Digital Rangefinder?

lars · 02-12-2004

Not sure if this is the correct forum for this thread but check out this page:

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/ar...3/news003.html

Apparently, Epson is showing a digital rangefinder (mock-up or prototype, I don't know) at PMA. This is a huge surprise, I didn't know anyone was working on it, with the exception of Leica, and they made it sound like they wouldn't have anything to show for at least another year.

I'm sure this probably offends some of you film die-hards.

Personally, I like having more options.

...lars

Doug · 02-12-2004

Note the lens is new as well, though it looks antique... It says it's a 50mm f/2.5 Heliar. The famous collapsible 50mm f/3.5 Heliar was a very limited production item for the Bessa-T 101 set, and got superlative reviews. There's also a 50mm f/2.5 Color Skopar that's not collapsible, and which got only mediocre reviews, so this one pictured above is interesting.

Well, the camera body is interesting too! Clearly produced by Cosina, M-bayonet mount. They've moved the shutter speed dial over around the shutter release, and where the shutter dial used to be is now apparently an analog meter read-out along with a couple other guages. What used to be a rewind knob may be a switch. The LCD monitor at rear articulates like on a Canon G5 and can "park" either showing or hiding the screen.

What appears to be a film wind lever is a shutter cocking lever. :-)

So far, this SEEMs to be just what the photo hobbyists have been asking for; a digital that works like a traditional film camera. Yet to be answered is the size of the sensor chip and whether extremely wide-angle non-retrofocus lenses will work ok with the chip.

taffer · 02-13-2004

Hey, that's what digitals should have been in the beginning ! My problem with them is I don't know why a digital has to resemble more the lightspeed assembly from the millenium falcon than a real camera !

If you can use M and LTM lenses on that one and the MP are reasonable and with an affordable price ... hmm...

When is someone going to design a standarized CCD interchangeable system so that you can upgrade your old digital when more MP and more advanced CCDs are available ? That would be a real step up.

That digital film idea seemed a really good one, unfortunately it was abandoned even before becoming a reality...

OTH, I entered the classic camera world after some irritating episodes with battery dependant camera dying in my hands just when I really needed them. That lead to my first Minolta SRT, then to the Rolleicord, and later to my Fed-2. You already know the rest of the story

But that Epson may be something worth to try, it's really incredible how Cosina-Voigtlander has revolutioned the RF world !

And I hope they'll continue that way for a long time !

Brian Sweeney · 02-13-2004

Has anyone ever used Polachrome or know if non RetroFocus wide angle lenses work with it?

This film works like a CCD array; a Monochrome photo-sensitive layer (emulsion for Polaroid, Detectors for CCD's) with an RGB mask over it. The Mask used by Polaroid is 3000 Lines/in; or ~100 Lines/mm, about 10um per line. This is the same size as the detectors in the ATMel full-size 8MPixel CCD array. I suspect the Polaroid mask is thin as it is for a Film loaded into 35mm Cassettes.

http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~jpalm...ide_films.html

oftheherd · 02-13-2004

Epson digital RF and Polachrome? I love this forum! Both very interesting for sure.

pvdhaar · 02-13-2004

Interesting design...

Regardless of the underlying technique, it's main value to me is that it shows that someone recognized that there are loads of very fine lenses (both mechanical and optical) out there.

I wonder whether the CCD is smaller than 36x24. Not only would this imply a focal length multiplication, but also that only the center portion of an image circle is used. There's little problem for light hitting the CCD at very shallow angles in that case.

Another thing to consider is the implication of apparently maintaining the original shutter. This would mean no composing with the rear LCD panel. The shutter would have to be constantly open..

All in all, I'm very curious about how it's going to work out.

rover · 02-13-2004

Cosina has gotten more mileage out of this body. On the drawing board I am sure they have it labled "The Little Camera that Could."

Doug · 02-13-2004

Interesting point about the shutter and the LCD panel, Peter! This may be a good thing, too; compose and focus with the view/rangefinder as one "should", and employ the LCD only after the fact to view what you captured, toss the rejects, and I suppose there might be some other controls there like histogram, etc.

I have been thinking it's not the best practice with existing digitals to use the LCD as a viewfinder, holding the camera out in front, unsteady. Like many others, my wife uses her Nikon 990 that way... perhaps it's because the optical viewfinder is so awful!

Fortunately, the Bessa-R2 has a wonderful viewfinder, hopefully inherited by the Epson, and one wouldn't desire to use the LCD instead even if possible.

bmattock · 02-13-2004

Here's a helpful (semi) translation:

For those who don't speak Japanese (like me), do this:

Take this URL:

http://www.itmedia.co.jp/pcupdate/ar...3/news003.html

and copy and paste it into here:

Babelfish

Then choose Japanese to English and there you go. Not a perfect translation, but some more interesting data. For example, the dials that take over where the shutter speeds were located - analog battery remaining time, I believe...

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

JohnL · 03-23-2004

Quote:

Originally posted by pvdhaar
Interesting design...

<snip>
I wonder whether the CCD is smaller than 36x24. Not only would this imply a focal length multiplication, but also that only the center portion of an image circle is used. There's little problem for light hitting the CCD at very shallow angles in that case.

Another thing to consider is the implication of apparently maintaining the original shutter. This would mean no composing with the rear LCD panel. The shutter would have to be constantly open..

<snip

CCD is just under 24x16mm. Focal length factor is about 1.52. While not full frame, this CCD is much bigger than most non-SLR digitals. Pixel pitch is about 3 times what it is on my Canon G5, for example.

Not sure if the LCD can be used for composing.

John