features?

[Limosa]

Having used a Canon 5d professionally for 2 years (events, reporting, portraits, landscapes), I'm quite surprised to find none of the new cameras (nikon d3/d700, sony a900, canon 1dsIII) cater to my needs. I've all but given up hope on the 5d replacemnt. What's wrong with me?

What I _would_ spend a serious amount of $$$ on:

- bigger viewfinder,  focussing screen with even sharper "pop" for manual focussing. Think your old Nikon F3, heck, even Nikkormat... I use manual focus on my 5d most of the time and love it: taking the time to actually LOOK at the image taking shape in the VF before pulling the trigger, slowly fingering the lens's focusing ring gives me better results than blasting away and hoping / praying / cursing some AF computer, beyond my control, does what it should do.

- 3 separate wheels for aperture, shutter speed and iso. (and these values displayed in VF) The three image parameters you use most, either in M or A mode (white balance being #4, though I admit to trusting Auto WB too often - wish it was more dependable).

Burying iso somewhere in a finnicky button/wheel combination is SO film-age! What are they thinking?

Also important:
-built-in infrared receiver for remote control,
-built-in flash commander,
-one-button mirror up / down,
-port for your everyday 320 GB usb sticks to pump around files while away from computer for longer periods of time)

Nice-to-have but certainly no dealbreaker if only one of the 4 below is the same as the current 5d:

- larger dynamic range
- more MPx (apparently this is what the manufacturers want me to want most of all...)
- higher ISo
- lighter, less obtrusive body

(okay here's what I REALLLY want: all of the above in my old metal Konica Hexar MF... one can always dream, no?)

While we're at it:

A decent lens line-up.

I don't think exotic super-fast glass equals "pro" glass. Nor do I think AF necessarily equals "pro."  

I'd happily spend an "L" amount of $$$ on a
-sturdy, (my plastic canon 50/1.4 has given up after 2 years)
-manual focus, (firm and buttery smooth)
-totally sharp, (sharp enough for a 25 megapixel cam)
-totally flat focal plane,
-small,
-totally distortion-and aberration-free
-sharp wide open near AND far (though I'm afraid this is physically impossible)
50/2.0, 85/2.0 and, say, 24 or 28/2.8.
Handling: think your old Nikon Ai-s lenses... they handled lovely, were fast enough, were small... With modern engineering surely they could make the same specs work on a digital sensor?

okay this was my, ehmm, rant. thanks for reading. Feel much better already!

and curious to know if there are more people out there who feel the same...

[telyt]

Having used a Canon 5d professionally for 2 years (events, reporting, portraits, landscapes), I'm quite surprised to find none of the new cameras (nikon d3/d700, sony a900, canon 1dsIII) cater to my needs. I've all but given up hope on the 5d replacemnt. What's wrong with me?

What I _would_ spend a serious amount of $$$ on:

- bigger viewfinder,  focussing screen with even sharper "pop" for manual focussing. Think your old Nikon F3, heck, even Nikkormat... I use manual focus on my 5d most of the time and love it: taking the time to actually LOOK at the image taking shape in the VF before pulling the trigger, slowly fingering the lens's focusing ring gives me better results than blasting away and hoping / praying / cursing some AF computer, beyond my control, does what it should do.

- 3 separate wheels for aperture, shutter speed and iso. (and these values displayed in VF) The three image parameters you use most, either in M or A mode (white balance being #4, though I admit to trusting Auto WB too often - wish it was more dependable).

Burying iso somewhere in a finnicky button/wheel combination is SO film-age! What are they thinking?

Also important:
-built-in infrared receiver for remote control,
-built-in flash commander,
-one-button mirror up / down,
-port for your everyday 320 GB usb sticks to pump around files while away from computer for longer periods of time)

Nice-to-have but certainly no dealbreaker if only one of the 4 below is the same as the current 5d:

- larger dynamic range
- more MPx (apparently this is what the manufacturers want me to want most of all...)
- higher ISo
- lighter, less obtrusive body

(okay here's what I REALLLY want: all of the above in my old metal Konica Hexar MF... one can always dream, no?)

While we're at it:

A decent lens line-up.

I don't think exotic super-fast glass equals "pro" glass. Nor do I think AF necessarily equals "pro."   

I'd happily spend an "L" amount of $$$ on a
-sturdy, (my plastic canon 50/1.4 has given up after 2 years)
-manual focus, (firm and buttery smooth)
-totally sharp, (sharp enough for a 25 megapixel cam)
-totally flat focal plane,
-small,
-totally distortion-and aberration-free
-sharp wide open near AND far (though I'm afraid this is physically impossible)
50/2.0, 85/2.0 and, say, 24 or 28/2.8.
Handling: think your old Nikon Ai-s lenses... they handled lovely, were fast enough, were small... With modern engineering surely they could make the same specs work on a digital sensor?

This might be the time to pay attention to Leica at Photokina.  The R8 with DMR is too big and heavy (and Leica is aware of this) otherwise it would meet most of your needs/wants.  Leica is expected to show or announce the DMR replacement in a few days.

[Christopher]

This might be the time to pay attention to Leica at Photokina.  The R8 with DMR is too big and heavy (and Leica is aware of this) otherwise it would meet most of your needs/wants.  Leica is expected to show or announce the DMR replacement in a few days.
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I would not wait for Leica. They lost around 40% of sale in the last year. The whole M8 thing was a disaster for Leica. I don't believe they will ever produce something really useful until Leica is bought by a bigger company and get's some big money injections. They need it.


P.S. I own a M8 and while it is nice as a camera on the side it is NOT a professional camera.

[fike]

Your list is excellent.  I like the third wheel for dedicated ISO adjustments, and the lack of a cheap IR remote like they have in all the digicams is pretty inexcusable.  

You mentioned USB host which I think is a great idea, but I am afraid it is limited by power considerations.  For the camera to be a USB host it will need dedicated power cord or much more power.  I would love to attach a passport USB drive and shoot straight to hard drive, but then both the camera and the hard drive would be powered by the lowly, little BP511A.  When you are writing data, power failures are disastrous.  So, cool feature, but probably a bad idea in practice.

[Limosa]

Didnt realize a USB port would suck so much power, I guess you're right there. I saw it more as a feature to empty your CF card after a days shooting. And then twice, of course, on two different USB sticks just to be sure. It's what I now use my laptop for when travelling, just in case the laptop gets stolen, there's still a USB stick in my wallet and one in my suitcase somewhere... (paranoia? what?) Maybe the battery charger could double as a USB port - adapter?  

Anyway, it's funny how all this feels like just daydreaming, while any wish for medium format-like MegaPixel-counts or Outer-Space-High-ISO will be honored in due time. Simple practical stuff like viewfinder, remote, flash commander, 3 adjustment wheels, simple stuff you'd actually use all day: forget it.

As to Leica... the R8 was such a horribly oversized monster, I would feel embarrassed toting one around, but lets try to be open-minded about any successor. A really nice big bright viewfinder _could_   convince me. But I dont think their lenses would survive the scrutiny of, say, a 21 mp sensor, they should all be in for redesign.

[telyt]

But I dont think their lenses would survive the scrutiny of, say, a 21 mp sensor, they should all be in for redesign.

Huh?!?  When was the last time you used a Leica APO lens, and why are so many Canon users snarfing up R-to-EOS adapters so they can use Leica wides?

[Limosa]

Huh?!?  When was the last time you used a Leica APO lens, and why are so many Canon users snarfing up R-to-EOS adapters so they can use Leica wides?
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oops - yes the only Leica glass I ever used, apart from my 10x42 binos, were 1960's M-lenses, like a summicron 50. I bet they've improved since then. They should have. Still, the consensus on the different web sites (for what it's worth!) seems to be the latest ones are about the same, at least not THAT much better than their canon / nikon etc counterparts.

If it had auto aperture I'd be tempted to try one, because of the nice feel of the focus ring.  Maybe many canon users are indeed 'snarfing them up' (nice expression btw) but I honestly doubt many actually use them after trying it out for a little while. Maybe a gearhead or two - not to sound disparaging in any way: I could qualify as one myself. But for practical purposes, you've got to love auto aperture.

Nevertheless, point taken. If Leica came with a good ff body (see wish list above) I'd switch systems in a heartbeat. A big IF, but not impossible.

[telyt]

... the consensus on the different web sites (for what it's worth!) seems to be the latest ones are about the same, at least not THAT much better than their canon / nikon etc counterparts.

This consensus is either wishful thinking or sour grapes, or based on outdated Leica lenses.  The best CaNikon lenses are typically as good stopped down a couple of stops as comparable Leica-R lenses at full aperture (ignoring bokeh, flare and distortion).  The only weak spots in the Leica-R lens lineup are 35mm and 24mm primes.

If it had auto aperture I'd be tempted to try one, because of the nice feel of the focus ring.  Maybe many canon users are indeed 'snarfing them up' (nice expression btw) but I honestly doubt many actually use them after trying it out for a little while. Maybe a gearhead or two - not to sound disparaging in any way: I could qualify as one myself. But for practical purposes, you've got to love auto aperture.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/technolo...amp;oref=slogin

If Leica came with a good ff body (see wish list above) I'd switch systems in a heartbeat. A big IF, but not impossible.

Watch Photokina.