Originally posted by falconeye Samsung LSI is the group inside Samsung responsible for the System-on-a-Chip line like the s3c24xx, s3c64xx as used in Openmoko, TomTom and E-TEN glofiish devices.
I think that Samsung either must produce CMOS sensors of all sizes, or none at all. To arbitrarily ignore important market segments just makes no sense.
If they make an own camera using it is yet a completely different story. And they aren't forced to make it DSLR or K mount...
Personally, I believe that it doesn't make sense to create yet another line of DSLR now. They either must buy Pentax, or jump right into the still uncrowded full format EVIL camp. To buy Pentax or Olympus would make sense because there aren't any non-Japanese DSLR vendors now (with the exception of a forthcoming digital Leica R/S).
They kind of can't buy Olympus, it's a privately owned company... buying Pentax while it's in the midst of a major reorganization following its purchase by Hoya also seems to not make much sense.
They don't really have to buy anyone. Sony pulled it on their own. Samsung is, overall, very size-competitive with Sony.
On the subject of lenses, hasn't Schneider done some kit lenses for Samsung? They produce some spectacular large-format lenses, so they're clearly no slouch for an optical company. I mean, Sony can boast the legacy of the famous Zeiss name, maybe Samsung could boast the brand name of the maker of some of the world's highest-resolution lenses.
Or maybe they could ressurect some of those beautiful discontinued pentax F and FA designs, with a modern digital treatment. Assuming the whole FF thing comes to pass.
Personally, I think Samsung APS-C EVF, Pentax K-mount APS-C, Samsung K-mount FF, and Pentax MF sounds like a great range of products which, given Pentax's experience/optics expertise and Samsung's sensors and financial heft, could establish itself as an appealing alternative to the big three.