > Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 10:20 AM > To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List > Subject: Re: The Rise of Digital imaging and the Fall of the Old Camera > industry > > There wasn't a "safe" DX sensor at the time Pentax started work on the > MZ-D. The Sony DX 6MP CCD sensor that would become the basis for so > many Pentax and Nikon DSLR's along with both the Konica Minolta DSLR's > wasn't available until 2002. Frankly Pentax wasn't late to the party, > excepting Contax's ill-fated N Digital, Pentax was the first of the > smaller makers to announce a DSLR and pretty much tied with Olympus in > being the first to ship. > > -Adam > > On Mon, Jun 1, 2009 at 9:43 AM, Desjardins, Steve <[email protected]> wrote: >> Remember the Pentax MZ-D? Pentax was behind N and C but they also had far >> less money. If they had chosen to use a "safe" DX format chip in the MZ-D >> (instead of the ill-fated Phillips FF chip) they would have produced a more >> timely product. Would it have sold at $4-6K is another question. Probably >> why they are still gun shy about FF. >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of mike >> wilson >> Sent: Monday, June 01, 2009 5:14 AM >> To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> Subject: Re: The Rise of Digital imaging and the Fall of the Old Camera >> industry >> >> >> ---- Bob Sullivan <[email protected]> wrote: >>> Mike, >>> I heard you, but just because Hasselblad tried and got tripped up >>> doesn't mean that they could have stopped the revolution. That's kind >>> of like saying "If Longenes didn't have their head up their ass, they >>> could have saved the mechanical watch industry." Eastman Kodak had >>> the resources and the knowledge of what was on the horizon, and they >>> were much better capitalized than Hassy. They lost a lot more in this >>> revolution than a simple camera maker. >>> Regards, Bob S. >> >> That's not ("stopped the revolution") what I'm saying. Hasselblad was a >> _leader_ in the revolution until the company owners/management, for reasons >> that seem at first glance to be incredibly selfish, pulled the plug on the >> research and development and spent the money on something else. Probably >> themselves. >> >>> >>> On Sun, May 31, 2009 at 10:23 AM, mike wilson <[email protected]> >>> wrote: >>> > Bob Sullivan wrote: >>> > >>> >> Companies have an institutional memory and like to do what they know >>> >> how to do well. A major technological innovation can mean major >>> >> dislocations. Suddenly that expensive Swiss timepiece is bested by a >>> >> $6 chip watch from Texas Instruments. Mechanical time pieces became >>> >> an anachronism. So too with film cameras... Regards, Bob S. >>> > >>> > The article says that the above scenario was not the case. Engineers were >>> > working on digital solutions (did I write that out loud?) in the early >>> > 90s. >>> > There was a takeover, the research was scrapped and the considerable >>> > financial resources disappeared. Amoral bandits. >>> > >>> >> >>> >> On Sat, May 30, 2009 at 12:43 PM, mike wilson <[email protected]> >>> >> wrote: >>> >> >>> >>> Keith Whaley wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>>> Derby Chang wrote: >>> >>>> >>> >>>> >>> >>>>> A really fascinating essay on LL today. >>> >>>>> >>> >>>>> http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/rise-fall.shtml >>> >>>>> >>> >>>>> >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Well worth a read by anyone seriously interested in understanding more >>> >>>> about the turning point between film and digital use. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> I thought I had a reasonable understanding of it, until I read this >>> >>>> article! >>> >>>> Well written and (until something better comes along) pretty much a >>> >>>> short >>> >>>> but seminal revelation on how it all came about. >>> >>>> >>> >>>> Thanks, Derby... >>> >>>> >>> >>>> keith whaley >>> >>> >>> >>> I saw it as more a description of the gross mismanagement, followed by >>> >>> the >>> >>> financial rape and eventual (at least partial/temporary) salvation of a >>> >>> world class camera company. It has less to do with the change from film >>> >>> to >>> >>> sensor than it has to do with asset stripping and feckless, ignorant, >>> >>> self-centred little toads. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> >>> [email protected] >>> >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> >>> follow the directions. >>> >>> >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> -- >>> >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> >> [email protected] >>> >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> >> follow the directions. >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >>> >> >>> >> >>> >> No virus found in this incoming message. >>> >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.339 / Virus Database: >>> >> 270.12.46/2143 - Release Date: 05/30/09 05:53:00 >>> >> >>> > >>> > >>> > -- >>> > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> > [email protected] >>> > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> > follow the directions. >>> > >>> >>> -- >>> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >>> [email protected] >>> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >>> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >>> follow the directions. >> >> >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. >> -- >> PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List >> [email protected] >> http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net >> to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and >> follow the directions. > > > > -- > M. Adam Maas > http://www.mawz.ca > Explorations of the City Around Us. > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > > -- > PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List > [email protected] > http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net > to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow > the directions. > -- M. Adam Maas http://www.mawz.ca Explorations of the City Around Us. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions. -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
