Phototrend published their interview with Yosuke Yamane from the 2023 CP+ show in Japan (director of the Imaging Business division at Panasonic) – here are his comments regarding the L-mount alliance and L² Technology:
About the L frame: now that the frame is well launched, would it be possible to open it up to third-party opticians?
Announced at Photokina in 2018, the L-Mount alliance continues to expand year on year, with Leitz Cine and DJI joining the initial three companies, making it a diverse alliance of five companies. (Leitz Ciné joined the L-Mount Alliance in October 2021, and DJI in June 2022, Ed).
We also have a wide variety of interchangeable lenses, with the range now extended to 68 lenses, including those scheduled for release.
Further expansion of L-Mount Alliance member manufacturers depends on the policy of Leica, the licensee. But as a member of L-Mount Alliance, we want to deepen cooperation with each company and provide value to customers, with compatibility between different products.
As you can see, at this year’s CP+, you will be able to experience camera bodies and lenses from L-Mount Alliance manufacturers on our stand and on Sigma’s stand. We wish to deepen our cooperation in the future.
The Lumix S5 II is the first camera to integrate technologies from the L² technology strategic partnership with Leica: can you tell us more?
The processor that powers the Lumix S5 II and S5 IIX was jointly designed by Leica and Panasonic to improve image quality through powerful image processing.
By combining Leica’s commitment to image quality, cultivated over its long history, with Panasonic’s innovative digital technology, we have achieved excellent high definition performance, very good color reproduction and natural noise reduction.
We have jointly developed the Lumix S5II and S5IIX processor, but we continue to discuss future topics, mainly cases. The two companies will jointly develop technologies to make their respective products more attractive in the future.
Speaking of L² technology, do you think that one day there could be a camera made by both Leica and Panasonic, going beyond just working on certain technologies?
We currently have an alliance with Leica. However, Leica is also our competitor. So we will jointly develop technologies for devices. However, each company independently develops its own products, based on its own decisions. In other words, even though we jointly develop technologies, product planning and engineering is different and separate between Panasonic and Leica.
Additional coverage of the Leica L-mount at the 2023 CP+ show in Japan can be found at DC.Watch:
