Leica Rumors

Leica executives visited the Russian KMZ plant where the new Zenit full-frame mirrorless digital camera will be produced

By LR admin | Published: September 30, 2017

On October 12th, 2016 Leica executives, including Andreas Kaufmann (majority shareholder and chairman of the supervisory board of Leica) and Markus Limberger (COO, member of the management board) visited the KMZ plant in Russia following some conversations during the last Photokina show (KMZ = Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant where the new Zenit camera will be produced). According to Patriot, the internal KMZ newspaper, the parties “expressed an interest in joint work (…) in the field of observation and photographic equipment”. During the visit of the plant, Dr. Kaufmann reportedly appreciated the Optar 8mm f/1.2 Super-16 lens (Google translation):

Posted in Zenit M| Tagged Andreas Kaufmann, Leica purchased Zenit rumors, Leica-Zenit joint venture, Zenit, Zenit-Leica full-frame mirrorless digital camera| 1 Comment

Confirmed: Leica to announce also a new THAMBAR-M 90mm f/2.2 lens

By LR admin | Published: September 28, 2017

The original Leitz Thambar 9cm f:2.2 lens

A few weeks ago I received a tip about a new Leica THAMBAR-M 90mm f/2.2 lens but I did not report it on the blog because it came from a new source and I wanted to get at least one more confirmation before publishing online. I usually never report on “unconfirmed” rumors coming from unknown sources or questionable websites. A few days ago I even mentioned the exact same lens here in the comments section of LeicaRumors:

The Japanese site Nokishita just confirmed today that in addition to the Noctilux-M 75mm f/1.25 ASPH, Leica will announce also a new Thambar-M 90mm f/2.2 lens:

Leica NOCTILUX-M 75mm f/1.25 ASPH lens: late 2017 announcement (was initially scheduled for April)
Leica THAMBAR-M 90mm f/2.2 lens: to be released in the first half of 2018

The new lens will be a re-edition of the famous Leitz Thambar 9cm f:2.2 of the late 1930s, a portrait lens with adjustable blur – see this eBay listing for pictures:

Here is some additional information on the original Thambar lens:

Posted in Leica Lenses| Tagged Leica THAMBAR-M 90mm f/2.2 lens| 16 Comments

Leica TL2 mobile charging with a portable battery pack

By LR admin | Published: September 27, 2017

The Leica TL2 mirrorless camera can be charged with a portable battery pack:

The Leica TL2 battery (Leica BP-DC13) is selling for $95. You can get a decent portable charger for $30 on Amazon.

The Leica TL2 camera is finally in stock:

Aditional information on mobile charging from Leica’s website:

Posted in Leica TL2| 3 Comments

This is the new Leica Q “Nikki Sixx Edition” camera (now available for pre-order)

By LR admin | Published: September 26, 2017

This is the new Leica Q “Nikki Sixx Edition” camera I reported about last week:

The limited edition Leica Q is currently available for pre-order at the Leica Store San Francisco and Leica Store Miami for $5,250 (only 28 pieces will be available for sale). FYI: the price of the “regular” Leica Q camera is $4,250.

Additional information:

Posted in Leica Q| Tagged Leica Limited Edition, Leica Q Nikki Sixx limited edition camera| 6 Comments

KMZ-Leica partnership: actual news and how a rumour takes shape and grows

By LR admin | Published: September 26, 2017

The beginning: two factory visits and meetings

Once upon a time there were two visits, the first one of senior executives of KMZ at Leica, the second one of Leica executives at KMZ in April 2017. Both were reported in KMZ’s internal journal, Патриот (“Patriot”), and the two corresponding articles, dated of April 12 and May 5, 2017, were summarized in two reports (sometimes quite blunt as to the inconsistency of the comments made in said articles) on the independent site www.zenitcamera.com, dedicated to KMZ, their history and accomplishments.

First report on the first visit:

https://www.zenitcamera.com/rec/news-2017-04-17-01.html (in Russian)

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&u=https://www.zenitcamera.com/rec/news-2017-04-17-01.html (automatic translation in English).

The goal of KMZ seems to be to sell in limited quantities a rangefinder camera based on Leica M9, the Zenit D1, sold 30% cheaper than its counterpart, as well as another digital camera, the Zenit D11, positioned lower in range and manufactured in large quantities.

The meeting concluded that a working group on the design of Zenit D1 should be set up, which should prepare an indicative budget (development and investment costs). The Zenit D1 would be accompanied by the Zenitar-3, Zenitar-12, Zenitar-MP2 and Zenitar-1/35 lenses in Leica M mount, manufactured by KMZ. A working meeting was planned for 5 and 6 April 2017 at KMZ.

Second report on the second visit:

https://www.zenitcamera.com/rec/news-2017-05-15-01.html (in Russian)

https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=ru&tl=en&u=https://www.zenitcamera.com/rec /news-2017-05-15-01.html (automatic translation in English).

During the meeting, they talked about the key pricing factors of Zenit D1 and Zenit D11. A Leica designer presented some sketches of what the D1 might look like in a Zenit style. Another design office, Smirnov Design, also present at the meeting, was given the responsibility for presenting an alternative design proposal before the end of April and then supporting the Leica design team regarding design issues and feasibility studies.

It was also stated that the D11 would be sold under the Zorki brand. The objectives concerning it were revised: targeted retail price was decreased and targeted sales volumes were increased.

This is what is revealed by these reports about Leica’s involvement in KMZ’s projects: a consulting / engineering role to assist KMZ in the design and manufacturing of two digital cameras establishing the renaissance of Zenit (and Zorki) plus, possibly, a role in the manufacturing of the Zenit D1, a limited edition camera.

Posted in Zenit M| Tagged Leica purchased Zenit rumors, Leica-Zenit joint venture, Zenit, Zenit-Leica full-frame mirrorless digital camera| 17 Comments

Lens hood for the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1 Leica M-mount lens

By LR admin | Published: September 25, 2017

In my 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1 Leica M-mount lens review I promised to post an update on the lens hood I selected for my 7Artisans lens. I purchased this 55mm black metal vented lens hood from eBay for… $1.83… yes, this was including shipping and handling from China. There are many similar options on eBay – check them out here. The lens hood was a perfect match. Here is the viewfinder obstruction: