full frame sensors

[tonymidd]

Are full frame sensors really worth what you pay for them? In the current Leica Fotografie International Leica's head of product management makes this statement.
Given the optical quality of M lenses and todays technology, the ldeal solution for our customers, a full frame sensor would not live up to our high standards. This is particualarly true for aspects such as vignetting and sharpness from image centre to corners.
Now I think it's pretty well acknoledged that Leica lenses are the best and their standards are very high so what's acceptable for an other manufacturer may not meet their requirements but it does make you think. http://www.wedding-photography.org/forum/images/smilies/frown.gif
This may explain why all the attempts at producing a full frame digital camera have been abandonded by all but Canon.

[michael]

Canon are (perhaps) the only camera manufacturer that make their own sensors, so they have a price edge as there is no middle man. Comments from the Leica and Nikon camps about the virtues of full frame are just sour grapes because this technology is out of their reach without a massive price hike to their cameras, making them uncompetitive.

I now own a Canon 5D, use it professionally and the depth of resolution and picture quality is totally outstanding. Issues with vignetting only occur if you are using very wide aperture lenses, but the modern image stabilised lenses mean you no longer have to use these lenses for most types of photography. I use my camera for weddings and accept that it probably isn't ideal for sports photography, but on the other hand there are plenty of sports photographers with the full frame 1Ds that seem to get on fine with huge F2.8 telephotos.

My decicion to go full frame was based on the fact that I wasn't happy with the quality of the Canon S series lenses (particularly build quality for heavy professional use) and wanted full access to the L series lenses, without that dratted 1.6x crop.

[tonymidd]

[QUOTE=michael]Canon are (perhaps) the only camera manufacturer that make their own sensors, so they have a price edge as there is no middle man. Comments from the Leica and Nikon camps about the virtues of full frame are just sour grapes because this technology is out of their reach without a massive price hike to their cameras, making them uncompetitive.
[QUOTE]

Sony and Panasonic both make chips for themselves and others, I'm sure with their clout/electronic knowhow either of them could make full frame chips. Don't forget some chips from Leica's other digital part (Imacon) are larger than full frame, as are chips from other makers, if you can make a big chip like the one used in the new Mamyia you could make a 35mm full frame, but they don't and it ain't 'cos they can't.
Also are you sure Canon do make their own chips?

The comments from Leica, Nikon and others do not refer to the chip but the angle at which light from a 'standard' lens hits the periferal pixels causing shadowing and a reduction in sharpness in the frame corners to such an extent, say Leica, that is not acceptable. Bear in mind one of the features that make Leica lenses so special is the fact that they suffer very little corner falloff which one would think would help over come the sharpness problems in the corner. Also Leica's target market is very different to Canon and Nikon and the last thing they would worry about is what either of those companies or the other big three are getting upto in the top end sector, Leica has always ploughed it's own furrow.

On another forum a Japanise poster posted sales figures for dSLR's in Japan for the past six months. Pentax, Oly and K-M were steady at about 10% of the market each, Nikon had grown from 10% to 35% and Canon had fallen from 60% to 35%. The only thing I can think of that could have affected these figures is the introduction of the D50/D70s or is something else affecting these figures? Or just maybe the punters are getting fed up with Canon changing models every five minutes, the main reason I'd never invest in Canon cameras. I do use their printers but that may change soon.