Camera makers need to come unstuck from three things:

On Thu, 12 Aug 2010 08:32:32 +0100, Bruce wrote:
: On Wed, 11 Aug 2010 14:56:24 -0700 (PDT), RichA
: wrote:
:
: singularly idiotic ideas snipped
:
: 3. Sensor sizes. There is and has been no need to stick to fixed
: sizes with digital sensors. There is no reason a company couldn't
: release a larger than FF sensor, and still keep the camera
: manageable. A 50% increase in sensor area would allow for a nice
: resolution jump, or better noise control, depending on the pixel count
: and although it would mean a new lens group, Leica did it, so how
: tough could it be?
:
:
: It has been very tough indeed for Leica, with sales of the Leica S2
: and its lenses falling way below expectations. I don't think any
: other manufacturer would want to follow Leica down that route.
:
: Hasselblad, Mamiya and Pentax had the right idea, using legacy medium
: format systems to launch larger-than-35mm digital SLRs. Leica didn't
: have a legacy system, so they chose do something completely different.
: It does not appear to have been a good choice.

Which should surprise no one, not even Rich. MF cameras are aimed primarily at
professionals, and the last thing a professional photographer needs is to have
to learn a new system of image sizes and zoom ranges. Many people find it hard
to do: we still have contributors to these newsgroups who insist on thinking
in "full-frame equivalents", even if their last FF camera was a rangefinder
Contax. To a piecework photographer, time spent on nonproductive activity can
be money lost, and they're understandably reluctant to take it on, even to
accommodate a fine old name like Leica. ;^)

Bob