A Very Unusual Camera - Digital Rangefinder? (Digital Bessa/Epson at PMA)

Care to speculate on what it may be? Or can read the Japanese

site? The camera is shown with collapsible Leica lenses, looks like a

Bessa body, but it also appears to be digital, has an Epson nameplate:

 

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/articles/0402/13 /news003.html

 

Shel Belinkoff

Link doesn't work anymore.

<a href="http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/urltrurl?

url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.itmedia.co.jp%2Fpcupdate%2Farticles%2F0402%2F13%2Fnews003

.html&lp=ja_en&tt=url">Link</a></p>

 

Looks definitely like a prototype, and no info on resolution etc. But something about

announcing (or shipping?) by March.<p>

 

Dave

a digital camera with a film advance lever?

 

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/articles/0402/13/mn_epson3.jpg

No details yet but the speculation is that the advance lever cocks the shutter. If this

camera works, it is really going to suck the wind out of Leica"s economic sails

The article says, inter alia, that there'll be a full announcement of this Epson Bessa in mid March, and that the sensor is at least the size of "APS-C" (whatever that might be).

It looks like a joke -- a Voigtlander body with an LCD grafted onto the back. Who else but

credulous nerds would believe that it was a real digital body ... complete with a film

advance lever?!?!

Here is my favorite line from the translated link:

 

"It is the attention machine of camera maniac drivelling of the Leica M mount correspondence and the past years in the design which is similar to Bessa-R well."

MA 2004 Epson, worldwide first "range finder type digital camera"

 

 

With PMA 2004 the SEIKO Epson, range finder type digital camera

reference exhibition. It is the attention machine of camera maniac

drivelling of the Leica M mount correspondence and the past years in

the design which is similar to ??? Bessa-R well. In the middle

of March formal announcement schedule.

 

 

With PMA 2004 which is in the midst of holding in American Las Vegas,

the SEIKO Epson referred displayed the range finder type digital

camera which corresponds to the Leica M mount. Concerning the

specifications and the like, it is not released altogether, but that

it announces to the middle of March formally, you have announced.

 

 

 

The range finder type digital camera which the SEIKO Epson refers

displays

 

 

 

The product to be inserted by the glass case, ???

corporation make Hektor and the like of the past years and also the

exhibition in the acrylic case. Design has been similar to Bessa-R of

??? well, design of the especially finder section is the

impression which was said almost that way. However, some this one

somewhat large pattern impression. Though, if the range finder type

camera where the flange back is short to seem depth we are finished in

the compact, to consecutive digital single-lens reflex compare

portable characteristic probably will be much better.

 

 

Becoming one important point in the appearance aspect, the analog

meter which is arranged on product top. With the design as in the

chronograph which the clock manufacturer seems, status such as the

battery remaining amount it has become check possible. With this

analog meter, "the analog ? ?" those where it has engendered, are

the film film advance lever. Though in just the digital camera, the

expectation where it is not the case that it is used in the film

hoist. Perhaps, shutter charge, those which are done with the film

advance lever it is presumed.

 

 

 

The analog meter which is arranged on top. How film film advance

lever!

 

 

 

As for liquid crystal display the rear at size about of 2 inches,

small EPSON logograph enters into liquid crystal panel lower part. As

for the EPSON logograph in the exhibition machine at only these 2

places, furthermore as for the liquid crystal panel because it is

possible, to turn over, if the liquid crystal surface has not appeared

in the table, being EPSON make you do not understand. When you turn

over, because the electronic operation button hides, it stops

completely insisting the fact that it is the digital camera.

Furthermore, product name logograph was not stamped. Furthermore, also

the electronic dial was visible in position of the film rewind lever.

 

 

 

As for liquid crystal panel rear about 2 inches. As for small EPSON

logograph charm. If the liquid crystal is turned over, "the digital

camera it seems," it becomes not to go out

 

 

 

So far, if as for the digital camera of range finder type

there is no thing which is sold and the knitting machine is formally

announced, it probably becomes the worldwide first real range finder

type digital camera. It is the camera whose hobby characteristic is

high very, but when you think of that recently the old camera has

become popular, it may become funny existence. In order to check, the

focus of the old lens in such as old camera city, perhaps the maniac

who carries about this product large number reaches the point where it

frequents.

 

 

Furthermore price, altogether there is no either announcement of the

sensor and the number etc. of pixels which have been used. Simply,

because the lenses for 135 format are used, as for using the sensor

above APS-C size you probably will not be wrong. With the valid line,

adoption around the SONY make 6.1 Mega pixel sensors which do outside

sales at APS-C size is powerful.

 

 

[ Honda elegance one, ITmedia ]

EPSON has developed substantial expertise in the area of microlens arrays. They use them

to "straighten out" randomly oriented light from metal halide lamps in there LCD

projectors. It is why they are so small and bright.

 

Makes sense to me that they grafted their microlens array onto a CCD and stuck it in a VC

body.

 

We can only hope!!!!!!!!

Definately Bessa derivitive from the lens mount to the top cover etc etc

This is a joke.... folks... even the frame-counter-to-advance-lever position has been grafted back.

 

If I didn't know better (and I dont) I'd say its all photoshop illusion....

Film advance lever to still cock shutter?

 

What is the funny dial on top. Are those ISO settings?

 

Still no longer RF base length.

 

I like the idea, but I can't wait until digital cameras come into their won and assume the shape that best befits their physical engineering requirements and ergonomics.

 

These "Horseless carriages" look odd.

Pics of the subject camera.<p>

<img src="http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/articles/0402/13/mn_epson1.jpg">

<img src="http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/articles/0402/13/mn_epson3.jpg">

<img src="http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/articles/0402/13/mn_epson4.jpg">

<img src="http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/articles/0402/13/mn_epson5.jpg">

Looks pretty credible--the pictures look just odd enough not to have been invented

to fulfill expectations. The advance lever cocking the shutter--of course. Why not?

The exposure meter on top? Weird, but perhaps sensible enough if you want to get

something to stick in the case to show the investors. I'm tentatively... eager!

<img src="http://www.leica-camera.com/discus_e/messages/3/48348.jpg">

It is sitting in a glass case in the Epson booth in Las Vegas at this moment

with a sign that says, "More information in March." I got a call from a friend at

PMA this afternoon who told me not to buy a digicam, my digital rangefinder

was on the way.

 

Gerry

Too bad the English "translation" wasn't done properly. So far it might as well be from TheOnion.com as anywhere else.

This is the result of what happened when your Leica M camera and your Nikon D100 rubbed up against each other in your camera bag on a hot steamy night.

<p>Neither Cosina nor Epson is responsible for the dire translation above.

Following is my rough version:</p><hr><p>In PMA 2004, now running in Las

Vegas, Seiko Epson is showing a rangefinder digital camera with a Leica

M lens mount. Absolutely nothing is being divulged about the

specifications, etc., but a full announcement will be made in mid

March.</p><p>The product is in a glass case, and is on show in an

<i>akuriru</i> [does this mean perspex? I forget] case together with an

old Hektor, etc., by Leitz. [Either I misunderstand or this is poorly

written.] The design closely resembles that of the Bessa-R; the finder in

particular gives the impression of being

identical. . . </p><hr>Sorry, no, that's enough for now.

I'm

bored. Anyway, the article has little more seemingly intelligent guesses

about what's inside the perspex/glass box, mixed with some journalistic

speculation. Well, the writer could see it more closely than we can, and

says that what to me looks like a rev counter cum fuel gauge is indeed a

fuel er I mean battery gauge, plus plus.</p><p>Contrary to one

speculation above, there is not the slightest suggestion in the article

that the camera can be used for

film as well as CCD.</p>

Not to get my hopes up....but I HAVE MY HOPES UP!

 

jmp

Sure is ugly as hell! <g>

Normally I would expect this sort of thing to pop up on April 1. But who knows.

 

It seems a little well done to be a hoax. Maybe it's just someone's joke at their PMA booth.

While I don't think the whole idea is a joke, I am a bit puzzled by the

collapsible lenses. I've a feeling that few people use collapsible lenses

where they can't be collapsed, and most such lenses can't be collapsed

into a regular, olde-worlde Bessa R as they'd collide with some of the

mechanical/optical gubbins within. Could the Epson Digi-Bessa have less

internal gubbins than the Cosina Bessa? (Well, yes, if it's just an empty

box.)

My impression: pix don't look like previous Photoshopped hoax images I've seen before, and if it's a real mockup but a hoax, somebody went to an awful lot of expense just to play a joke.

 

Maybe this camera explains Leica's sudden about-face on the digital M issue, just as the Hexar RF quickly brought about an end to Leica's story that an electronically-controlled shutter with AE was "impossible without significantly altering the existing M body dimensions". The important thing is that the Japanese, who are largely responsible for keeping the Leica and rangefinders in general alive, are thinking along rational lines, that there is a need for a digital platform to utilize the existing M and LTM lenses, rather than walking around in a dream world spouting about how film will be around forever.