Digital TLR any chance?

[ike k]

Guys, I'm so enjoying shooting with my newly acquired "OLD" Rolleiflex and at some point

I was thinking that it would be great to have a digital TLR don't you think?. Put aside all the

AF function, keep it manual as I personally like to do so, Don't really need features like

today digital cameras, keep it simple but it's digital and that will be awesome!.

 

I guess there are still many photographers using TLR even for their works. BUt it probably

would cost lots of money to do R&D for this kind, but I believe if they do come up with

such camera, people would love to buy. Pixels doesn't have to be big, 10MP would be

good enough, or we could suggest to have interchangeable back like Leica DMR??? anyway

it's only a thought but we never know :)

 

iKe

[gaius1]

Who would buy it? 99% of TLR owners are, like me, self-consciously anachronistic old geezers (well, I'm 30) who think that even colour film is too new-fangled. If you want waist-level viewing, get a 'blad and stick a Phase One back on it.

[coalburner_01]

aready done, Minox Rolleiflex MiniDigi 32 mbyte mmc memory card, still not as good as old film tlr.

[ike k]

I saw that one too but I'm talking of the same size of the real TLR's, also "Blad" is option

for those with film and digital option but I like the feel of handling TLR better, IMO.

[mag_miksch]

Ike, you can order evaluation kits from Kodak, including taking chip, processing chip and software and put this alltogether into your Rolleiflex.^^

[pete_andrews10]

Ike. You're joking, I hope, right?

 

Where would the advantage be, in sticking an extra (redundant) lens and focusing screen onto a digital camera?

 

Supposed advantages of TLRs:

 

1) Accurate focusing - well we already get that with digital cameras. Just flip the digital into manual focus, with or without electronic focus confirmation or magnification.

 

2) Quiet operation - I can hardly hear a whisper out of my digital camera anyway.

 

3) "Life-size" viewing - Isn't a 2.5 inch LCD screen big enough?

 

4) You can flip the TLR upside-down over your head and get a high viewpoint - Some LCDs can swivel at any angle, making them even more versatile.

 

5) Uninterrupted viewing while the picture's taken - just like nearly every digital camera currently on sale.

 

Disadvantages of TLR:

 

Reversed view; Parallax error; Nearly twice as big as it needs to be; No DOF preview; Limited lens interchangability; Limited focusing range; Dim viewfinder image; No TTL metering ...... list continues on page 93.

[kngharv]

The biggest issue with digital TLR is very simple: people simply can't make CCD/CMOS sensor big enough cheaply just yet (2006). These guys can barely can make a 35mm full-frame sensor (24mm x 36mm). It would be a bit too much to ask people to make 60mm x 60mm sensor, no?

 

Secondly, I think average joe *HATES* manual focusing. I haven't see any auto-focus TLR in my life just yet. It would be interesting though.

 

If people is willing to accept a D-TLR that has a much smaller sensor (let say 20mm x 20mm), and the fact that one need to read apature/shutter speed / memory card status on a seperate LCD rather than the view finder. It is possible.

 

In fact, it will be a very interesting camera :p

 

 

Harv

[William Kahn]

Funny, but the same question came up in the Olympus forum about the OM-1. I suggested that whatever resulted probably wouldn't be recognizable as an OM-1. See where I'm heading with this?

 

Count my among the fussy curmudgeons who love their old cameras because they are what they are.....

[William Kahn]

Should be "me", not "my". Not enough coffee yet for proofreading....

[Ed_Ingold]

Ike, how many new TLR cameras are there? Would you say the demand might be too low for a digital model?

[bob_rannells]

I also love TLRs and am hoping for the same thing. But, just recently (two days ago) I bought a Sony R1. It's not exactly the same, but in many ways it's like working with a TLR. Even the manual focus is surprisingly good considering this is an electronic viewfinder camera.

[vincenzo_maielli]

None! Dear Ike, there are few owners of the TLR cameras in the world (i am) and the digital backs should cost many many bucks! It's less expensive buy a second hand Hasselblad 500 CM and a modern Leaf or Kodak digital backs (second hand too, why not?).

Ciao.

 

Vincenzo Maielli Italy

[wolf_rainer_schmalfuss]

Hi guys!

 

There is a good possibility coming soon at the Photokina, to give you a very good chance for digital images from your TLR ROLLEIFLEX! Just wait for a couple days! Is's like X-mas!

[herve_laurent]

Wolf,

What are you talking about ? in a few days at the photokina, Rollei -or rather Franke &

Heidecke-will introduce the Revived Rolleiflex TLR tele and there are also rumors of a digital

SLR -some people say that it would not even be 6x6 but 645 like every other brand- but TLR

digital you must be mistaken or confused.