[funkythiru]

KA patents have expired AFAICT.
KAF, KAF2, KAF3 and KAF4 are protected by patents.

If Zenit can produce fast glass royalty-free more power to them. From a longevity perspective you can't go wrong with the K mount.

[dstar]

I think this best topic from long time
I just return from Spain
A lot tourist from all world and from Russia
Everybody with Sony and not cheap version Canon Nikon
I nobody saw with Pentax
Few actually ask what camera is it
But regarding comment about Zenith
With Russian economy who can paid 6-5 thousand euro
For this camera
When you can paid 2-3 time less for major brand
I had Zenith from 15 yo it was good camera

Still some lenses what I use for K3

But I can’t imagination after so many years neglect
They can restart even with help outside country industrial level high tech camera
Even Pentax can’t open plant to rebrand camera in Russia
Need time and money and staff
Plus all restriction go business with Russia
I don’t think this happening

[funkythiru]

I think Pentax should never enter a price war against any brand or follow the newest fads. I chose Pentax for it's value proposition and perhaps also for the exclusivity. I don't think Pentax is doomed, I only wish for more and cheaper lenses. So I do hope Zenitar will make K mount lenses whether it's for this hypothetical rebadge or not.

[twilhelm]

I think this best topic from long time
I just return from Spain
A lot tourist from all world and from Russia
Everybody with Sony and not cheap version Canon Nikon
I nobody saw with Pentax
Few actually ask what camera is it
But regarding comment about Zenith
With Russian economy who can paid 6-5 thousand euro
For this camera
When you can paid 2-3 time less for major brand
I had Zenith from 15 yo it was good camera

Still some lenses what I use for K3

But I can’t imagination after so many years neglect
They can restart even with help outside country industrial level high tech camera
Even Pentax can’t open plant to rebrand camera in Russia
Need time and money and staff
Plus all restriction go business with Russia
I don’t think this happening

I’d bet being partnered with another company, albeit outside Russia, would alleviate some of the restrictions. Otherwise I don’t think they would have done the Leica collaboration, even if it is low production numbers. I think they are looking to other companies because they aren’t able to put together the staff and equipment.

When I look at what they’ve done with Leica, doing something similar with Pentax makes sense on many levels. A smaller company with high quality equipment that can profit by working with them. Truth is, even by today’s standards, the K5 is still a good camera, and the K3 is still a great camera. If Ricoh/Pentax is planning a new K-1 in the near future, it would make a perfect camera to re-badge.

[RobA_Oz]

I think this best topic from long time
I just return from Spain
A lot tourist from all world and from Russia
Everybody with Sony and not cheap version Canon Nikon
I nobody saw with Pentax
Few actually ask what camera is it
But regarding comment about Zenith
With Russian economy who can paid 6-5 thousand euro
For this camera
When you can paid 2-3 time less for major brand
I had Zenith from 15 yo it was good camera

Still some lenses what I use for K3

But I can’t imagination after so many years neglect
They can restart even with help outside country industrial level high tech camera
Even Pentax can’t open plant to rebrand camera in Russia
Need time and money and staff
Plus all restriction go business with Russia
I don’t think this happening

It just goes to show how an individual's experience can vary from one time to another. I was in Spain last year and, while I saw lots of Canon and Nikon DSLRs (none of the new MILCs, of course), I saw no Sony A7/9s, but a fair few the lesser Sony MILCs and even a couple of Pentaxes.

If you read the rest of this thread and follow some of the links, you'll see that the Russian optical factories are in fact still producing lenses, so, depending on how much is sub-contracted to Ricoh or its part suppliers, producing a body shouldn't be that difficult.

[ogl]

If you read the rest of this thread and follow some of the links, you'll see that the Russian optical factories are in fact still producing lenses, so, depending on how much is sub-contracted to Ricoh or its part suppliers, producing a body shouldn't be that difficult.

It's handcraft products with very small quantity. There are only 4 manual lenses now in production in fact.

This three were born in USSR
HELIOS 40-2 - 85/1.5 - legendary lens - for Canon and Nikon
ZENITAR 16/2.8 - legendary lens too - M42, Canon, Nikon

ZENITAR 85/1.4 - for Canon and Nikon (in USSR had produced only by small periods - 1986, 1988, 1991-1992) .
new version is based on old design, but was redesigned in 2014 for using at digital FF cameras.

This new APS-C lens
ZENITAR 50/1.2S - for Canon and Nikon

Not bad if KMZ begin to produce manual K-mount lenses....But I didn't hear about such plans. They discontinued all K-mount lenses.

[ogl]

ZENITcamera: Q&A --

Last paragraph - Current state of affairs
The answer to the question “Did Krasnogorsky Plant developed after 2014 digital cameras and what is the current state of affairs? ”-was short and simple: NO. All announcements, plans, etc. related to the development of digital photographic equipment, which appeared in the media since November 2014 and later, had no direct relation to the developments of the Krasnogorsky plant and it has no now.
This also applies to the Leica-M rangefinder digital camera (typ 240), redesigned by Smirnov Design http://www.smirnovdesign.com/, presented at the Photokina exhibition in September 2018 under the name Zenit-M. In this case, KMZ acts only as a buyer of German-made cameras marked with the trademark of the enterprise.

---

Last edited by ogl; 10-07-2018 at 03:16 AM.

[RobA_Oz]

ZENITcamera: Q&A --

Last paragraph - Current state of affairs
The answer to the question “Did Krasnogorsky Plant developed after 2014 digital cameras and what is the current state of affairs? ”-was short and simple: NO. All announcements, plans, etc. related to the development of digital photographic equipment, which appeared in the media since November 2014 and later, had no direct relation to the developments of the Krasnogorsky plant and it has no now.
This also applies to the Leica-M rangefinder digital camera (typ 240), redesigned by Smirnov Design http://www.smirnovdesign.com/, presented at the Photokina exhibition in September 2018 under the name Zenit-M. In this case, KMZ acts only as a buyer of German-made cameras marked with the trademark of the enterprise.

Very good, then it probably follows that Ricoh would be the manufacturer, should such a deal come to fruition, unless some Russian resource can be found or adapted to at least some of the manufacturing tasks. Again, if such were the case, there would be no more benefit to a buyer of the KMZ version than of a Pentax version, unless the badge was to make it more valuable as a mere curiosity item.

[stevebrot]

ZENITAR 16/2.8 - legendary lens too - M42, Canon, Nikon

When did they start native Canon support? In the past, Canon was supported with an adapter on the M42 version. Also, when did they stop making that lens in K-mount? Mine was made in 2007 and purchased new in 2009.

I was also wondering who is making the KMZ-labeled lenses for Lomography?


Steve

[stevebrot]

ZENITcamera: Q&A --

Last paragraph - Current state of affairs
The answer to the question “Did Krasnogorsky Plant developed after 2014 digital cameras and what is the current state of affairs? ”-was short and simple: NO. All announcements, plans, etc. related to the development of digital photographic equipment, which appeared in the media since November 2014 and later, had no direct relation to the developments of the Krasnogorsky plant and it has no now.
This also applies to the Leica-M rangefinder digital camera (typ 240), redesigned by Smirnov Design http://www.smirnovdesign.com/, presented at the Photokina exhibition in September 2018 under the name Zenit-M. In this case, KMZ acts only as a buyer of German-made cameras marked with the trademark of the enterprise.

I am curious about this paragraph. Do the authors provide a reference?* As most of us who use Soviet and Russian gear know, the zenitcamera.com Web site is a fan site with no official connection to KMZ, past or present. It is a useful resource and generally reliable, but not always accurate.


Steve

* The Google translation had no obvious footnotes outside of a link to the 2014 article from Interfax.

[ogl]

When did they start native Canon support? In the past, Canon was supported with an adapter on the M42 version. Also, when did they stop making that lens in K-mount? Mine was made in 2007 and purchased new in 2009.

I was also wondering who is making the KMZ-labeled lenses for Lomography?


Steve

Nikon and Canon added in 2013-2014
????? - ????????? - ???????????? ?? ??????? 2,8/16

https://www.zenit.photo/catalog/obektiv-zenitar-2-8-16/

[ogl]

I am curious about this paragraph. Do the authors provide a reference?* As most of us who use Soviet and Russian gear know, the zenitcamera.com Web site is a fan site with no official connection to KMZ, past or present. It is a useful resource and generally reliable, but not always accurate.


Steve

* The Google translation had no obvious footnotes outside of a link to the 2014 article from Interfax.

I can confirm all it without any authors. KMZ is war oriented plant and has no base for civil electronic products like DSLR. It was confirmed by different media and many photosites that Zenit-M would be made in Germany.


The last project was ZENIT-408DF of 2004 - 8 MP M42 FF camera based on film body.

http://www.zenitcamera.com/rec/news-2004-12-06-01.html
The decision of board of directors from 24.11.2004

[stevebrot]

Nikon and Canon added in 2013-2014
????? - ????????? - ???????????? ?? ??????? 2,8/16

I was thinking specifically about the Petzval 85mm and Jupiter 3+ 50mm both explicitly claimed by Lomography (link generated by PF, not mine) as being made in Russia by Zenit. In the case of the Jupiter 3+ they say it is made in the same factory as prior Jupiter lenses.


Steve

[ogl]

ZENITcamera.com:

rather funny and interesting interview...this Deputy Director of KMZ said that next camera is planned to be made with Leica too...

[ogl]

I was thinking specifically about the Petzval 85mm and Jupiter 3+ 50mm both explicitly claimed by Lomography (link generated by PF, not mine) as being made in Russia by Zenit. In the case of the Jupiter 3+ they say it is made in the same factory as prior Jupiter lenses.


Steve

Handcrafted in Central China - is it the answer?

My comrades from Penta club Russia visited different Photo Exhibitions in Russia last times and visited KMZ's store and talked there. They understand from all this talks that even bodies of KMZ lenses are made in China now.