Zeiss Ikon back with passion

Gordon Moat wrote:

Which would not be a bad move at all. The implied message for someone buying
into the system is that you would be able to use the same lenses in the future
on a direct digital camera. With Epson already offering one, and Leica stated
to be developing a digital M body, it looks like Zeiss is well prepared for
future products.


And where does all this leave Contax, and the Carl Zeiss lens
manufacturing plant in Japan?

TP wrote:

Perhaps the only possible explanation is that Carl Zeiss believe that
Contax has no future ...

I think you're over-dramatizing. They want to sell a few lenses with an
M-mount. They know that the lenses alone won't remotely gain the
attention they get by offering a complete system including a camera
body.

So, they're having Cosina make yet another customized version of their
Bessa line of rangefinder cameras. Cranking up the R&D machine at
Kyocera's would have been total overkill.

And, mind you, for anyone with a minimum of sense for the history of
German cameras and their makers, a Contax with an M-mount would have
been more than a trifle odd.

Ralf

--
Ralf R. Radermacher - DL9KCG - Köln/Cologne, Germany
private homepage: http://www.fotoralf.de
manual cameras and photo galleries - updated April 29, 2004
Contarex - Kiev 60 - Horizon 202 - P6 mount lenses

Hello Tony,

TP wrote:

Gordon Moat wrote:

Any way you look at this, these are really interesting products. The
Zeiss 15 mm seems to immediately avoid an off angle light issue for a
digital sensor, though it is much larger than their old 16 mm Hologon, or
the Voigtländer 15 mm. Leica will still have faster lens choices at every
matching focal length with the other lenses, though it seems like the
prices might move some purchases to Zeiss. I wonder what will happen to
Leica M sales when this system gets released to the public.

The big question is:

Why has Carl Zeiss abandoned Kyocera Yashica (Contax)?

Given the close and long enduring relationship between Carl Zeiss and
Kyocera Yashica, and the existence of ranges of Japanese-made Carl
Zeiss lenses for Contax 35mm medium format SLRs and the G Series
point-and-shoot autofocus compact cameras, why on earth would Carl
Zeiss turn to Cosina? There is no particular mystique to designing a
35mm rangefinder camera, and Yashica made some fine rangefinder
cameras, so why didn't Carl Zeiss collaborate with their long term
partners at Kyocera's Contax division?

I really wonder about that. With all the fans of the G2, it would have seemed
easy to name this new camera a G3. However, the move they have made does more
to strengthen the Zeiss brand name. This type of branding move is currently a
popular direction in Germany, and not at all a bad idea.



Perhaps the only possible explanation is that Carl Zeiss believe that
Contax has no future ...

I hope that is not the situation, though I wonder if the agreement with
Kyocera / Yashica is in good condition.



I was also surprised to see Zeiss Ikon's choice of distributors in the
UK and USA - Hasselblad UK and Hasselblad USA.

We live in exciting times.

;-)


These are luxury products, even while being less than Leica products in
price. Partnering with Hasselblad, and using their dealer network, makes
perfect sense.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

TP wrote:

Gordon Moat wrote:

Zeiss also state that the new lenses (except the 21 mm) will be built in
Oberkochen. Even if you dismiss the new camera body, can you also
dismiss the lenses?

Gordon,

There is an inconsistency here. The statement about making lenses in
Oberkochen relates only to the 15mm and 85mm lenses:

Yeah, someone else pointed that out . . . it was just a little confusing on
the first reading. Either way, these look to be some nice lenses.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

TP wrote:

Gordon Moat wrote:

Which would not be a bad move at all. The implied message for someone buying
into the system is that you would be able to use the same lenses in the future
on a direct digital camera. With Epson already offering one, and Leica stated
to be developing a digital M body, it looks like Zeiss is well prepared for
future products.

And where does all this leave Contax, and the Carl Zeiss lens
manufacturing plant in Japan?

Maybe just SLR systems, like the 645, and the various 35 mm choices. I guess we
should wonder if the G2 will be discontinued. However, as the only autofocus
rangefinder, and some cult following, it might continue.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

TP wrote:

Gordon Moat wrote:

Which would not be a bad move at all. The implied message for someone buying
into the system is that you would be able to use the same lenses in the future
on a direct digital camera. With Epson already offering one, and Leica stated
to be developing a digital M body, it looks like Zeiss is well prepared for
future products.

And where does all this leave Contax, and the Carl Zeiss lens
manufacturing plant in Japan?

Maybe just SLR systems, like the 645, and the various 35 mm choices. I guess we
should wonder if the G2 will be discontinued. However, as the only autofocus
rangefinder, and some cult following, it might continue.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

TP writes:
Given the close and long enduring relationship between Carl Zeiss and
Kyocera Yashica, and the existence of ranges of Japanese-made Carl
Zeiss lenses for Contax 35mm medium format SLRs and the G Series
point-and-shoot autofocus compact cameras, why on earth would Carl
Zeiss turn to Cosina? There is no particular mystique to designing a
35mm rangefinder camera, and Yashica made some fine rangefinder
cameras, so why didn't Carl Zeiss collaborate with their long term
partners at Kyocera's Contax division?

Time to market would have been much longer - after all Cosina
has been designing manufacturing M bodys and lenses for some
time now, and might even use some existing production equipment
for the new camera and lenses.

OTOH, I would not have thought that time to market would be
an important criterium for this kind of product.

Regards,
Chris

--
Bokeh test images: http://www.bokeh.de/en/bokeh_images.html