doug_d

BMPs are such a waste of bandwidth.

I love any camera that improves with use (grin)! Vlad, I hope you have a great time with the Bessa!

 

Cheers,

 

Doug

The f4.0 lense is a real deal killer.

I bought a 35mm ASPH summicron from him a couple of years ago. No problems at all.

 

D.

I believe that Huw posted that a project at work has consumed his time. I am looking forward to his results, as well. Please remember he is one guy, self funding the project.

 

D.

Isn't it quite late in the game to be seeking changes? I mean they are probably 30% into their production schedule and they are formally announcing the camera in a couple of days.

 

I do not doubt that the boys in Solms have looked at feedback from the M7 and have made a decision based on a bunch of factors.

Steve:

 

Nice work. I am curious what your processing for the Tri-x was. It looks great. My own Tri-x stuff is pretty flat and am considering upping the development time.

 

D.

Spring Chicken

1 body

3 lenses

With regard to Canadian Leica distribution, Lisle Kelco has gone under and I believe that Leica USA is now handling it. I think that Kindermann is the authourised repair service.

 

D.

I like the the lens a lot. It is well built for the price. Optically it performs very well. The

paint is not as durable as a Leica product and the focus is slightly stiff, but is uniform

through the range in motion.

 

It is a bargain, particularly if you don't use a 90 too often.

 

Cheers,

 

Doug

I recently purchased a "heavystar" lens hood. It seems like a pretty good product. It was relatively cheap ($25) so I won't feel bad if I beat it up a little.

 

No affiliation with Heavystar, just thought I would send it out as an option.

 

D.

I am primarily using a 0.85 viewfinder with 50mm. The combination is great. Going wider is

problematic because I wear glasses. I tend to use normal and longer lenses, so I don't feel

that I am missing out.

 

D.

Probably you are not classifying your message as a "For Sale" message. They get deleted automatically otherwise. There is a drop down menu in the message creation process that should clear things up.

I like his work as well. Ex Libris is a very nice book. Deus Ex Machina is the size of a brick

and is pretty much a sample of his whole body of work.

 

He has taught a couple of workshops here in Vancouver and has held a lecture on one

evening for those not attending the workshop. He is an entertaining speaker and a very

dedicated Leica user.

 

D.

There are lots of people in the world who don't have the luxury of computers and printers to

handle digital cameras. I suspect that many places will use film for a while yet (10 years?). It

seems that film will become an (expensive) niche market.

 

What we will miss is the luxury of choices that we once had.

 

D.

If you are not in a rush, you might want to see what Canon will anounce at PMA. The 20D

camera line has been upgraded on a roughly 18 month cycle. That cycle matches the PMA in

February.

 

I have not heard any substantial rumors. I do not believe there is any reliable info out there

yet, even my speculation about the upgrade path is just that.

 

D.

The impressive thing here is that Huw decided to do this in the last few months (I assume).

The glacial pace of Leica's development is simply unbelievable. They have had years.

Huw is going beyond visionary here.

 

He has put money where his mouth is, and given his past successes, I don't doubt him.

 

Maybe we should be forwarding this thread and the follow ups to the gnomes of Solms. If a

solitary, ale drinking, dude can go forward and build a digital M, then doesn't that put the

development people of Solms in a poor light?

Of course, to get the quality of the $200 B&J onto a computer, you need a good drum

scanner. Last I heard, they cost a lot, more than the H2.

 

D

Gotta go narrow. 50-90 is the kit. Personally, I am wide, but my lenses, not so much.

 

D.

Dan:

 

I don't know much about the Contax. I thought it was a true autofocus (ie. the lens driven

to focus by the camera). I was thinking about something that confirms focus (the lens

being manually driven my the user).

 

Cheers,

 

Doug

This isn't meant to be a troll, but I thought that I would explore a possible paradigm shift.

I really enjoy the viewfinder on my M. Having said that, would we be willing to accept a

passive autofocus on a digital M. We could then dispense with the expensive rangefinder

for focussing. Please remember, we don't really get to see true focus with the rangefinder,

only the calibrated approximation.

 

The downside is that the focus may not be responsive. It would depend on how focus

needs to be displayed electronically.

 

Just a thought. It could make the digital M more economical.

I believe that the factory that made the Noctilux in Canada was a Leitz facility. It was later sold off to a defence contractor, but still produces the lenses for Leica.

 

I doubt that he would see a difference between the German production and Canadian production.

Try Moutain Equipment Coop - www.mec.ca

 

They are the largest outdoors shop in Canada. You need to buy a $5 membership to purchase from them. Their prices are good enough that you won't notice the five bucks.

 

Cheers,

 

Doug

Vancouver, Canada

I have to echo the last comment. Nice work with such a wide lense.

 

D.