(FT5) A “rangefinder” company will release a MicroFourThirds product within few hours…enthusiastic
UPDATE 2: It’s 10pm London time now. I was told that there are only 1 hour left!
According to three of our trusted sources a company (not Panasonic or Olympus) will make an nice new product for MicroFourThirds. That company is expected to announce a new product within few hours. The new product will be produced by a company that also makes rangefinder cameras (IMPORTANT: this doesn’t mean they will come out with a rangefinder body! They also could make a lens or an accessory only!!!).
My “feeling” is that it is not a camera.
In a (maybe too enthusiastic) statement one source wrote that “it is a product that 99% of you want and 20% of you will really buy“. But again take that statement with a grain of salt! The product should be announced tonight between 11pm London time and 2am London time.
We made a list of the most important current rangefinder camera producers:
- Leica with the M-series
- Zeiss Ikon
- Cosina-Voigtländer with the Bessa
- Epson RD1 and RD1x
- Kodak Retina
- There are also Mamiya, Bronica and Fuji
We left out Nikon and Canon because we are sure they won’t make products for MFT! I don’t know if I missed mentioning other important companies…
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Recent comments
Comment from TAJ: http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/...
Comment from JordanCS: Seriously? You think this is disappointi...
Comment from IllegalFun: well that was dissapointing, but not as ...- Comment from TAJ: http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/20...
ItsaChris
2 years ago |Oh its a fast lens, isn’t it. Big woop, I dont want big glass, I dont need ultra fast glass, I could use it, but I dont care.
man that is too bad here i was looking forward to a new company in the m43 cameras.
but i could be wrong
it could be a
Tilt shift adapter to nikon/pentax/sony/canon/oly. but that does not scream sex the way that 99% of people will want.
IllegalFun
2 years ago |It could be the RED video system making a 4/3rds sensor
but yet again it seems that it will be another expensive 50mm nocktilux or a 10mm super wide
Guy
2 years ago |Whatever it is, I am predicting that rather than the “99% want and 20% will buy” it will be “99% will be disappointed with the announcement, some might buy”
Guy2
2 years ago |And I am predicting there won’t be any announcement at all. Thus, 100% will be disappointed.
frank
2 years ago |I enjoy using manual focus lenses, so a set of Voigtlander native M43 lenses would be a-ok with me… but what I’d really want is a new body that makes MF better and easier, ie – integrated EVF. And unless someone is lying, that won’t be this announcement.
Jonathan
2 years ago |I’m still think it’s going to be a Ricoh.
Ale
2 years ago |Ditto, excess of excitement
Nathan
2 years ago |I think whenever they say 99 percent of people will want it, they have to back that up with something special or STFU about it. If it’s an adapter or a lens, they could make an excited, but not breathless, announcement that a new thing is NOW AVAILABLE or whatever…
I haven’t seen any indication that any new companies have joined Four Thirds or Micro, so I would keep Kodak and Fuji in the running if it was a full 4/3 or micro 4/3 device, but if it’s just an adapter or a manual focus lens, this is Internet Hype gone amok.
BS Artiste
2 years ago |I agree that the “20% will buy” number is huge. Something bought by 20% of all 4/3 and u4/3 users would almost have to be an adapter for a very common format lens as opposed to a camera or lens. Are any current 4/3 and u4/3 cameras or lens adopted by 20% of the 4/3 and u4/3 community?
However, the quote may be an over-exaggeration or made in a way that was not real careful on the use and definition of the word “will.”
BS Artiste
2 years ago |I am hoping Oly, Pana, or some 3rd party makes an optical and electrical adapter to use u4/3 lenses on a 4/3 camera. That coupled with new 4/3 long focal length lenses would make me feel very comfortable to spend the money to upgrade from my E-30 to the new top of the line 4/3 DSLR from Oly.
BS Artiste
2 years ago |An optical and electrical adapter from u4/3 lenses to 4/3 cameras likely would have a very high market penetration rate amongst the 4/3s community to help eliminate uncertainty over future camera and lens compatability.
Robert
2 years ago |a 4/3 module for the Ricoh GXR ?
I will be part of 99% people that will never buy it!
Luke
2 years ago |internet hype gone amok gets my vote.
mambastik
2 years ago |Sigma m4/3 Foveon sensor will make me jizz my pants.
Explorer
2 years ago |Well autofocus versions of the cosina lenses will be great! Such a product is likely enough considering the popularity of CV lenses on m43. And I think the AF version of something like the CV 40mm 1.4 will be a good candidate to be bought by 20% users considering the cost, quality and size of CV lenses.
bilgy_no1
2 years ago |It will be an SLR Magic 25mm bright prime lens, fitted for m4/3. How do I know? They said it’s forthcoming on the DPR forum. Their first lens was a 35mm f/1.7 which only attracted little attention and no news items on the camera websites. They must have been triggered by all the excitement surrounding the Noktor release and have learned by now how they can create a little buzz.
Still, I hope for one of the camera+lens manufacturers to announce their entry to m4/3. Pentax, Sigma or Fuji would be great…
admin
2 years ago |It’s not a SLRmagic or Noktor lens…
zwergenaufstand
2 years ago |there will be nothing interesting.
it is just buzz!
believe me, i know the mft dates.
NativeFloridian
2 years ago |Interesting that the two m43 postings have resulted in over 300 comments today; meanwhile the E-5 four-thirds postings over the last 2 days generated less than 100 comments. I wonder if this indicative of the current market demand???
Joel
2 years ago |Probably more about guessing the unknown and dreaming.
dCap
2 years ago |it just needs to be a standard 21mm f1.4 or maybe f1.2 … from Leica at a ‘reasonable’ price. Isn’t Leica making a Panasonic macro lens already? Leica, “a rangefinder company”.
Mmmmm, but Fuji making a PEN style camera would be kinda cool for the people who shoot color
aslightdelay
2 years ago |No, Panasonic’s making Leica-badged lenses to Leica specs. If Leica were making them, they’d be much more expensive.
Jim
2 years ago |Bessa or Epson 4/3 Digital Rangefinder–everyone “wants” one, but because it is manual focus, only 20% would actually buy and want to shoot with one. I’ll take 2!
eliot
2 years ago |Zeiss lenses/accessories.
Why? Because Zeiss already stated that “We will present new lenses and, for the first time, accessories at Photokina”
http://photorumors.com/2010/08/24/carl-zeiss-%e2%80%9cwe-will-present-new-lenses-and-for-the-first-time-accessories-at-photokina/
emde
2 years ago |It will be no FT company.
Fuji is in FT for the xD cards
Sanyo for the batteries
Kodak (was) for the sensors
Sigma – well might be, but I con’t believe it
Leica – they are a German company, why should they announce something round midnight..?
The best to expect would be a Cosina mFT Lens
The most probable is another C-Mount for mFT (compare Noktor…)
emde
2 years ago |Zeiss is also a German company (with some lenses being made by Cosina OK). I doubt they would announce anything at midnight.
Someone Somewhere
2 years ago |Zeiss auto focus lenses with mount adapters for Sony Nex and MicroFourThirds.
fta
2 years ago |If it’s a manual lens, then that’s a disappointment. We have enough of these with all the adapters around. This better be a camera or AF lens.
Vall
2 years ago |It’s a module for making peanut butter sandwiches!
aslightdelay
2 years ago |Maybe from Lensbaby? Their optics look like jelly anyway.
Ranger 9
2 years ago |Oh, come on, more than 20% would buy that… EVERYONE likes peanut butter sandwiches!
Enzojz
2 years ago |No doubt that’s from Kodak, only USA is at the day at that time.
BS Artiste
2 years ago |Just based on the time of the announcement, I was thinking Kodak or a product focused on markets in the Americas as well.
Bruce
2 years ago |Very few companies are currently producing rangefinder cameras- Leica and Cosina (also manufactures the Zeiss bodies), Mamiya (medium format), Fuji (medium format), and perhaps some makers in China. If you consider companies that ever produced a rangefinder, you come up with just about any that was in business anytime between 1940 and 1980.
Camerageek
2 years ago |No Only Leica and Cosina – The current medium format RF sold by Fuji is actually built by Cosina and can be purchased as the Voigtlander Bessa III as well.
Sahaja
2 years ago |Leica lens:
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/3697/gf2mi.jpg
- S
Dummy00001
2 years ago |“12-75″ on the picture is blatantly shopped.
Neither another monster zoom is something “99%” of us want.
I’m all for pancakes. I wish they’d surprise me with a pancake zoom.
Jón
2 years ago |Contax G43
Camerageek
2 years ago |As I mentioned earlier, the use of the Contax name would require the participation of Zeiss as they are the owner of that name.
jj
2 years ago |no news?
iMikl
2 years ago |Come on admin!
I have to go to bed ,-)
admin
2 years ago |It abslutely doesn’t depend from me! I am also tired
waiting9am
2 years ago |okay, 11-2am GMT is 7-10am in japan… my bet is with cosina
Jonathan
2 years ago |I’m going to be pissed if it’s not a GF2 with in-body IS or a competitive alternative. Biggest GF1 fail.
admin
2 years ago |It’s not a Panaosnic or Olympus camera or lens!
Nathan
2 years ago |Did Cosina/Voigtlander have micro four thirds adapters on their website prior to today?
Camerageek
2 years ago |Yes
Nathan
2 years ago |Oh, good, because that would have been SUPER anti-climactic.
IllegalFun
2 years ago |well it its 10.30 pm GMT… supposedly 30 mins left until the fun really starts
but I think it will probably be released at 2 am…
and so I am off to bed
Reza
2 years ago |Well 7 AM is a bit too early to announce anything, even if it is in Japan. The announcement, if coming, can be from California at 3 PM. However the only Camera company I know of in the west coast is RED. Maybe something happening in Las Vegas?
admin
2 years ago |We are close!
Heiko
2 years ago |>We are close!
Ohh, it’s a macro lens…
Reza
2 years ago |So how are you checking for such an announcement? Checking google news, waiting for another message from the rumor sources or hoping DPReview will announce it in 10 minutes?
Dummy00001
2 years ago |> it is a product that 99% of you want and 20% of you will really buy
Finally pancake zoom 20-40mm, f/2.0???
I’m all geared up!!
Or not.
Ringo
2 years ago |So did your sources tell you where to look for the announcement once the clock ticks down?
?
2 years ago |If it’s going to be a press conf, shouldn’t the press be informed of it and already there by now?
RS
2 years ago |My F5 key is almost broken…
Clark
2 years ago |Time’s up!!!???
Jojo
2 years ago |My money is on Voigtlander.
admin
2 years ago |Veeeeeery close!
Blach
2 years ago |Just to fuel the fire the Olympus UK site is not loading properly. Well not the camera section anyways! Dun Dun Duuun!
YeahYeah
2 years ago |Jojo +1
Where should we look admin?
jimmyjoe
2 years ago |it might be a new, innovative Leica viewfinder.
i seem to recall that, maybe 2 months ago, panasonic held a press event in sweden and it was reported that they were shown some sort of exciting, ground-breaking Leica-designed viewfinder. let me know if i am wrong about that, but that is what i recall, and there has been no announcement – yet.
Reza
2 years ago |Clocks are ticking, 2 minutes past the big bang point,SUSPENSE is in the air!
Sahaja
2 years ago |A clip on rangefinder?
Gabi
2 years ago |10…..9…..8…..7…..6…..
Nathan
2 years ago |A 1,000 dollar Voigtlander 25mm F0.95 manual-focus, manual-aperture all-metal monstrosity.
Yeah, that’s a viable product in every way and not a boutique limited-application luxury item at all.
Gabi
2 years ago |5….4….3….
Gabi
2 years ago |2….1….
I guess, I am tired of waiting. Will go to bed (it’s half past midnight here in Germany). Yawn! See you guys tomorrow!
John
2 years ago |If it was 4/3 not micro I would buy it no questions asked!
name
2 years ago |Another panasonic with red dot and very high price?
Maine
2 years ago |How tediously disappointing. I’m one of the 1% who really doesn’t ever want a manual focus lens at that sort of price.
Seriously, this really wasn’t worth the hype. Get things in perspective – I’m already less likely to be interested in anything 43r decides to promote in future as a result of this non-story.
lajicska
2 years ago |what a big mess for nothing..Shame on you!!!!
TAJ
2 years ago |COSINA CO., Ltd. Joins the Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group
TAJ
2 years ago |Announced jointly by Olympus Imaging Corporation (President Masaharu Okubo) and Panasonic Corporation in 2008, the Micro Four Thirds System standard has rapidly grown in popularity. Now, support for the standard is expanding with the decision of COSINA CO., Ltd to join the Micro Four Thirds System standard. To coincide with this announcement, the company is releasing interchangeable lenses compliant with Micro Four Thirds System standard.
TAJ
2 years ago |http://www.olympus-global.com/en/news/2010b/nr100826mfourthirdse.html
IllegalFun
2 years ago |well that was dissapointing, but not as bad as the Canon 60D…
the 60D is overpriced with gimmicky features…
looks like my switch to 4/3rds is imminent!
anybody want a Canon DSLR?
JordanCS
2 years ago |Seriously? You think this is disappointing? A 25mm f/0.95! That’s AWESOME. If the price comes down a bit, I’ll definitely grab one. my 40/1.4 Nokton is a great piece of glass. a 25/0.95 will have the DOF of using a 50mm f/1.9 on full frame, or a 32mm f/1.2 on APS-C…that’s pretty awesome…plus the light gathering ability! This is one and a half stops faster than the 20 f/1.7. IE, ISO 400 vs ISO 1000 or 1250. I hope Cosina makes a ton of m4/3 Voigtlander lenses. We need a 50/1.0 next to make a great portrait lens.
TAJ
2 years ago |http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/08/25/dslr.extends.features.beyond.flagship.e.3/