[LRflex] Re: Next "R" Camera Survey - 20 Questions.
- From: "Chris Birchenhall" <chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 21:26:45 +0100
Hey guys David asked you to post responses to telyt@xxxxxxxxxx Not sure I
want to check your responses myself. I look forward to David's analysis.
Chris
-----Original Message-----
From: leicareflex-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:leicareflex-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Young
Sent: 18 October 2006 19:23
To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [LRflex] Next "R" Camera Survey - 20 Questions.
All:
Back in the late 1950's, most photojournalists used Leica cameras,
though Nikon was making some very competitive cameras. Nikon decided
to survey all the photojournalists it could find in Japan, asking
them what they'd like to see in a camera. The result was based on
the Nikon rangefinder bodies of the day, but incorporated a reflex
finder. It was called the Nikon "F", and we all know where that lead
the photographic world.
Now, some 50 years later and for the first time, Leica are interested
in user input as to what features we'd like to see in their next
generation "R" camera.
At Photokina, I (and 4 others) had the good fortune to attend a 2+
hour long meeting with Leica's top brass on this very subject. :-) As
you might expect, non-disclosure agreements were the order of the
day, so I can tell you little of what was discussed. :-( However, I
do know that more such meetings are planned.
Without giving anything away, I thought that we could create a
"virtual meeting", by taking a survey of what features are considered
desirable by our members. I will correlate the answers and the
results will be sent on to Leica. As well, I will report the results here.
Please give your answers some serious thought. And remember, that
every feature comes at a cost, either by eliminating the possibility
of another feature, or by increasing price.
I ask that each and every one of you respond. This is your chance to
be heard by Leica's top management! :-)
Please send your reply directly to me, at: telyt@xxxxxxxxxx Please
edit your note so that your answers are after the words "Your Answer"
that follows each question. There is a space for comments at the end
of the survey.
______________
[1] A fine grained 35mm film is equivalent to about 22 million
pixels. However, given the current state of the art, the more pixels
packed onto a chip, the smaller each one will be. Thus, more
application is needed resulting in more "noise". OTOH, each
generation of chips improves things a bit. Assuming that noise can
be held to the same levels as currently enjoyed by the DMR, how many
pixels would you like to see in the next "R" camera? [A]
10mp? [B] 12mp? [C] 14mp? [D] 16mp? [E] 18mp? [F]
20mp? [G] Don't care.
Your answer:
[2] Full frame sensors create their own problems with vignetting, due
to the angle the light rays hit the outer pixels. This problem is
less pronounced in reflex cameras than in rangefinder ones, due to
the need to keep the rear lens elements out of the way of the mirror.
And, they allow wide angle lenses to work as they were
intended. APS-C sized sensors (as in the current DMR) are lower in
cost, have virtually no vignetting problems and give an advantage to
tele lens users. Your preference for sensor size would be... [A]
Full Frame, [B] APS-C or [C] somewhere in between?
Your answer:
[3] Sensor format: Many small "Point & Pray" digi-cameras use the
16:9 aspect ratio of the new wide screen TV's. 35mm (and the M8, DMR
and nearly all other dSLR's) uses the classic 3:2 format. Should
the next "R" camera use [A] the classic 3:2 (35mm) format or [B] the
new 16:9 "wide screen" format?
Your answer:
[4] Many have criticized the R8 and R9 for their size.... yet praised
them for their ergonomics. Would you prefer the mythical "R10" to be
[A] similar in size to the R8 & R9, [B] similar to the R8 or R9 with
DMR (or motor drive) attached, [C] smaller, like the R4 through 7
models, [D] somewhere in between the R7 and R9 or [E} even larger
than the R9 w/DMR?
Your answer:
[5] Newer, polycarbonate bodied cameras are considerably lighter than
the current 'R' cameras from Leica. How important is it to you that
the next generation be lighter bodies? [A] Very important, [B] not
important or [C] doesn't matter.
Your answer:
[6] Current R cameras offer a variety of exposure modes... Aperture
Priority, Shutter Priority, Programme mode and Manual. Please
indicate which mode (A, S, P, M) you use the most and give a
percentage of use. (For instance, I use only Aperture Priority, so
my answer would be A - 100%. Someone else might be A - 60%, P -
40%) Please list all modes you use and the percentages you use each one.
Your answer:
[7] Current R cameras offer Spot, Center-weighted and Matrix
metering. Please list the exposure modes (S,C,M) and the percentages
of use for each, (as above).
Your answer:
[8] Current Autofocus cameras utilize plastic (polycarbonate) lens
barrels. Their lower mass means that they can be focused more quickly
with smaller motors (read lightweight and longer battery
life). Would you want the next R to have autofocus if it meant
going to such lenses? [A] Yes. or [B] No.
Your answer:
[9] If Leica were able to build autofocus lenses that maintained the
traditional Leica build quality and materials (as well as decent
battery life), would you want the next 'R" camera to have
autofocus? [A] Yes or [B] No.
Your answer:
[10] If you prefer not to have autofocus, or if you would use
existing Leica MF lenses on the new 'R' camera, how important is
focus confirmation? [A] Very important, [B] Somewhat important or
[C] Not important at all.
Your answer:
[11] If Leica were (able) to design autofocus lenses for the 'R'
series... such a change might necessitate a different lens
mount. How important is it that any newer lens mount be compatible
with your existing R lenses? [A] Absolutely must be compatible, [B]
it would be nice, but not absolutely necessary or [C] not important at all.
Your answer:
[12] If the lens mount were to be changed, it might be possible to
make an adapter which would allow the use of existing lenses in
Aperture Priority mode only. Would this route be [A] acceptable to
you or [B] Not acceptable?
Your answer:
[13] How important is it to you to have a large LCD screen for
menus/'chimping"? [A] Very important, [B] somewhat important, [C]
not important.
Your answer:
[14] Bearing in mind that having "live view" in an SLR means
siphoning some light from the finder to a second sensor, how
important "live view" ... ie: the LCD screen constantly shows what
the camera is "seeing"? [A] Very important, [B] somewhat important,
[C] not important.
Your answer:
[15] The R8 & R9 finders are amongst the brightest and best anywhere,
and probably second only to the finders in the Leica SL. How
important is finder brightness to you? Should the next 'R' camera's
finder be: [A] as bright as the SL's finder, [B] as bright as the
R8/9, [C] as bright as the R7 finder or [D] acceptable at a lower
level of brightness.
Your answer:
[16] How important is battery life? Remember the longer the life,
the larger (and heavier) the battery. So, within the constraints of
reasonable weight and size (and the number of shot you take in an
average day) , how many shots would you like to see on a single
charge. [A] 150 (the current DMR's level), [B] 190 (the current M8's
level), [C] 250, [D] 400 or more?
Your answer:
[17] Speed is an issue. Do you use a winder or motor with your
current camera. How fast should the next "R" be capable of
shooting? [A] 2 fps, [B] 4 fps, [C] 6 fps, or [C] more.
Your answer:
[18] The other speed issue is that of writing to the memory
cards. Faster writing means you can empty the buffer and shoot more
rapidly, but faster processors consume more battery power. To you,
is [A] battery life more important than speed, or [B] speed of
writing to cards more important than battery life?
Your answer:
[19] Mechanical noise is always a factor in any camera. Recently I
used a Nikon D-200 and was pleasantly surprised at it's lower noise
level. How important is it to you that the new "R" be mechanically
quieter than the current models? [A] very important, [B] not too
important or [C] not important at all.
Your answer:
[20] Price is always a factor. Remembering that the new M8 is
approximately US$5000 and the R9/DMR combo is around $7,500, what
would you expect pay for a new Leica 'R' - assuming it has most of
the features you want? [A] $4000, [B] $5000, [C] $6000, [D] $7000,
[E] $8000, [F] More than $8000.
Your answer:
----
IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON NEW FEATURES YOU'D LIKE TO SEE, OR ANY
OTHER ITEM I'VE MISSED, PLEASE ADD A COMMENT AFTER THIS. THANKS.
Many thanks for taking the time to respond. It will be interesting
to Leica and to us all!
Cheers!
Please
---
David Young,
Logan Lake, CANADA
Wildlife Photographs: http://www.telyt.com/
Personal Web-pages: http://www3.telus.net/~telyt
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