[LRflex] Getting the facts straight.
- From: David Young <dsy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:53:36 -0700
Philippe wrote:
Ok 999 is a sad day for many - yet, at least Leica, in spite of its
multiple failures, have managed to get us together online and share
pictures, and friendly and gay banter - this is one major
achievement to my eyes, bigger than any other, to my eyes, only?
To which Andy commented:
Let's get our facts right David Young brought us together on this
list not Leica:-) and for that I thank him. Lets face it we all love
our R glass but it is the skill of the user that really defines
great pictures. I feel privilaged to be in the company of this list.
To which Bill said:
To be frank, my wildest dream for R lens continuity is a
DMR-2, created from the M9 technology, smaller, lighter, better in
almost every respect than the original DMR.
Bill, Andy & Philippe:
Now, lets really get our facts right. It was Xavier who brought me
on board, some years ago, as a co-list-keeper ...but it was he, not
I, who got the ball rolling. I do, however, thank you, Andy, for your
kind words.
And, you are right ... it is the skill of the photographer, not the
equipment, that defines great pictures... and there are many talented
people on this list, for which I too, am grateful.
Now as for Leica, something is drastically wrong there. They have a
very dedicated following in the R-users that they have totally
ignored --first with the DMR fiassco, then with the vapor 10 and now
with no word on the promise of something compatible with our glass.
Do you really wonder why they are in trouble and scrambling? How
many followers have they lost due to their missteps. Instead of the
x1 p&s couldn't they have taken the startup cash and converted the
R-9 to digital.
As for the R9d, I am with Bill ... the ideal solution would be the
DMR-2, which would eventually become the DMR-3 ... making the body
last a long time, and allowing field upgrading, over time. I'd even
be happy if it had the M8 sensor, so long as it had the IR filter
built-in. This was first suggested (to my knowledge) by Doug Herr,
back in 2006, and I suggested it to Leica (with full credit to Doug)
later that fall. It would seem that such an idea fell on deaf ears.
Continuing with the "dedicated following" of R-users, and the lack of
a "solution", to date. Also back in 2006 I was told, by then
president Steven Lee, that Leica expected there were only about 2000
"active" R users, world-wide. The rest of sales, so they thought,
went to collectors. How they came to these conclusions, I have no
idea, but they agreed, that it made our little group the largest
single group of R-users, anywhere. :-)
These projections probably explain why they went for the S2, where
they were not in direct competition with Nikon, Canon, Pentax,
Olympus, Sony, et al. Competing with higher value cameras, such as
the Hassy, where quality rules and product cycles are longer, makes a
lot of sense ... even if it does not provide a camera for the likes
of us. Whether it was a wise decision, only time will tell.
Since my name was mentioned, I would like to take the opportunity to
thank Xavier, who started it all, and who, like many on this list,
has become a good friend. I also want to thank all who post and all
who "lurk"; for without you all, there would be no LR-flex list. And
that would make me a sad man, indeed.
So, thank you, all. It is you, not I, that make this list such a
great place to be.
Cheers!
David.
---
David Young
Logan Lake, Canada.
Wildlife Photos: www.furnfeather.net
Rodeo Photos: www.galleries.furnfeather.net
Personal Website: www.main.furnfeather.net
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