[LRflex] Re: Next "R" Camera Survey - 20 Questions.
- From: gary merideth <gtmerideth@xxxxxxx>
- To: leicareflex@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, David Young <telyt@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:54:04 -0600
1. B
2. C
3. B
4. A
5. B
6. A 100%
7. M 100%
8. B
9. B
10. B
11. B
12. A
13. B
14. C
15. B
16. A
17. A
18. B
19. C
20. C
21.
On Oct 18, 2006, at 12:23 PM, David Young wrote:
> 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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