Fuji XT-3

[Two23]

I'm telling you there has never been a time like this before.  So many cameras coming our way.

Well, actually there have been times like this, and even more so.  In the 1940s the patents (DRP) on the German cameras were all declared void and anyone could copy them.  That set off a worldwide explosion of camera making in the U.S., Russia, Britain, Japan, and even Italy!  The Nikon S rangefinder was a modified Leica and that evolved into the Nikon F in 1959, which set off yet another round in the 1960s!  The invention of roll film by Eastman Kodak set off two waves of small camera innovation:  one around 1900 and another in the 1920s.  It was during this period that photography came to the masses and instead of having just three or four manufacturers the technology spawned hundreds!  Once major brands now forgotten include Gundlach, Ensign, Ross, Voigtlander , ICA, Ikon, Century Camera Co., Conley, Seneca, Wollensak, Ansco, Premo, Ferrania, Thornton Pickard, Erneman, Welta, Foth, Certo, Plaubel, LEICA, Franke & Heidecke (Rolleiflex), Leica Wetzlar, and dozens more I can't remember off the top of my head.   So I'd say that period was clearly far more reaching than what we have at the moment.  And, I don't think the cameras will prove to be the significant thing in the long run--they're all very similar.  I think that will be the new lens mounts.  As you can see, there have been "break outs" of technology throughout photo history that are not only similar to today, but exceeded it.


Kent in SD

[rdonson]

I have not had a camera body with a touchscreen. If one's nose touches the screen while shooting, does this have unintended consequences that affect the shots?  If so, can one turn off the touchscreen?

Best wishes,

Jonathan

Several "reviewers" with pre-production models have reported that you can indeed turn off the touchscreen.  For me, I can only imagine using the touchscreen if I'm on a tripod.  Then again perhaps I'm just a curmudgeon. 

[Dave Rosser]

Well, actually there have been times like this, and even more so.  In the 1940s the patents (DRP) on the German cameras were all declared void and anyone could copy them.  That set off a worldwide explosion of camera making in the U.S., Russia, Britain, Japan, and even Italy!  The Nikon S rangefinder was a modified Leica and that evolved into the Nikon F in 1959, which set off yet another round in the 1960s!


Kent in SD

Small point but I think the Nikon rangefinder cameras were based on Zeiss Contax II not Leica.

Dave

[Chris Kern]

Small point but I think the Nikon rangefinder cameras were based on Zeiss Contax II not Leica.

As was the Kiev, which was quite literally a Contax II clone because it was manufactured with machine tools expropriated from Germany after World War II by the occupying Soviet army.  My father picked up the one in the attached photo during the early 1970s while on a business trip in Eastern Europe as a U.S. foreign service officer.

[JaapD]

Several "reviewers" with pre-production models have reported that you can indeed turn off the touchscreen.  For me, I can only imagine using the touchscreen if I'm on a tripod.  Then again perhaps I'm just a curmudgeon.

As I've already mentioned elsewhere Fuji should implement a 'disable touchscreen while looking through the viewfinder' function. The eye detection is already there so it's only a few lines of software code.....
This would be my Kaizen proposal to Fuji.

[Two23]

Small point but I think the Nikon rangefinder cameras were based on Zeiss Contax II not Leica.

You are correct, mostly based on the Contax.  However, the patents on Zeiss cameras and lenses (DRP, Deutsche Reich Patent) were also affected.  The loss of patents at the end of the war forced German companies to innovate and come up with new products which started showing up in the mid 1950s.  The Leica M was one of these.  This was also the period that Voigtlander began manufacturing and marketing the first zoom lens for still cameras, the Zoomar (36-82mm f2.8.)
https://www.cameraquest.com/ekzoom.htm
There are relatively few camera manufacturers now, and even fewer sources for key components.  I think what's going to really set them apart will be lenses.


Kent in SD

[Rand47]

Several "reviewers" with pre-production models have reported that you can indeed turn off the touchscreen.  For me, I can only imagine using the touchscreen if I'm on a tripod.  Then again perhaps I'm just a curmudgeon.

Yup.... my X-H1 is able to turn off the touch screen. In addition there are several modes of touch screen use.  E.g., I typically only have it set to bring up the electronic level, histogram, etc. but not to focus or shoot.  It’s also great for reviewing images. 

Rand

By the way my preorder is in for X-T3 w/ vertical battery grip.