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[OM] Re: Why no digital backs for existing 35mm SLRs?

Subject: [OM] Re: Why no digital backs for existing 35mm SLRs?
From: Skip Williams <om2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 11:30:03 -0500
It's about money.  There isn't anyone willing to invest several million dollars 
to develop and tool-up a plant to produce such an animal.  

What bodies do you support?  There have got to be 30 or 40 that are viable 
candidates.  It'd be a nighmare.  You can't just replace the film cartridge, 
ala the phantom eFilm product, because the depth of the sensor and associated 
filters is too deep to allow a film back to close.  So you have replace the 
back.  That means you have to target only cameras whose backs come off.  Look 
at Leica, they have taken 3 years for their version and it will cost $4,500!  
What a joke!!

If I were thinking about the installed base, I'd consider Canon OS, Nikon, and 
Minolta, all with AF.  Olympus OM's are a fading minority of actively used 
cameras, especially with those people that would invest.  But why buy a 
$750-1,0000 back when you can buy a brand new, $800 Canon Rebel XT or $900 
Nikon D70?  It doesn't make sense, especially when the lenses are 
interchangable.

IMO, with today's technolgy, it's a concept whose time never came and has past, 
all at the same time.  There could be a manufacturer who is willing to create 
one as a pet project, but that's the only way that it will ever come to market, 
IMO.

Skip


----- Original Message ---------------

Subject: [OM] Why no digital backs for existing 35mm SLRs?
   From: "Curtis P. Hedman" <Curtis.P.Hedman-1@xxxxxxxxxx>
   Date: Tue, 22 Feb 2005 21:34:16 -0600
     To: olympus@xxxxxxxxxx

>
>Inquiring minds would like to know... what are the technical reasons why 
>nobody has come out with digital imaging backs for existing 35mm manual 
>focus SLR bodies? I can understand that cost might well be an issue, but 
>what are the technical reasons the preclude mounting a 24x36mm focal plane 
>array in the appropriate location within a custom-designed back? Such 
>things exist for 2-1/4 square systems... One thing I thought of was the 
>physical "head height" above the actual imaging plane of the detector might 
>interfere with the focal plane shutter. Another is the bit about the angle 
>of acceptance of the pixels (wells versus a layer surface). As I recall, 
>Kodak's first SLR digitals were modified Nikon or Canon bodies, essentially 
>just putting an imaging array at the right location behind the shutter. I'm 
>just a little surprised that nobody has seen fit to cobble together an 
>imager and processing electronics with an odd data back - just to show it 
>could be done! So I figure there must be some hard technical issues... 
>anyone have any thoughts or comments? I suppose (just for fun) one could 
>disassemble a low cost digicam, buy a replacement back from Camtech, and 
>kludge the bits together just to see what would happen... anyone care to 
>try????
>
>Curt
>
>
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