Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/09/13

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Subject: [Leica] Re: Outdated M8
From: abridge at gmail.com (Adam Bridge)
Date: Wed Sep 13 13:31:18 2006
References: <200609131507.k8DF6WVm010588@server1.waverley.reid.org> <FC654882-AF06-4E32-B41D-2DB1D1108500@optonline.net> <450854C1.20207@verizon.net> <7.0.0.16.0.20060913131736.01abdde0@comcast.net>

It's not profit that is really impacting the upgrade market - it's the
balance that a successful high-performance desk-top system represents.
If you push the CPU speed higher then you start to be impacted by
other parts of the system: bus speed, memory speed, I/O bandwidth --
these things are changed as the processors get faster because the
needs of the processors themselves changes from generation to
generation.

I would think that having an upgradeable sensor designed into the
system would make sense in a camera as expensive as the M8.

But that requires the engineer having a pretty strong idea of what
will be coming for the next several generations...a difficult
situation.

Adam

On 9/13/06, e. nitka <enitka1@comcast.net> wrote:
> The reason no manufacturer has done an upgradeable camera is because
> there's no profit in that - that's why there are very few
> manufactures of PC upgrades ( not talking HD or memory).  To buy the
> M8 in the hopes that Leica would be the first to retrofit cameras
> would be the definition of an optimist.
>
> ernie
>
> At 12:58 PM 9/13/2006, you wrote:
> >"...it's a piece of computer equipment with a lens attached and as
> >such it will become outdated in the next 24-36 months."
> >
> >Not necessarily.  Besides the arguments already presented, there's
> >another factor to consider.  Digital devices have the capability of
> >being upgraded far more simply than mechanical ones. It's possible
> >that the M8 may someday become an M9 (or an M8-2) by the simple
> >expedient of a firmware update.  An improved and enlarged sensor and
> >supporting circuits may be able to be retrofitted at some point as
> >well as long as the camera's chassis can accomodate the new
> >electronic components. One may be able to get a "new" Leica every
> >few years  for the fraction of the cost of a whole new camera.
> >
> >Of course, no camera manufacturer to my knowledge has been forward
> >thinking enough to make their devices upgradeable, but it's
> >certainly possible and worth considering for the sake of customer 
> >retention.
> >
> >Craig
> >Washington, DC
> >
> >_______________________________________________
> >Leica Users Group.
> >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>

In reply to: Message from lrzeitlin at optonline.net (Lawrence Zeitlin) ([Leica] Re: Outdated M8)
Message from crgrbrts at verizon.net (Craig Roberts) ([Leica] Re: Outdated M8)
Message from enitka1 at comcast.net (e. nitka) ([Leica] Re: Outdated M8)