[K-M - Sony] Damn! Now let's move on...

1) I've been anticipating this for the last couple years (and hoping it
would not happen).
Nothing to fear really as my cameras all still work.

2) K-M should at least receive kudos for transferring the Maxxum/Dynax
technology to Sony. Unlike others who have simply exited the business
and left everyone in the lurch.

3) If Sony release an SLR this summer for Maxxum/Dynax lenses, I
suspect it will be based on the same 10 Mpix sensor as the Nikon D200.
Nothing at all wrong with that.

Beyond that...

Hopefully Sony will be strongly inspired by the Maxxum 9, 7 and 7D in
their DSLR designs. This is extremely important to the way I shoot.

Hopefully Sony will employ the Anti-Shake technology as well (not
mentioned in the press release, alas).

Hopefully, Sony will continue with the same flash interface (and
wireless, and so on) as the Maxxum standard ...

Hopefully, Sony remain out of the 4/3 market!

Hopefully Sony will develop Maxxum/Dynax mount lenses... perhaps with
Tamron, perhaps even with Carl Zeiss.

So, now do I get a 5D ... Canon that is?

Cheers,
Alan.

"Alan Browne" wrote in message
ps.com...
1) I've been anticipating this for the last couple years (and hoping it
would not happen).

snipped

Hopefully, Sony remain out of the 4/3 market!

Hopefully Sony will develop Maxxum/Dynax mount lenses... perhaps with
Tamron, perhaps even with Carl Zeiss.

So, now do I get a 5D ... Canon that is?

Cheers,
Alan.

Nothing wrong with the 4/3 system. It is both logical and practical.
As a long time Canon user and Nikon owner, I'd think a backward step for you
would be a 5D. I have one of these creatures and it is nothing more or less
than a glorified 10D with a huge image size. I much prefer my E300 stuff. In
fact most of my poster prints on canvas that sell well are from the E300!

The 5D is sadly lacking in areas of basic functionality that other camera
makers addressed long ago. Simple things like accurate flash metering are
not part of the 5Ds better points. D200 is the legend of the future.

Alan Browne wrote:

Beyond that...

Hopefully Sony will be strongly inspired by the Maxxum 9, 7 and 7D in
their DSLR designs. This is extremely important to the way I shoot.

Hopefully Sony will employ the Anti-Shake technology as well (not
mentioned in the press release, alas).

Hopefully, Sony will continue with the same flash interface (and
wireless, and so on) as the Maxxum standard ...

Hopefully, Sony remain out of the 4/3 market!

They will. They are not stupid enough to get caught up in that nonsense.
Especially when their competitor Matsu****a is promoting it.

It's becoming increasingly clear that the key to long-term success in
the higher-end digital camera business is to not be dependent on someone
else for sensor technology.

"Douglas" wrote in message
...

"Alan Browne" wrote in message
ps.com...
1) I've been anticipating this for the last couple years (and hoping it
would not happen).

snipped

Hopefully, Sony remain out of the 4/3 market!

Hopefully Sony will develop Maxxum/Dynax mount lenses... perhaps with
Tamron, perhaps even with Carl Zeiss.

So, now do I get a 5D ... Canon that is?

Cheers,
Alan.

Nothing wrong with the 4/3 system. It is both logical and practical.
As a long time Canon user and Nikon owner, I'd think a backward step for
you would be a 5D. I have one of these creatures and it is nothing more or
less than a glorified 10D with a huge image size. I much prefer my E300
stuff. In fact most of my poster prints on canvas that sell well are from
the E300!

The 5D is sadly lacking in areas of basic functionality that other camera
makers addressed long ago. Simple things like accurate flash metering are
not part of the 5Ds better points. D200 is the legend of the future.


Piffle.

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

"Skip M" wrote in message
news:dVTzf.12034$sA3.10532@fed1read02...
"Douglas" wrote in message
...

"Alan Browne" wrote in message
ps.com...
1) I've been anticipating this for the last couple years (and hoping it
would not happen).

snipped

Hopefully, Sony remain out of the 4/3 market!

Hopefully Sony will develop Maxxum/Dynax mount lenses... perhaps with
Tamron, perhaps even with Carl Zeiss.

So, now do I get a 5D ... Canon that is?

Cheers,
Alan.

Nothing wrong with the 4/3 system. It is both logical and practical.
As a long time Canon user and Nikon owner, I'd think a backward step for
you would be a 5D. I have one of these creatures and it is nothing more
or less than a glorified 10D with a huge image size. I much prefer my
E300 stuff. In fact most of my poster prints on canvas that sell well are
from the E300!

The 5D is sadly lacking in areas of basic functionality that other camera
makers addressed long ago. Simple things like accurate flash metering are
not part of the 5Ds better points. D200 is the legend of the future.


Piffle.

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

Let me clarify that. Flash metering, is, indeed, not a strong point of any
Canon, and a continuing source of frustration for me. But it works better
than the 20D, that's for sure. That is the only weak point in the armor of
the 5D, as far as I'm concerned. It certainly is not lacking in "certain
areas of basic functionality," as is stated here...

--
Skip Middleton
http://www.shadowcatcherimagery.com

"Skip M" wrote:

Let me clarify that. Flash metering, is, indeed, not a strong point of any
Canon, and a continuing source of frustration for me. But it works better
than the 20D, that's for sure. That is the only weak point in the armor of
the 5D, as far as I'm concerned. It certainly is not lacking in "certain
areas of basic functionality," as is stated here...


Agree 100%. The Canon EOS 5D is an excellent working tool.

Plus, I "solved" the "flash problem" by using my Metz 45 CL-4 in
non-TTL auto mode. It works just fine.

;-)

"Skip M" wrote in message
news:24Uzf.12036$sA3.2708@fed1read02...

The 5D is sadly lacking in areas of basic functionality that other
camera makers addressed long ago. Simple things like accurate flash
metering are not part of the 5Ds better points. D200 is the legend of
the future.

Piffle.
Let me clarify that. Flash metering, is, indeed, not a strong point of
any Canon, and a continuing source of frustration for me. But it works
better than the 20D, that's for sure. That is the only weak point in the
armor of the 5D, as far as I'm concerned. It certainly is not lacking in
"certain areas of basic functionality," as is stated here...

--

Happy new year Skip.
So you agree with me once more but still have undying loyalty for the brand?
By about 1988, Minolta, Yashica, Fuji, Pentax, Nikon and Mamiya had all
mastered the ability to accurately meter exposure on the fly, through the
lens of a 35mm SLR.

Maybe I am missing something here? I would have thought - 18 years on, that
this came under the heading of "basic Functionality". I also though a
camera's ability to meter it's shutter speed or aperture accurately when you
set one of it's "basic functions" - the exposure mode dial to Av or Tv was
also a basic function.

Hey... What about white balance? My Panasonic FZ20 and FZ30 both meter white
balance accurately. I have yet to find a situation that fools them. Not so
with this Gem of the Orient, a Canon 5D, is it? Or is that not basic
functionality either?

Moving further on... The fabled and soon to be thrown overboard 580 EX
Speedlite must surely be Canon's main source of embarrasment. This self
opinionated company has seen fit to produce a camera without an inbuilt
flash while at the same time making the hot shoe, so voltage sensitive that
an owner cannot buy flash guns with legendary capabilities and exposure
accuracy Canon have yet to equal (like Metz CT series) and expect NOT to fry
the camera when they connect it.

Good one Canon. You have in one single product alienated more serious
photographers from using Canon cameras than I would care to count. What ever
possessed Canon to market this 'jewel' of mixed perfection and total crap at
the price break they have and still have the cheek to say (in Australia
anyway) that it doesn't qualify as a professional camera and owners are not
eligible for membership to that elite group of professionals entitled to
receive 2 day turnaround on repairs... To name just one of the benefits now
exclusively reserved for owners of 1D series cameras.

This I could live with if it were not for the fact this camera has as bad,
maybe worse back focus errors than the 20Ds I had before it. Three weeks to
fix it is disturbing in the extreme. I don't have this problem with any of
my (cheaper than a Canon speedlite alone) Olympus E300s.

I thought (silly me) that the mere fact of a 5D being a full frame sensor,
the back focus issues that plagued their earlier consumer DSLRs would not be
an issue. The bit I have trouble with is not so much the fact they have
"issues". All cameras do. It's the attitude Canon have towards their
customers. Had not my Nikon gear been stolen by a swift footed thief, I
might never have had the misfortune to be fooled (again) by the bull**** and
slipshod assembly Canon are rapidly gaining a reputation for.

So now my new year grip is over... Got any holiday snaps, Skip?

Skip M wrote:

Let me clarify that. Flash metering, is, indeed, not a strong point of any
Canon, and a continuing source of frustration for me. But it works better
than the 20D, that's for sure. That is the only weak point in the armor of
the 5D, as far as I'm concerned. It certainly is not lacking in "certain
areas of basic functionality," as is stated here...

A lot of the problems stem from a misunderstanding of how E-TTL II works.

Read "http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/"

SMS wrote:

slight edit

It's becoming increasingly clear that the key to long-term success in
the higher-end camera business is to not be dependent on someone
else for sensor technology.

....Ilford back to producing cameras?

--
http://www.petezilla.co.uk

"Alan Browne" wrote in message
ps.com...
1) I've been anticipating this for the last couple years (and hoping it
would not happen).
Nothing to fear really as my cameras all still work.

2) K-M should at least receive kudos for transferring the Maxxum/Dynax
technology to Sony. Unlike others who have simply exited the business
and left everyone in the lurch.

3) If Sony release an SLR this summer for Maxxum/Dynax lenses, I
suspect it will be based on the same 10 Mpix sensor as the Nikon D200.
Nothing at all wrong with that.

Beyond that...

Hopefully Sony will be strongly inspired by the Maxxum 9, 7 and 7D in
their DSLR designs. This is extremely important to the way I shoot.

Hopefully Sony will employ the Anti-Shake technology as well (not
mentioned in the press release, alas).

Hopefully, Sony will continue with the same flash interface (and
wireless, and so on) as the Maxxum standard ...

Hopefully, Sony remain out of the 4/3 market!

Hopefully Sony will develop Maxxum/Dynax mount lenses... perhaps with
Tamron, perhaps even with Carl Zeiss.

Sony's lens making abilities are impressive when it comes to their
camcorders. Most of their compact cameras have impressive lenses and their
auto everything exposure systems aren't easily fooled. Their super zooms
for the hybrid dslr market are good, considering all the necessary
compromises in design they are good. Sony seem to have stuck with ccd
whereas canon have a proven track record with cmos. Sony have optical
stabilisaton for their camcorders and digicams as well as software IS for
their low end digicams. I think the K-M system would make a fine addition.
The superior handling of K-M designs may conflict with the small and sleek
company ethos rather than the big and chunky yet functional mantra of K-M.
All in all K-M could be in worse hands.

Pentax are with Samsung now and Nikon use Sony CCD. That just leaves
olympus out in the cold. They could do with help from a large electronics
giant. I wonder if panasonic would be interested. Or perhaps sigma should
drop their own bodies and stick to lenses and stay by olympus.

K-M had the technology but were way too slow to bring it to market and lost
too many devotees who couldn't wait and jumped to canon and nikon. The
product turnover couldn't compete with the juggernaught that is canon.
Canons other businesses could carry a poor performing section such as the
low return on the photobusiness and justify it as a showcase of canon
technologies.

All over the photographic market is contracting. Hassalblad almost gone.
Bronica gone. Ilford in receivership. Kodak pulling out of lab processing.
Agfa limping along. The inkjet papers and minilabs are going from konica.
The retail industry suffering too. Camera phones biting into compact
markets. Ordinary electronic stores competing with photoretailers. Then
the internet price wars. I suspect the remains of the photomarket will be
swallowed by the consumer electronics stores. There will be more takeovers
partnerships and amalgamations as those still in the business fight to
survive over shrinking market.