Nikon behind the curve...

[lsisaxon]

well, the ZD has been out for over a year and a half now... still hasn't made much of a presence... don't know how much faster Leica can ship a product from its announcement now, what the pricing would be (expensive or really %#@% expensive), or in the intervening period what other companies would do... ;p

The price is simply crazy!! Prices of digital MF that is.. My dad used to have a set of Bronica ETRS 645 with several lenses for less than the price of D3 now!!! He sold it and got a used 500C/M with a standard lens. Now digital MF is wwwwwwwwwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyy out of reach... :sweat:

 

[lsisaxon]

I thought Hasselblad = Fuji.. Were they not bought over? thus making you conclusion wrong.. Am I mistaken?

Here's a read...
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/h2-review.shtml

A History Lesson

As many readers will know, Hasselblad is (was) a Swedish company, founded in the late 1940's by Victor Hasselblad. For decades Hasselblad was the professional medium format camera, developing an almost legendary reputation, aided in no small measure by being used in the US space program and especially on the Apollo moon landings. Its lenses were from Carl Zeiss, which has a deserved reputation for sterling optics.​

In 2002 Hasselblad introduced the H series of cameras. These were purportedly designed in large measure by Hasselblad's engineers, but are built in Japan by Fuji. The lenses for the H series are all designed and made by Fuji, but specified by Hasselblad. It's interesting to note as well that in Japan the H series cameras are sold as Fuji brand cameras, with no mention whatsoever of the name Hasselblad. (This applied as well to the excellent Hasselblad X-Pan, which was simply a rebranded Fuji product).​

In mid-2004 Hasselblad and Imacon (the well regarded scanner and digital back maker) merged, and are now effectively one company. According to industry insiders, Imacon is in the drivers seat. Actual ownership of the conglomerate is by Shiro Group, a Hong Kong based company. So effectively what we have is a Japanese made camera, designed in part by Swedes, owned by Chinese, and run by Danes. Globalization anyone?
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[La Fontaine]

Just wondering how many D3 are sold compared with D300 and recently D700. I am not so sure if Nikon makes any money out of D3. But the technology is not wasted, but is handed down to the D300 and D700, where the revenue is.

So, we dunno if Leica is wise enough to do their R&D for their top end model and then, put their technology to good use later on......

 

[theRBK]

Just wondering how many D3 are sold compared with D300 and recently D700. I am not so sure if Nikon makes any money out of D3. But the technology is not wasted, but is handed down to the D300 and D700, where the revenue is.

So, we dunno if Leica is wise enough to do their R&D for their top end model and then, put their technology to good use later on......

the problem with this idea is, what product from Leica would count as the more mass market product? the M series rangefinders? the to-be-revived R series SLRs (R10 in development)? or those rebadged Panny digicams... other than the last, there's no really mass market product... the whole point of Leica is that it is not mass market...

and coming back to the title of the thread, no, I don't think Nikon is behind the curve at the moment... it is focused in what it does best and will not expand its focus until it has something interesting to show

 

[mrchua]

not exactly... I was saying aren't the 1DIII, 1DsIII and D3 for high end pros as well... the thing about high end pros is that they have diff needs... even "high end" commercial or fashion photogs have instances where a DSLR is much preferred over a medium format back... so the comparison of the S2 (which Leica themselves are making) to 135 format DSLRs is certainly valid

yeah i get your point. the top end range of DSLRs also have their uses among professional photography. but i was thinking more towards fashion/commercial photography where the IQ is extremely important and medium format is the traditional dominant in that area. so yes, you can compare the S2 to 35mm DSLRs, but i feel more so only in the feel and handling aspects. when you talk about format/image quality/resolutions, its obvious who stands out more.

 

[vince123123]

So many MP for what, I bought the D3 precisely because it has low MP. 6MP DX and 12MP FX is more than enough for me.

 

[whkoh]

To cater to a different market, I suppose, like what the previous repliers suggest? I don't really think Leica is aiming for current D3 or equivalent buyers. Hopefully (for Leica) this strategy works.

 

[theRBK]

yeah i get your point. the top end range of DSLRs also have their uses among professional photography. but i was thinking more towards fashion/commercial photography where the IQ is extremely important and medium format is the traditional dominant in that area. so yes, you can compare the S2 to 35mm DSLRs, but i feel more so only in the feel and handling aspects. when you talk about format/image quality/resolutions, its obvious who stands out more.

actually, fashion/commercial photography is not necessarily about the best resolution but about getting the shot, period... most of the images are meant to be reproduced at not that great resolution anyway, like in single or dual page spreads, and even large posters or banners do not require that high a resolution... even a 10-16Mpixel camera would have sufficient resolution in most cases... the advantage of medium format at the moment is in the 16bit RAW files, which, properly used, allow much more DI work to be done to the images without breaking up the image... but in certain situations, where i) drastic manipulation of image is not required, ii) higher ISO capture is required due to some reason, and medium format high ISO ain't that great above ISO 400, iii) working conditions which require a smaller body, etc. then as a professional, the photog will use whatever is necessary to get the job done, including using 135 format DSLRs... so if in these conditions, a 135 format or even a DX DSLR can produce the goods at a more economical return over the S2 or some medium format camera, without compromising quality, then the 135 format DSLR certainly looks attractive