B&W digital....

[usayit]

This rumor has been mulling around for several months within the Leica community. Interesting idea.... (assuming the announcement tomorrow is real)

Mirrorless Rumors | Blog | The Leica B&W M mount camera has 18 megapixels! Announcement tomorrow!

As a side note... Kodak group that built the sensors for the Leica is still alive.. for now.


Thoughts?


My first thought.. but why? My second thought... Ahha think of the audience.. there is some excitement around this idea.. My third thought.. I hope its a lot more than simply a conversion from color to digital in-camera. My four thought.... way too expensive for me.. I'll stick to doing it in software.

 

[fokker]

Interesting. I guess no bayer filter over the sensor would be necessary for a black and white only camera which would mean sharper shots. Seems a bit extreme sacrificing color altogether, but I guess that's the market for Leica users.

 

[o hey tyler]

Cool, $8,000 for a camera with limited features, and shoots solely in grayscale.

Sounds right on par with the Leica market.

 

[usayit]

Cool, $8,000 for a camera with limited features, and shoots solely in grayscale.

Sounds right on par with the Leica market.

Oh come on... you can do better than that... Whenever it comes to Leica the reaction to the price is SOOOOoooOOOoo cliche.... not to mention the whole "limited features" which is kinda the point of the system.

Too superficial to see past the mighty dollar are we? I'm talking about the idea itself; pretend if Nikon/Canon did the same.


besides..

Camera systems and image software

^^ it just might be trend for a niche market.

 

[o hey tyler]

I'm sorry dude, I respect you as a forum member and I have no beef with you, but I can't see how this makes sense.

Really, with a Leica, you're paying for design. I'm not talking engineering wise, I'm talking about the visual aesthetics of the camera chassis. There's no reason that I can fathom to spend more money on a feature-stripped camera.

Price is important to a lot of people. Leica is notorious for exorbitant prices for their gear. The fact that they're taking steps towards a B&W only digital camera and it's more expensive than an M9... It just seems dumb.

 

[Derrel]

Cool, $8,000 for a camera with limited features, and shoots solely in grayscale.

Sounds right on par with the Leica market.

Agreed...excessively high price for a deliberately-limited imaging sensor jammed into a 90 year-old body design. AND let's not forget, that frickin AWESOME RED DOT Leica logo!!!! I believe the rumor is true. All over the world there will be rich snobs lining up to buy their newest necklace. The status value of an under-featured, B&W-only Leica will be very high.

Taylor Swift will probably be the very first buyer among those in the music business; then, on the first day she has it, Kanye West will tell her that her new B&W-ONLY Leica is good, but that, "Beyonce has the BEST Leica, the best Leica EVER made, the Leica M6 TTL..."

"Imma' let you reply, usayit..." [swigs from bottle of cognac]

 

[Derrel]

For those not familiar with the Leica ethos, check out some of these articles written by one of the most widely-read Leica writers in the world...
Home


LeicaAngst23022008


death of photography


paradgm shift

There is more than meets the eye with Leica lenses; today's younger generation reared on digital imaging, really doesn't have the understanding or historical perspective to properly "place" the Leica design ethos in its true context. The statement that Tyler made, specifically, "...with a Leica, you're paying for design. I'm not talking engineering wise, I'm talking about the visual aesthetics of the camera chassis," well, that statement is entirely ridiculous...sorry dude, but with Leica, one is paying for engineering excellence in optics design and manufacturing, and one is paying for a "lifetime" quality instrument. And THAT, the concept of "lifetime" equipment and no-compromise design and manufacturing, is entirely opposite of what the Japanese camera and lens makers have drummed into the heads of their buyers--specifically, "Please buy our affordable, cheap equipment, and replace it every 5 to 7 years. or, more quickly if you can afford to!"

I do like to kid Leica users, since they make such easy,easy targets, and they are very sensitive creatures for the most part. The idea that a Leica is only about the "aesthetics of the chassis" is simply a ridiculous and grossly misinformed statement of opinion. Wayyyyyyyyyy off the fricking mark. When you buy Leica, what you are paying for is excellence. In all aspects.

 

[o hey tyler]

What Derrel said

Well, the great thing about an opinion is that you have one too, and neither of them are wrong.

Have a great night!

 

[Ysarex90 84]

I'm peein' my pants just thinking about it!! I WANT ONE!!!

Joe

 

[usayit]

I can't see how this makes sense.
...
There's no reason that I can fathom to spend more money on a feature-stripped camera.

Ok.. somewhat better response....

Is it feature stripped? or feature specific to those B&W shooters? Perhaps providing a bit extra advantage to those only really interested in B&W?

fokker kinda had a good point.... and I hinted towards it...

Does relieving the need to handle color (removal of the IR filter, Bayer filter etc) actually result in a better quality image... however lacking in color?



Perhaps I went about this thread the wrong way... I should have started with the link to the PhaseOne B&W digital back instead to avoid the stigma of Leica ruling over the topic... oh well. I heard about this concept through the Leica community... so naturally I wanted to hear opinions from the "rest".

 

[Josh66]

I think it's an interesting idea, and being limited to B&W wouldn't really bother me. I would get one if it wasn't so far beyond my budget for the foreseeable future.

 

[bhop]

Hey usait, you're wasting your time. This is something that only a rangefinder user will appreciate.

Personally, I think it'll sell like hotcakes. The M9, priced as highly as it is, is already hard to get. Look at Leica flickr groups for example, and notice how many shots are b&w. I think the key to this new rumored camera is the dynamic range is closer to b&w film than a 'regular' sensor, or at least that's what i've been reading.

Really, with a Leica, you're paying for design. I'm not talking engineering wise, I'm talking about the visual aesthetics of the camera chassis.

That may be true for some people, but I think it's a much smaller group of people than you think. I didn't buy my M6 for visual aesthetics. I bought it to take photos in a different way than SLR, or P&S. A way that brings me enjoyment out of photography. Knowing that the actual mechanical engineering will make it last longer than me is a bonus. I'm sure most people that actually buy Leicas to use and not put on a shelf would agree.

 

[gsgary]

I'm sorry dude, I respect you as a forum member and I have no beef with you, but I can't see how this makes sense.

Really, with a Leica, you're paying for design. I'm not talking engineering wise, I'm talking about the visual aesthetics of the camera chassis. There's no reason that I can fathom to spend more money on a feature-stripped camera.

Price is important to a lot of people. Leica is notorious for exorbitant prices for their gear. The fact that they're taking steps towards a B&W only digital camera and it's more expensive than an M9... It just seems dumb.

Do you use Apple if so same thing applies

 

[KenC]

Price and features aside (not that they're irrelevant to me, especially the former), I would never give up the flexibility of the conversion process in PS (and/or use of selective color before conversion). I have been able to enhance some images in a way that would have been impossible, or at least a serious nuisance, in processing with a BW raw file as a starting point.

 

[Derrel]

For many years Thom Hogan put out a "wish list" of Nikon d-slr models, and one of the most common was a strictly B&W digital camera with a very simple control interface, like the Nikon FM-2...which is in its own way almost like a Leica M-6 TTL...meaning simple controls consisting of a shutter speed dial mounted on the top deck, like Leica has had since the original cameras, and lens aperture control ring around the lens mount area, and simple, match-diode metering with ye olde + and - symbols...

Considering that Leicas appeal to collectors to a very high degree, and then also to real-world, actual,serious shooters who understand quality and are willing to pay for it, I'd wager that they could sell quite a few B&W-only units. I think the Japan market would eat 'em up. If the dynamic range can be made really good, with superb shadow recovery capability, it'd be pretty sweet. With a good software package, it'd probably be pretty fun to have such a system.