Originally posted by RonHendriks1966 Well I don't see Ricoh joining in on the m4/3, so that mount won't come. Only othe magic trick would be making a camera with M-mount. I see this even as a profatable project, even with a low number off own new lenses.
I think a short flange focal distance is the key to versatility when it comes to attaching 3rd party lenses with various lengths from mount to sensor. Pentax's K mount is 45.46mm, while Leica's M mount is 27.80mm; Sony Nex, at 18mm, can receive both lenses.
The control, whether it be AF, auto-aperture, or auto-zoom, comes down to something more complicated than a simple measure in construction, like flange focal distance. Cameras or adapters would have to be meticulously designed to have full function with the lenses of every other brand. This would be a huge undertaking.
On the other hand, third party lens makers have been finding ways to slightly alter their lenses to fit the big camera brands for years. Even speaking as a loyal Pentaxian, I see merit in making photography/film equipment more universal. I'd love to buy a Pentax lens knowing that the mount could be changed to Nikon or Canon. I think, maybe they could make interchangeability more user friendly.
Camera companies, I'm sure, rely on this incompatibility between brands, forcing the consumer to grow more attached to the company he/she's invested the most money in. I'd love for this forced dogmatism to end, though. I wouldn't mind combining different camera/lens systems at all, myself.