If Leica bring out a digital databack for the M6, as is the rumour, will it fit/be compatible with the TTL and therefore make it into two cameras?

Wouldn't that be quite revolutionary?

Thank you.

-- PD (pd100@hotmail.com), December 06, 2001

Answers

It is very unlikely that Leica will bring out a digital back for the M cameras. Developement costs for digital are very large and the only way Leica can afford to go digital is in partnership with a much larger company. The small number of M digital backs that Leica could sell would make them prohibitively expensive. Imagine how much a Nikon D1x would cost if Nikon could only sell a couple thousand of them! The price of the early low production Hasselblad backs would be a good comparison. Though they are hardly inexpensive even now.

Your best hope for a digital M camera is another manufacturer's camera with a M lens mount. Even then all the digital cameras are AF and might not be happy with no electronics in the lens.

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), December 06, 2001.

John is correct. Agfa has recently announced that they are getting out of digital (scanners and cameras) entirely because they are losing money on them. It's been stronly hinted that Polaroid USA's financial woes are due to digital. Nikon admits that they haven't made money yet on the D1's, but can afford to build them because of the millions of p/s and other cameras they do make money on. There is no way in the foreseeable future that Leica could afford the R&D for a digital M , when as John says, they may sell a couple thousand units.....

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001.

I've given a lot of though the merging of digital capture and traditional film cameras. In theory, slapping a back onto your exixting camera is a great idea. Not without problems, however.....

CCD's carry a static charge. Imagine if film did this. (AHHHHHHHHHRRRRGH)

Most digital SLRs' chip will multiply th focal length by 1.5(approx)- The only 24x36 sensor I can think of is Silicone Film Tech's offering. A very cool product,indeed- drop in like film :-) (only1.3mp :-( ).

This increase in focal length combined with the weaker retrofocus Reflex wide-angles is a recipe for disaster- just to get a "normal" focal length.

A full 24x36 designed as a rangefinder? why didn't I think of this before?

I think it might work with a dedicated body designed for such use.

Ideally, however, there would be some sort of protection over that CCD or CMOS element to keep dust at bay. And no focal length increase.

Just my thoughts.

-- Mike DeVoue (karma77@att.net), December 06, 2001.

I enjoy M lenses for its subtle qualities and high resolution. Can digital experts out there tell me if current CMOS or CCD technology will do any justice to these qualities?

-- ray tai (razerx@netvigator.com), December 06, 2001.

Ray - in a word NO!! (and I sell these things for a living). To get as much information as is contained on a well exposed Velvia 35mm transparency (something in the range of a 70+ megabite file) you need a CCD back for a medium format (better yet a 4X5) camera. At a cost of approximately $30000.00 + US (and this doesn't include a camera or computer), I can buy a lot of film. This will bring the usual response that a Nikon D1 (for example) will give a great 8X10 print. Of course if you want a 20X24 (easily within 35mm reach these days) you are SOL as they say.

-- Bob Todrick (bobtodrick@yahoo.com), December 06, 2001.

If Leica M6 digital photography were to exist, I would fret that the whole outfit would cost around 30 grand for the whole thing to match the quality of film.

Shoot, to be honest, I still like vinyl over CD's because of the warmth of the analog over digital. No one can tell you otherwise.

Conclusion: I use digital only for fun snapshots but for photojournalist activities, I use Leica/Nikon for my general outfit... after all, with 30 grand you can purchase about 50 million rolls of film and that's enough for a long time :)

Alfie

-- Alfie Wang (leica_phile@hotmail.com), December 07, 2001.

30 grand sounds optimistic, if you want to reach film quality.

-- Mike DeVoue (karma77@att.net), December 10, 2001.