On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 8:08 AM, Miserere <miser...@gmail.com> wrote: > As much as I liked the GXR, it's not what *I* have been waiting > for...but closer than a DSLR, that's for sure. ...
LOL ... Well, it isn't *quite* what I was waiting for either, but it's close. My brief for a modern digital camera, sent to Panasonic, Leica, and Olympus around about 2006, suggested a camera with the following characteristics: - about the dimensions and weight of a Leica CL - an electronically coupled optical rangefinder/viewfinder * - an articulated, high resolution LCD for configuration/control menus as well as framing and focusing - base it on the FourThirds format and sensor technology with 10 to 20 Mpixels - clean and functional ergonomics ... the right mix of discrete controls to operate the camera without needing to use menus - ability to use a high quality set of fast prime lenses in native AF - ability to use FourThirds mount lenses for both manual and auto focus via adaptation - ability to use Leica M-bayonet mount lenses - price the body at around $1600 MSRP with native prime lenses in the $500-1500 range depending on focal length and speed. I articulated a few other things in the brief, but these were the basics. * I completely missed on the notion of eye-level electronic viewfinders. My thought was to incorporate a built-in tunnel-optical coincident rangefinder, Leica M style but with coupling via electronics rather than mechanical cams and frame lines for the four most common FoVs (equivalent ultra-wide (24-28), wide (35-40), normal (50), portrait tele (75-85)). Provide add-on optical viewfinders beyond that specific for focal lengths outside that range. Leica M lenses with mechanical RF cams would operate the optical RF through a variable resistor setup, the native prime lenses and the FourThirds SLR lenses would be driven through the E-system existing electronic protocol for focus and aperture control. My thought was that this new class of "compact professional electronic rangefinder" would not obsolete SLRs, it would be a new class of electronic camera to use alongside the SLRs when compactness, quiet operation and light weight were a priority. My bias to prime lenses in the relatively constrained range easily encompassed by an optical finder with framelines is obvious ... I figured that for the SLR system's bulky zoom lenses, people would naturally opt for the SLR anyway as they balance better with larger bodies. Anyway, the mirrorless development was already well underway at that point by all indications, whether anything in my brief was useful to anyone at the companies I sent it to is questionable at best. They went with EVFs instead of optical finders ... for sound reasons ... and as good as modern EVFs are getting to be, I still generally prefer optical tunnel and pro-grade SLR viewfinders for a lot of work. A high quality, high resolution LCD is superb for focusing and framing in other circumstances (think landscape, table top, macro, etc.) and an EVF adds the eye level handling back to the LCD notion. Where all this goes in the future I am eager to see. I am very interested to see what Olympus new E-P3 line works like, the GXR's M-bayonet camera module will expand that camera's versatility and domain by a lot (and manual focus M-bayonet lenses should solve the one negative I find with the Ricoh ... that the focus servo responsiveness of the two current A12 camera modules is inadequate to accurate manual focusing, it's really an AF and 'focus by zone' camera with the current camera modules). What Leica brings to the electronic interchangeable lens compact I'm eager to see, what Fuji brings ... all good. My own photography is moving more and more into the realm of "a Leica M and two/three good lenses will do me fine." And depending on how money and work pan out in the months ahead, I might just do that and keep my lovely old Olympus E-1 with the two macro lenses around purely for the table-top work I do. But that's another meditation to write another day. -- Godfrey godfreydigiorgi.posterous.com -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List PDML@pdml.net http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
