New strategies

[med007]

> Has the 21mm Distagon Y/C been discontinued. I read a post to that > effect but is it a rumor. I just received the lens a day ago. It > totally surprised me as I had no recollection! Well, it looks as if I really lucked out. I was also surprised that there was one on ebay that reached over $1600. This made me wonder why on earth someone would pay that much from ebay when they could be had new for less! Well, at least, they are in short supply, but has Zeiss actually stopped production of any of these stellar lenses?

I really cant understand why Zeiss doesn't simply make their superb lenses in Eos mounts? After all, Sigma, Tamron and Tokina manage to reverse engineer to sell to the larger Canon base.

If Zeiss did that, they would be able to continue to support their own SLR bodies!!

Asher >

 

[jsmisc]

Hi Dirk,
I don't know if you have seen this which was on the Contax UK site. Probably you have.
Best wishes,
John

Limited Edition Contax U4R - Coming soon...
In association with the Contax User Forum (www.contaxinfo.com), Kyocera will soon release a limited edition of the Contax U4R. The edition will be restricted to only 300 pieces. This page will be updated over the next few days and weeks to provide more details, available colours, prices etc. It will also shortly be possible to pre-order this very special editon from this section on the web site.


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The Contax U4R offers a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 5.8-17.4mm f2.8-4.7 lens (equivalent to approx. 38mm to 115mm in 35mm film format) consisting of 6 elements in 6 groups and includes three aspheric and two high index lens elements. This Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar T* 5.8-17.4mm lens has been developed specifically for digital usage and achieves outstanding color reproduction and rich gradations. In addition, Carl Zeiss’ special multi-layer T* coating dramatically reduces flare and ghosting which results is crisp, ultra sharp images. For greater creative control, 28mm filters can be used via the included filter adapter.

The U4R also incorporates a 3x optical zoom and 6x digital zoom for a maximum of 18x total zoom and includes up to 8x digital zoom in play back mode.

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[roberto1]

> The saddest thing about this is that this statement is there since before Christmas. The "next few days" has become a matter of "the next few months". And the special series should have been based on the SL-300RT, now the U4R, and -maybe- we haven't seen all it yet. Best regards, Robert>

 

[stealth]

Hi Guys

Please stick to the topic! This one is about Kyocera's new strategies, not about comparing lenses.

Thanks in advance

Regards M;los

 

[med007]

If the "Off Topic" reminder was referring to my post, forgive me. I AM interested in new stategies! My post re-the lenses having Eos mounts to firm up K/Z lens sales and so allow K to reconsider their current retreat from their SLR's.

The lens components, for whatever mount is the same. By selling to a broader market, their income would increase ten fold and they could do whatever they wished in new version of their own N series digital SLR based on Zeiss lenses.

Anyway, that is my two cents worth.....and I would really like to know if Zeiss has discontinued any of the lenses for the C/Y mount.

Thanks

Asher

 

[jsmisc]

The site announcement does say over the next few days and weeks, so I guess that they have time yet.

 

[coyot]

> The simple solution for the future for Contax under Kyocera would be to get about 50 like minded people to each through in a million bucks and by "Contax" ... past and present. Then another million each for enginnering and production costs ... and then you could have your digital back for the C/Y lenses and a new ND2.

Michael.

 

[jsmisc]

Hmm 100 million, crumbs you reckon? Maybe that's the underlying problem coupled with the uncertainty whether they would get their money back when their business is really in ceramics.

 

[med007]

Lenses are the largest profit area for Camera manufacturers. It is good enough to support Sigma, Tamron and Tokina. If it is worthwhile to come up with a method to increase their base for this product line, even though lenses aren't the only Zeiss product.

The issue, IMHO, may be, for Zeiss at least, the issue of getting enough sales of a lens series to justify a glass "melt" session for a small lens series volume.

Also the worthwhileness of stocking the 10-14 elements of each complex lens for assembly when new orders come in.

Zeiss lenses and cameras have always been a source of pride for Zeiss. Their microscopes and other medical and industrial equipment are still very valued and respected.

So I believe it is perhaps just stogginess and stubborness that prevents K/Y/ Zeiss from seeing the larger picture.

If they used the logic for adding to their line the new RF camera with Cosina, I'm sure they could do something to keep the lines going by expanding their market base for lenses and adapting to new market needs.

Kodak has done htis and is now only 2cd to sony in USA digicam sales!

The problems with the Contax ND was not with the body or lens but with the sensor. The ND body itself works perfectly, doesn't it. I can't see that upgrading the sensor would cost more than say 5-10 million US$ and a lot of Canon and Nikon users would switch to Contax just for the unbeatable line of lenses from below 70mm.

So I think Contax is nuts!!

asher

 

[mohican]

Kodak may be second to Sony now, but Sony itself may become 2nd to NOKIA in a year or two. Most of them seem to understand already that they need a viable system to survive, simply churning out More-Megapixel-digital-P&S isn't going to be enough. This may be one of the reasons why 4/3rd system is getting more support from other manufacturers now.

I actually thought about one thing now. What if that "new strategy" simply means that Zeiss and Kyocera are breaking up? Otherwise why Zeiss wouldn't partner with Kyocera to produce Zeiss Ikon? Afterall, prototype design for the camera is done by Zeiss and a german design bureau anyway, it's not like Cosina is calling all the shots anyway.

Consider this. At the moment Zeiss is producing or licensing production of their lenses to following companies:

1. Sony - digital cameras and camcorders
2. Hasselblad - lenses for their medium format cameras
3. Rollei - medium format
4. ALPA - medium format
5. ARRI - cine lenses
6. Contax - well, you know what they do.

Now, think about the number of units shipped for every system or category. It's very easy to see that their Sony partnership is biggest - in 2004 they shipped 10 millions lenses with Sony digital cameras. It's easy to see that this is great source of revenue, even if profit margins are lower than in say medium format markets. So, no problems with this partnership.

What about Hasselblad? As far as I can tell, doesn't seem like there are problems there - it's still by far the most popular medium format system. Not to mention that it's serviced practically everywhere in the world. It's like Mercedes-Benz - seen and serviced everywhere.

Rollei - not much going on there, so I suspect Zeiss isn't seeing much money from this, but as long as it survives as a niche, it should be okay.

ALPA - unique cameras, that's why they're still around probably. As far as Zeiss goes, here is what's listed on ALPA's site:

"Carl Zeiss T* Biogon 4.5/38 mm

One of the finest and most legendary lenses. After two complete batches the lens is sold out. A new batch might come during 2005"
So, since Zeiss was only making one lens and selling the whole batch to ALPA - I assume it was worth the effort.

ARRI - as long as Hollywood wants it, there is no problem here.


That leaves us with Contax. And Contax have had quite many problems over the years and has been on decline generally. And since Kyocera makes a lot of things, but lately haven't been good at anything photographic - Zeiss may have seen this as a problematic relationship and may have wanted to pull out of it.

Interesting thing though is that they decided to invest time and money in producing M-mount rangefinder camera to compete with Leica. What is it - old rivalry or they simply really want to retain some presence in 35mm photo market? If the latter is the case - does that mean they believe there is a place for them in this market even if Contax goes out the window?