If Nikon...

[dave_f2]

If Nikon made a 35mm digital back at the price of a midmarket DSLR would you buy it?

 

Personally I haven't made the jump to digital yet and I'm still shooting with my

FE2. It would be great if I could make the jump with my FE2...I think I'm too

used to the way it handles.

 

Anyone else?

[ronald_moravec1]

It would be nice. Whoever invented it would get bought out by the larger camera companies which have a vested interest in the status quo.

 

Lots of things are that way. Good inventions that never see the light of day. I know major companies that have improved versions of thing just waiting until it has to be marketed, or never.

[tommyinca]

No, because the user interface for digital properly would be awful. I would however buy a 35mm full frame midmarket DSLR by the 2nd blink, if they do make one like the Canon 5D.

[JosvanEekelen]

I remember the articles about e-film (vapourware). Must still be around on the internet somewhere. I believe one of the most difficult problems to overcome was the interfacing between a digital add-on module and a camera. The problems to make a digital 35 mm back probably outweigh the cost of the camera part.

[Matt Laur]

Nope. I would hate having to go to a menu on the back of the camera to talk to the thing's brains, rather than operate dedicated controls on the body. There's too many good reasons to think in terms of full-body integration. Where does the battery go? Where does the storage go? It would end up humpbacked, like its MF counterparts, or you'd need a large vertical grip component... and then you're looking at different backs for different form factor bodies. Nah, it's a waste of time and money. Hold your breath, decide you're going to read <i>War and Peace</i>, or Neal Stephenson's <i>Baroque Cycle</i>, and when you come back around, you'll see more variations on the D3 and D300, and it you'll forget wanting a kludgey, awkward, also-destined-for-obsolesence bolt-on back.

<br><br>

By the way, I really recommend that particular three-parter from Stephenson. Even if you aren't trying to distract yourself until the next Nikon bodies come out.

[CharlesBecker-Toronto]

Dave-the switch is probably a lot easier than you think; I had my FE2 for 20 years and never

took another shot with it after the first time I got a digital camera and took a photograph

with it. I sold it (the FE2) after keeping it around for a couple of years which was tough to do

but it was just gathering dust. cb :-)

[bueh]

Why not get an used EOS 5D and use your Nikkors with adapters on this full-frame body?

 

Of course I'd love to have this "e-film" thingie (yep, I remember the hype), especially for my classic cameras, but I guess it will not see the light of day in the foreseeable future.

[JDMvW]

I don't think that the mechanical horse to pull your carriage is out yet either.

 

You know, the one that is designed so you won't have to replace your expensive carriage with one of them danged auto-mobiles.

[michael_dimarzio]

Every Contax G2 owner, including me wanted one. But Nikon, Canon compete on selling these menus, this is what the masses want. If they can't sell 35 million copies globally, they won't make it.

 

An Fe2 (I had one but it was stolen at gun point along with an M645 and F4s) is a great camera, IMHO, one of the greatest.

 

My sorry opinion is that all of the software is great, but not for me. I'm shooting film and rangefinders and they were kind of expensive. If C or N wanted my money, they'd offer a product I wanted.

[michael_darnton1]

Hasselblad did it, though they had a huge hunk of back real estate to put it in to start with. Would it be acceptable to you if it had a A12-sized box on the back? :-)

 

I'm still waiting for a cheap 4x5 or 8 x 10 digital scanning back. That one ought to be easy, right? A cheap USB-powered 8-1/2 x 11 scanner costs about $40. What's the problem here?

[michael_darnton1]

And yes, I'm aware of this, which I think is incredibly cool, if slightly non-functional: http://web.archive.org/web/20060205050520/www.scannerphotography.com/

[summitar]

The good news is that your FE2 lenses will work very well on digital cameras such as the D200, although with the 1.5 crop factor.

[User_276104]

Awhile back George Schaub of Shutterbug had a digital wish list that included a digital K-1000 or FM2 that would only record a RAW file.

 

So it's not just users on the net that would like to see it - people in "the industry" want it too.

[dave_f2]

in regards to the digital back to camera interface, i would actually prefer to have all manual controls. i guess the photography i do doesn't really require quick reflexes or high speed burst shooting.

[Brian]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Leica digital back for the R series SLRs. If you look into this gadget, especially the pricing, you will see why Nikon doesn't have a similar gizmo on the shelves.