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Leica R looking forward

PeterA

PeterA

Well-known member
fotografz said:
My nice 203FE and speedy scans from the Imacon 949 would be more than enough. You know, I am in the process of redoing my Wedding Web Site, and about 65% to 70% of the shots I've selected were done on film. That has been a revelation. Don't know why, they just are.
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Marc,

I have been going through my own archives sorting everything out into a lightroom database - and I have found the same thing - my film wok supplies a far higher keeper ratio than my digital.


I need to get that Imacon to scan in a lot of family stuff including printed photographs going back decades and decades - just don know whether I go for the X1 or the big boy - there is quite a price difference..

Maybe we need an scanner forum - I have noted a few guys use Imacon - but forgot the thread where a lotof useful stuff came out...


Pete
 
F

fotografz

Well-known member
Swing for the wall peter.

I demo'ed the 848 for a couple of months and ended up getting a discounted 949 as Hasselblad rebadged the scanners and blew out remaining Imacon stock.

The big guy is way faster, but more importantly uses a diffused light source that produces images that look more like optically printed darkroom prints.
 
S

Stuart Richardson

Active member
I use the 646 and there are only two things that bother me:
1. You can't scan mounted slides. A lot of my older stuff is mounted, and you need to take it out to scan it.
2. Negatives and slides must be absolutely spotless, as the scanner is relentless in picking up the tiny specks and bits of dust on the film.

So, from what I gather, the 949 solves both of these problems, so if you consistently print very large (and I do mean very large), then it will be worth it. Same goes if you have a large stock of mounted slides.

When I have scanned 6x6 to print at 30x30 inches, I have found that I spend about 30 minutes to an hour spotting the negative, even with very clean film, so don't underestimate the benefit of a diffused source. For smaller sizes it is much less of an issue.
 
PeterA

PeterA

Well-known member
Thanks for the feedback Mark and Stuart - I will go with the X5.

Mark - I am looking at buying Son's little blad system in teh FS section I think you have one of these - and woudl appreciate any feedback on your experiences with the system on V cameras.

Pete
 
F

fotografz

Well-known member
PeterA said:
Thanks for the feedback Mark and Stuart - I will go with the X5.

Mark - I am looking at buying Son's little blad system in teh FS section I think you have one of these - and woudl appreciate any feedback on your experiences with the system on V cameras.

Pete
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Peter, I see that Son has sold that kit. Did you buy it?

I no longer have my digitally converted 203FE & CFV. A guy in England flew here to Michigan to collect it. Selling it had nothing to do with the performance of the kit. It's fabulous.

Photog pals quip that my gear vault looks like B&H ... LOL. I am to much of a pack rat, and am now consolidating my systems. I also sold my Aptus 75s/Mamiya to Jim Collum, and am about to sell even more.

I still have a brand new 203FE (1 year old), and near full set of FE glass (50/2.8FE up to 250/4FE) plus some E type film backs. I have often shot film with this kit and scan it on the 949.

I also still have a complete 2 camera 503CW kit, Fisheye to 350mm, 3 flashes and a zillion accessories ... AND a full Mamiya RZ Pro-II kit with fisheye to 210APO along with another zillion accessories.

And this is just the MF stuff.

I am concentrating on the H3D system and Rollei Xact-II view camera with lens range Rodenstock 28/2.8 Digitar to 120/5.6 Digitar + some conventional view lenses for effect.

Folk should keep an eye out for my F/S post in the coming weeks. I post here before anywhere else to give my forum pals first crack at mint gear.
 
PeterA

PeterA

Well-known member
No Mark I didnt buy Son's kit. I sold my canon glass kept the 1dsmk11 as a Leica lens back-up to DMR as I really dont expect that my R lenses are going to be made compatible with the new Leica R camera - IF /When it comes out.

You have a private message re your gear.
 
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S

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Not to be ominous, but I am in the same boat...I have tallied up the value of my Leica R stuff, along with various other things that I am not using as much anymore, and the total was sobering. I will probably post a F/S posting with some serious kit in the next few days or so. DMR, 19mm, 35/1.4, 50/1.4, 180/2.8 apo, R6, maybe even the 28-90 and 100apo, though I am sentimental about them...other things will be in there like an M-hexanon 50/1.2, 28 elmarit M, probably the 75/2 apo, a rollei TLR, a Leica Motor M, the R8 motor drive, Leicavit M...the list goes on...

I suspect this might elicit a flurry of PM's, but I am not totally ready to do this yet, so please don't get excited. I might not be able to respond right away.
 
doug

doug

Well-known member
PeterA said:
I really dont expect that my R lenses are going to be made compatible with the new Leica R camera
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I don't understand the pessimism, Peter. Leica has stated on several occasions that a new reflex camera replacing the R9 is in development, and Leica has an exceptional track record of lens compatability.
 
dhsimmonds

dhsimmonds

New member
Yesterday as I was in Southampton with an hour or so spare, I decided to visit a pro Photographic show put on by a UK chain of Photographic dealers.

No Leica cameras of course as I have come to expect now but Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax and Sony all had manufacturer's sales teams with products to try.

I liked the Nikon D3.......but boy was it heavy after my R9/DMR and every lens seemed to have a "gritty" zoom ring. I do like the results but I really couldn't change from the DMR. I have never liked Canon lenses so I didn't even bother to look there. I really loved the light weight and handling of the OLY E-3 and their better lenses felt as well made as my R lenses. Just not so sure that I could contemplate going down to such a small sensor size. The 2x crop could be useful for wildlife photography though! R lenses will also fit the E-3 with an adaptor. I was also surprised to find that the pro OLY lenses are just as expensive as Leica's.

All in all I will stay with my DMR, I just love the handling, ease of sensor cleaning and of course those beautiful lenses. I shall just try to be patient and see what Leica have to say about the future of the R series at Photokina.
 
S

Stuart Richardson

Active member
dhsimmonds said:
I liked the Nikon D3.......but boy was it heavy after my R9/DMR and every lens seemed to have a "gritty" zoom ring.
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That's interesting, because the DMR/R9 is listed as being 1395g (with battery?), while the D3 is listed at 1240g (without battery). Is it that the lenses are heavier? Because the R lenses tend to be pretty heavy...though the 28-90 is actually fairly light...
 
gogopix

gogopix

Subscriber
doug said:
I don't understand the pessimism, Peter. Leica has stated on several occasions that a new reflex camera replacing the R9 is in development, and Leica has an exceptional track record of lens compatability.
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shhhhhh.

i like the pesimissm, at least till i complete my collec tion!:toocool:
 
PeterA

PeterA

Well-known member
Doug - I hope you are right, thats why I am not selling my R lenses.

However, I think the company is probably building a totally new DSLR system and backwards compatibility is less than guaranteed - judging by their loud silence on this issue.

best
Pete
 
P

pascal_meheut

Guest
I cannot be sure of course but he also said "The R is a beautiful camera, but today’s market gives preference to other products".

Does not look like a statement of support to me. Anyway, I'm not using my DMR that much anymore since I have the M8. If they launch a full frame with AF, I'll still have lenses from 19mm to 180mm and the 280 would be the first one I would want to change anyway.
You mileage may vary of course.
 
R

robmac

Well-known member
Leica is cutting their own PR throat on nick at a time re: customer confidence with these obscure "101 interpretations" snippets in interviews.

These aren't some CEO's new product teasers, these are increasingly vague/noncommittal blurbs interspersed with months of dead silence.

Either drop the news/hammer or keep your mouth shut with a flat 'we don't discuss ongoing new product development" and deal with it like adults with some respect for your (in many cases heavily) invested customers - who had been led to believe an R10 was coming - and spent money in many cases accordingly.

While I very much THINK the pessimism will be proven correct, I HOPE it won't be. In either case, if Leica loses customers over this between now and if/when the news on the R's future (or lack thereof) drops, they have only themselves to blame.

They should also bear in mind that many R users also are invested in M kit. Some of these folks may (assuming the worst) decide to take a 'burn everything behind you' approach to any full/partial retreat from Leica.

As a mere cherry-picking user of Leica glass, MY confidence in management somewhere between zippo and bupkus. While any possible R10 is far less likely in my future than an entry-level MFDB kit given the $$/performance for a 135 system, I can only imagine how frustrated some heavily-invested R users feel.
 
gogopix

gogopix

Subscriber
robmac said:
Leica is cutting their own PR throat on nick at a time re: customer confidence with these obscure "101 interpretations" snippets in interviews.

.... I can only imagine how frustrated some heavily-invested R users feel.
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Heavily invested Si!
Frustrated No!

;)
 
D

dfarkas

Workshop Member
The fact is that the R lenses and DMR are every bit as good now as they were two years ago. The picture quality today is no worse than it was then and even with all the advances in DSLR technology, the DMR still more than holds its own. I'd say it still betters almost all contenders in the 35mm DSLR arena. High ISO? Maybe not, but absolute IQ and feel, yes.

It is not Leica's fault that Imacon and Hasselblad merged and cut Leica off. This could be why Leica tried to acquire Sinar back at Photokina 06. The new partnership with Jenoptik for the M8 has worked out much better. Whether Jenoptik will be working under the hood of the R10 or Leica moving this in house remains to be seen, but I don't think they will fall into another Imacon arrangement.

In the absecene of information human nature is to hope for the best and fear the worst. Can Leica do a better job communicating to its customers? Perhaps. Will they make an excellent camera system in the R10? I have no doubt.

In the meanwhile let's enjoy the DMR and phenomenal R glass, or M8 and exeptional M glass while we await any R10 news.

David
 
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