Things that excite photographers

… are not the same things the camera makers bring out. I have no numbers or research to back this up, but two examples:

In the beginning of March, Ricoh showed prototypes of new lens modules at the CP+ photography trade fair in Japan. At the same time, and enthusiast showed (or just posted photos) a mock-up of a Ricoh GXR with a Leica M mount lens attached. First, the two pieces were mixed up and a few sites reported on the M mount module as a Ricoh prototype. People were excited, until everyone realized there had been a mistake.

Yesterday, Jeff Ascough tweeted about a new camera he was testing. He says he’s under an NDA, but that the camera is “a brand new rangefinder”. Now, this might mean nothing; perhaps it’s not a real rangefinder, perhaps it’s an early April fools joke. Either way, people are still excited.

Some rumors seem to excite online photographers more than others. Perhaps after all there’s a market here, for new thinking.