Focus Numérique a réalisé une interview interessante avec Tetsurô Gotô, directeur du laboratoire de recherche et développement chez Nikon Japon. Nikon préfère toujours les viseurs optiques et étudie un compact à grand capteur. A propos de ce dernier, il déclare, << Vous en saurez plus assez rapidement. >>

Lisez l’interview au complet en visitant: Focus Numérique

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Focus Numérique has conducted an interesting interview with Tetsurô Gotô, director of laboratory research and development at Nikon Japan. Nikon still prefers optical viewfinders and is comtemplating a compact digicam with a large sensor. Concerning the latter, he teases, “You’ll know soon enough.”

Read the complete interview at: Focus Numérique [English translation].

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OK, I know it’s nothing new but, hey, it’s the week-end.

Y’all know that Google hires some of the smartest people on the Planet (and, suspicion is that they may also go off planetary): Phds and the sort. Their interview questions are of the Professor Layton’s type, more to test your logic than anything else.

There is always a [misguided?] belief that smart people always make the best employees, hence the following “I’m smarter than thou” questions.

[ Read the questions -- and the answers -- at: Gizmodo ]

Many of us bemoan bad design, wether it be how a camera functions or the illogical structure of a Menu. Warren Berger’s new book, “Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life and Maybe Even the World” addresses how good design can help solve many of the problems we face on a daily basis.

[ Read the interview at: Time ]

HOYA Chief Operating Officer, Hiroshi Hamada, said in an interview October 23 that the Pentax (which HOYA bought for about $1 billion) division will have to seek a partner in order to compete with larger rivals in the digital-camera market. “I don’t know whether we’ll go with Samsung or somebody else, but I can say that we’ll have a deeper relationship with some electronics guys,” Hamada said. “There will be consolidation in the camera business and a small player like us will be like a small boat on a rough sea. But let me be clear: we will not shut down this business.”

[ Read the article at: Bloomberg ]

Luminous Landscape has published a 35 min. video interview with Leica’s head of optical development, Peter Karbe.

Highlights:
- The new lenses for the Leica S2 outresolve the sensor currently used in the S2, and will also outresolve the next generation sensor.
- A challenge to add auto focus to the lenses. No ultrasonic motor for the moment. Where there is a tradeoff between speed and durability, Leica leans toward durability.
- Weather sealing refers to windy rainy conditions. Personally tested it in -10 degrees Celsius Wintery conditions.
- Longest lens is 350mm.
- 120mm macro design based on APO 100, but contains floating element.
- Great bokeh in all lenses.

Luminous Landscape has published a 70 min. interview with Leica M9′s Product Manager, Stephan Daniel. Sure, you know all the specs already by now, but if you want to know WHY Leica did what they did in the M9, listen to the interview (which, by the way was shot with a Panasonic GH1). It’s a long interview and there is no Fast Forward, so if you X out of the browser, you’ll have to listen to it all over again.

Highlights:
- Continuing cooperation with Panasonic for compact cameras only — not for Micro Four Thirds system cameras. So, no Leica MFT cameras.
- Looking to add Live View in next generations of Leica system cameras.
- Articulated LCDs — someone asked the question, someone else interrupted before a proper answer could be given.
- No Leica R DSLR.
- Smaller digital M rangefinder (aka digital CL) – no, don’t want to compete with Leica M8 used market.
- Leica consistently sells 10-12,000 M system cameras (digital and, surprisingly, film — mostly to the Asia market) a year.
- Send a Leica M camera for repair, and you get a one-year warranty not just on the repair, but on the entire camera (has been the case forever).
- New shutter release soft mode: first point is light meter on, second point is AE lock, and that’s where the shutter release occurs instead of having to press all the way down (which can introduce camera shake).
- Unhappy with the time lag to zoom a picture on the LCD after it is taken. Still working on it and should come as a firmware update later.

In an interview with Yojiro Asai, product manager in the digital imaging business unit at Sony UK, the British Journal of Photography has revealed that Sony is not yet ready to enter the professional market, citing the need for a large investment from Sony ‘in order to supper the professional photographers. You need a sophisticated repair system, for example.’

Instead, Sony’s strategy is to continue to grow the mainstream range of the market and target amateur photographers.

Read the interview at: BJP.