[RobA_Oz]

What is a camera but an assembly of electronics components? At what point does it acquire a soul?

When you can detect a pulse?

[BigMackCam]

Well, the heart of a Pentax camera is its sensor, made by ... Sony!

Yes, it's a piece of electronics component that's all !

"That's all"? With respect, it's rather more than a discrete electronic component, such as a resistor or capacitor... it's a complete analogue-to-digital electronic imaging sub-system - an entire module that's core to the imaging capability of the camera. If it was a simple electronic component, all the camera manufacturers would be making their own.

No matter it is Johnny-come-late or New kids on the block it took time to develop a brand to get general acceptance, and I wonder why MILC users of today eagerly wanted to get hold of the ancient, radioactive Takuma of Pentax. Sony indeed came earlier than Fuji, OM...etc. to digital camera, with tweaked Konica Minolta body, simply bcoz it skipped the film part, where other "real" camera companies spent quite a long time on film cameras before digital. Nikon for example producing their last SLR F6 while at the same time the D1, has much more experience and knowledge in designing and building cameras. Sony was not originally a camera company, it took over Konica Minolta and partner with Zeiss made it one, where Pentax, Ricoh, Hoya are all optics related company from the start. My apologies too to make this thread off topic and unnecessary boring and long

I thought we were moving on from the Sony thing?

Still, I'll play

Sony produced video cameras going right back to the 1960s - in fact, it produced the first consumer-oriented video camera + reel-to-reel recorder kit (the CVC-2000 and CV-2000) in 1965, and went on to become a big name in the pro, pro-sumer and consumer video camera market, both analogue and digital. It also produced the rather odd but ground-breaking Mavica stills camera line. From Wikipedia:

"Mavica (Magnetic Video Camera) is a discontinued brand of Sony cameras which use removable disks as the main recording medium. On August 25th 1981, Sony unveiled a prototype of the Sony Mavica as the world's first electronic still camera.

As with all Mavica cameras until the early 1990s (including later models sold commercially) this first model was not digital. Its CCD sensor produced an analog video signal in the NTSC format at a resolution of 570 × 490 pixels. Mavipak 2.0" disks (later adopted industry-wide as the Video Floppy and labelled "VF") were used to write 50 still frames onto tracks on disk. The pictures were viewed on a television screen. Otherwise, this camera is positioned as the pioneer of the digital era."

... and:

"The unreleased original MAVICA as well as the later ProMavica MVC-5000 and MVC-7000 were designed as single-lens reflex systems with interchangeable lenses. At least the ProMavica MVC-7000 also featured lens mount adapters for Nikon and Canon lenses."

The MVC-5000 above dates back to 1989 or 1990, depending on which source you believe (the lens mount looks like Sony's evolution of Minolta AF, but the dimensions are completely different... it's proprietary). Sony went on to release its first consumer digital camera - the DSC-F1 - in 1996. The Minolta acquisition was still a decade away... a full 25 years after the Mavic prototype. So it's not like Sony had no imaging and camera heritage of its own. Minolta complemented what it already had...

... but from your last comment, I see it's the optical heritage that matters to you...

To recap, then:

You want a digital camera (but not a Sony) with short flange focal distance where the brand has optical heritage from the film era, and the camera body internals - but not necessarily key components, such as the imaging sensor - were designed by a brand owner that also has optical heritage from the film era, but where that heritage may or may not be related to that of the brand historically. And you want this so you can shoot "uncommon, cheap and special lenses" including "projector and enlarger" lenses... most - perhaps all - of which will be from other brands.

Have I got that right?

I know you know what you want; I'm just trying to understand it, as it's quite unique and specific; and the stipulations - or my understanding of them, at least - appear to be evolving. It's like the Monty Python Spanish Inquisition sketch

"NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition! Our chief weapon is surprise...surprise and fear...fear and surprise.... Our two weapons are fear and surprise...and ruthless efficiency.... Our three weapons are fear, surprise, and ruthless efficiency...and an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope.... Our four...no... *Amongst* our weapons.... Amongst our weaponry...are such elements as fear, surprise, ..."

[Joetitch]

When you can detect a pulse?

When I pick it up and my pulse responds😍

[Benz3ne]

you should try an X-H1....

I should but the X-E2 fits snugly in my bike bag whereas the A7iii doesn't. The portability is the main player for the X-E2 for me.
The GRiiix is a tempter, but when I picked up the X-E2 for around £120, it wins out value-wise.

[pepperberry farm]

To recap, then:

You want a digital camera (but not a Sony) with short flange focal distance where the brand has optical heritage from the film era, and the camera body internals - but not necessarily key components, such as the imaging sensor - were designed by a brand owner that also has optical heritage from the film era, but where that heritage may or may not be related to that of the brand historically. And you want this so you can shoot "uncommon, cheap and special lenses" including "projector and enlarger" lenses... most - perhaps all - of which will be from other brands.

Have I got that right?

and this thread should be closed at this point...


(:

[gatorguy]

and this thread should be closed at this point...


(:

One eye open.