[rollei_list] Re: rollei_list Digest V3 #151

One company who tried that niche is Fuji who builds a 35mm digital body that
takes Nikon (and 3rd party Nikon-F-compatible)  lenses. The lens focus
distance for other cameras is usually different. Canon has one of the
shortest on 35mm. There are already adapters for Contax (and maybe Leica)
lenses to other 35mm bodies.

It is a lot harder to make a body than a lens. Think of Lenscrafters.They
have a computer-driven machine that grinds the lens in a mall store which
their opticians assemble into a frame. A camera lens maker has the same
technology, just a different frame. To make the electronics work they also
need to design a relatively simple interface that reports the f/ and
distance. A camera body maker has to design a body, all the electronic
software for autofocus, battery charging, Bayer to jpg conversion, white
balance, etc.  Some of the software is available, but the tooling and
alignment for the bodies is still very complex (moving shutter, autofocus
motor, etc..) It takes a different kind of know how. Remember Kodak's
digital camera using Nikon N80 body? If it was easy, Kodak would have built
their own body.

What I think might have a market is a 5-12 megapixel back with adapters to
fit different models of rolleiflex, 'cord, mamiya, pentax and other cameras.
I'm thinking a square core like a polaroid film pack with the CCD, memory,
cpu, and lcd display that would fit into a hard plastic or metal adapter
with clamps or straps to fit different bodies. More megapixerls would
probably make the idea too expensive. Focus and shutter would come from the
host camera. I would buy such an animal if there were adapters for several
of the manual camera bodies I own, eg Hassy 500, Mamiya 645, Rolleflex,
Speed Graphic and the price was ~$1000. It need not be coupled with the
shutter, although I think some kind of adapter that screwed into the cable
release socket would be pretty easy to design. The used Phase One and Leaf
backs for Hassy are in this range already but they require coupling to a
host computer.


  -----Original Message-----
  From: rollei_list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:rollei_list-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Jan Decher
  Sent: Tuesday, June 26, 2007 7:32 AM
  To: rollei_list@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  Subject: [rollei_list] Re: rollei_list Digest V3 #151


  I have said this for years.  Why do we have independent lens makers but no
independent camera body makers?  Sigma could offer their SD 14 in different
mounts, including Leica R, Contax C/Y, and Contax N and it could breathe new
life into all these great orphaned lenses that never got an affordable
viable digital body to attach to.
  Strange no company (Tamron, Sigma, Tokina, Novoflex, Cosina...) saw this
market niche.
  Jan




  On 26 Jun 2007, at 02:34, FreeLists Mailing List Manager wrote:
    Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 10:20:51 -0400

    From: Michael Eric Berube <pj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

    Subject: [rollei_list] Re: OT: A Better Bayer?




    Yep. No argument. Some are dogs and I don't believe that their QC is

    quite up to the standards of some of the Camera companies either, but

    when you find a good example of some of their better lenses (EX line is

    almost all fantastic) you've got a great tool. I use an 18-50/2.8, a

    50-150/2.8 and I rented a 10-20/4-5.6 for a wedding this last weekend

    and was very impressed and will very likely get one. Their new 70/2.8

    Macro is getting rave reviews as one of the sharpest Macros ever made.

    Again, they already make some 4:3 lenses, they'd be brilliant to make a

    camera that took those lenses but used their Foveon tech.




    (I don't think they make lenses in Rollei mount though.)

    :)




    Be well,

    Michael Eric Berube

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