Last Wednesday I mentioned that I've been hanging out at Stephen Gandy's CameraQuest. I've been using my Olympus D-600L for 6 years. I use it primarily for my customer's web sites. I needed to upgrade it but couldn't afford a pro or prosumer digital camera. I had upgraded my scanner, a couple of years ago, to an Epson 2450, which is a flatbed scanner that can scan film. When I saw what a wonderful job it did on my old 120 negatives, I brought my old Mamiya Universal down off the shelf and have been using it. (Hmmm. I see I need to update those pages.) This has worked very well but I also need a small, quick street shooter and digital cameras are just too slow.

Last year I brought my grandfather's Leica IIIc down off the shelf and looked into using that but the shutter curtain is shot and rebuilding it was more than I could afford. But shooting with the old Leica made me realize what I had been missing. There really isn't anything quicker to shoot than a rangefinder. When I pressed the shutter release the shutter actually released. There was no waiting around for the camera to determine the exposure and focus or waiting for the mirror to flop out of the way. It was a revelation.

I recently decided to sell some prints I bought 30 years ago, in order to finance my photography equipment upgrades. (I'm still researching for buyers.) I knew I wanted a 35mm rangefinder and considered rebuilding the Leica but then I started looking closely at the Voigtlanders (made by Cosina) Stephen Gandy was selling and saw the answer. The Voightlander Bessa T and Bessa R2 are entry level Leica M cameras. Cameras that Leica should be building but aren't. This is a picture of the Bessa R2 with the optional trigger winder that will let you shoot 2-3 frames per second — manually.

Voigtlander also has a range of lenses that is pretty amazing. How about a 12mm and a 15mm rectilinear lens? At reasonable prices, too. The 15mm is $349, with finder. There isn't anything else like it. If you want to use long lenses, a rangefinder is not the camera. It shines with a wide angle lens. Now, I still need a digital camera on occasion, even though film will be primary. I thought that what I needed in a digital camera would be a rangefinder with interchangeable lens. A Bessa R2 or T with a digital sensor. (By the way, a point and shoot is not a rangefinder.) There is a major camera show going on in Las Vegas right now and guess what?

Epson

Epson surprised quite a few people with their 'behind glass' glimpse of a new digital camera they're working on. This camera is a combined effort between Epson and Cosina and has the look of a vintage manual rangefinder. This unique digital camera will have an M-type Leica interchangeable lens mount and a large rangefinder. Epson are saying that they will release more information in March 2004.

I've been following this the last couple of days in a Cosina-Voigtlander Users Group. Stephen Gandy had this to say tonight...

Digital Bessa at Vegas 2004 PMA

Holy Digital Batman, what a surprise! No one expected this. The new digital Bessa was probably the most photographed camera at PMA, photog after photog taking shots of it. I will have a page with pics up early next week. It was amazing to see a early 1930's 50/2.5 Leitz Hektor mounted on a new digital RF. Don't think the people who put together the display did not understand the historical significance of the 70 year old lens being used with full compatibility on their new camera. it's for real, Epson and Cosina combined in a secret joint project to produce the first interchangeable lens digital rangefinder ever. I wondered why the film cameras I was told about at last year's PMA did not materialize when expected. Apparently they were put aside temporarily for the digital Bessa. This new camera is a really big deal, especially since RF users have been told for years such a camera was impossible due to technical limitations of the digital sensors. Only last week Leica announced that with improvements in technology, a digital Leica M was about two years away. Privately Leica estimated a retail body price of $6000. officially the details of the camera will not be officially released until March 11. my guesses and observations are: Leica M mount 6 megapixel digital chip APS size sensor electronic Copal shutter, 1 to 1/2000th, 1/125th flash sync metered manual and aperture priority AE, counterweighted metering exposure lock availability by summer 2004

[more]

(You have to be a Topica member to see the rest of it, but this is most of it.)

Be still my heart. Mine is not the only heart fluttering. Thursday I linked to a site and an article about David Burnett, a photojournalist. He was in the CV User Group, too...

Re: Ditigal Bessa? WHY?

as someone who has spent the past 3 months chasing Democrats to some marginally lit areas in a half dozen states, let me say, that in addition to all the "other cameras" you want to talk about, the one major hole in the working photojournalists bag is a digital rangefinder camera.. one you shoot with like a Bessa or M4, using your own actual fingers for focus, shutter (or A as the case may be..depending on aperture), and shooting, the nimbleness that ONLY an RFDR camera has when it comes to minimalizing the hand/eye/reaction time thing.. (no mirror btw to get the hell outta the way!).. ill tel lyou, on the Kerry plane two weeks ago, i could have sold every Digi Bessa I could have carried on board. I hope the price is competitive (hey, the 10D is $1300 or so now.. that s a good target).. and let us get to start taking pictures again, AND>>> as is sometimes the case here in 21st century America, the ability to uplink them from a powerbook to picture hungrey clients (ok.. so a lot of them aren't too bright!) within minutes.. Onwards i say (and this is from someone covering Kerry with a Speed Graphic and a Rollei!) David Burnett

Very interesting!

And here is an interesting link from Kodak. It discusses sensor size and some of the issues in using digital sensors with traditional lenses.

In Search of the Ultimate Image Sensor (PDF)