Schneider Kreuznach Joins Micro Four Thirds!

[Amin Sabet]

I was excited to learn this morning that Schneider Kreuznach has joined the Micro Four Thirds standard! Schneider Kreuznach is a German manufacturer of industrial and photographic optics founded in 1913 and known for many innovative lens designs over the course of its existence. The announcement came as a surprise to me given the partnership between Schneider and Samsung/Pentax. This is a terrific development for Micro 4/3 users .

Google-translated press release:

Bad Kreuznach, 4 February 2011.

Schneider-Kreuznach joins the "Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group" - to improve a business consortium that has set itself the goal of the opportunities and the quality compact digital cameras. "Micro Four Thirds" is a specially tuned to digital system cameras standard for lens mounts, developed by Olympus and Panasonic. "This standard has great potential. It simplifies and improves the possibilities for compact digital cameras and offers a great opportunity for the industry as a whole, but also for us optics manufacturer. Planning for an appropriate lens series we have going on at full speed, "says Dr. Josef Staub, CEO of the Schneider group.

The standard defines the sensor size, lens mount, together with communication protocol, the imaging circle and the flange, but also optical requirements for manufacturing and construction. The industry standard has been developed without conscious regard for conventional lenses, cameras and sensor sizes. This allowed both compatibility issues with old components and compromises in the design of new components will be bypassed.

The standard license policy allows each participating vendor to bring the appropriate accessories for the system on the market. Compatible components from different manufacturers should be able to be combined.

About Schneider Group:
The Schneider-Group is specialized in the development and production of high-performance photographic lenses, cinema projection lenses, optics and precision engineering industry. The group comprises founded in 1913 in Bad Kreuznach, Josh. Schneider Optische Werke and its affiliates Pentacon (Dresden), Schneider Kreuznach Isco Division (Göttingen), Schneider Optics (New York, Los Angeles), Schneider Bando (Seoul), Schneider Asia Pacific (Hong Kong) and Schneider Optical Technologies (Shenzhen). Main brand is "Schneider-Kreuznach". Worldwide, about 620 people are employed, including 330 at its German headquarters. For years, the Group ranks among the world leaders in high-performance lenses.

Source: Photoscala via 43Rumors

 

[bilzmale]

A new high grade lens manufacturer for micro 4/3?

Google translate.

Hard to tell how serious Schneider-Kreuznach are from this post but the prospect is exciting.

 

[Amin Sabet]

Bill, I merged your thread into mine since we posted around the same time (actually yours was first ).

 

[travisennis]

I really would like to see what Voigtlander and now Schneider-Kreuznach have in store for us in the coming year. I also keep waiting to hear more about Panasonic's 25mm 1.4. All in all this year is shaping up to be very interesting.

 

[Fiddler]

Great development! One of the reasons I like my EX1 is it's Schneider lens, which is very nice.

All the best,

Colin

 

[Gwendal]

Interestingly they do not mention a lens, but a "lens series"...

 

[Djarum]

Amin, your fast. You beat me to it

This is fantastic news.

 

[f6cvalkyrie]

Excellent development that is maybe going to bring us those fast prime lenses that we are all waiting for !

And now, Rodenstock !!! Pleaaaase ???

C U,
Rafael

 

[soundimageplus]

I was excited to learn this morning that Schneider Kreuznach has joined the Micro Four Thirds standard! Schneider Kreuznach is a German manufacturer of industrial and photographic optics founded in 1913 and known for many innovative lens designs over the course of its existence. The announcement came as a surprise to me given the partnership between Schneider and Samsung/Pentax. This is a terrific development for Micro 4/3 users .
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I think one of the interesting things from this is that the company have made AF lenses for Samsung, which is something that Cosina via the Voigtlander brand are not known for. The press release is somewhat strangely worded, and the sentences - "The industry standard has been developed deliberately without taking into account conventional lenses, cameras or sensor sizes. In this way, compatibility problems with older components are avoided as is the need to compromise when designing new components." - are intriguing to say the least.

Schneider-Kreuznach have made pretty conventional zoom lenses for the Samsung versions of Pentax cameras but have also made tilt-shift lenses for DSLR's in addition to their cinema and large-format lenses. They have the experience and know-how to turn out virtually anything and its most definitely a surprising and welcome announcement. They obviously think that there is a commercial future in m4/3 and I think we can look forward to some interesting announcements.

This in addition to the fact that Voigtlander apparently sold out their first production run of the 25mm f/0.95 in a very short time.

Classy lenses for classy cameras. What could be better!

 

[~tc~]

The press release is somewhat strangely worded, and the sentences - "The industry standard has been developed deliberately without taking into account conventional lenses, cameras or sensor sizes. In this way, compatibility problems with older components are avoided as is the need to compromise when designing new components." - are intriguing to say the least.

Remember, this is a google-translate. The meaning of the original (German, I would guess) may be completely altered.

This part I definitely agree with:

its most definitely a surprising and welcome announcement. They obviously think that there is a commercial future in m4/3 and I think we can look forward to some interesting announcements.

This in addition to the fact that Voigtlander apparently sold out their first production run of the 25mm f/0.95 in a very short time.

Obviously, they have seen some numbers that say there is a market and money to be made in the 4/3s group, and I'm sure the demand (and probably profit dollars associated with it) for the 25/0.95 played into that.

My question is, though, are they planning on making m43's lenses, or backfilling Olympus/Zuiko's apparent removal from the full size 4/3 market?

 

[addieleman]

The press release is somewhat strangely worded, and the sentences - "The industry standard has been developed deliberately without taking into account conventional lenses, cameras or sensor sizes. In this way, compatibility problems with older components are avoided as is the need to compromise when designing new components." - are intriguing to say the least.

In the German text it simply looks to me as a general explanation why Micro FourThirds is a nice standard because it isn't burdened by compatibility requirements for older products.

It also says that the planning for a product range of lenses is already being made "at high revs", sounds like they mean business. Better start saving up, can't wait to see those lenses coming!

 

[Narnian]

I have use mostly Schneider-Kreuznach lenses on my enlargers and several on my large and medium format cameras and look forward to this.

My 90mm Angulon on my 6x9 Horseman field camera was one of my favorite lenses.

 

[Boyzo]

Hopefully they will have AF

 

[Luckypenguin]

Hopefully they will have AF

My thoughts exactly. Do Schneider Kreuznach do electronics as well as optics?

 

[cherrywood]

Schneider throws it's hat in the ring

I have use mostly Schneider-Kreuznach lenses on my enlargers and several on my large and medium format cameras and look forward to this.

My 90mm Angulon on my 6x9 Horseman field camera was one of my favorite lenses.

Yes Narnian, second that on the Schneider lens, they are great. Now with them throwing down the gauntlet, and Voigtlander in the m4/3 also, we will finally get some lens that are designed right from the get go, instead of having to go thru 2 or 3 iterations getting to a proper lens for m4/3 and the competition will be good for all of us.

 

[iliakoltsov]

They will be manual, schneider does high precision optics unless which in my opinion is not hard if they sign an agreement with either Olympus or panasonic for a joint development electronics done by Panasonic lens done by Schneider a bit like leica on 4/3.

Concerning other manufacturers even hough sigma has signed the agreement it iit testing the ground, the problem with such a huge manufacturer is that , why doing M4/3 only if you do M4/3 why not NEX or Samsung NX. The official answer i obtained a while ago is a bit like wait and see what standard will work then we will start producing lens for it.

Concerning Tamron NO plans , that is no wonder as sony is one of the share holders

 

[daimos]

joins the "Micro Four Thirds System Standard Group"

The standard defines the sensor size, lens mount, together with communication protocol, ...


it will be autofocus. Manual lenses already abound. They won't make money if MF.

 

[joele]

I think one of the interesting things from this is that the company have made AF lenses for Samsung DSLR

.....

Schneider-Kreuznach have made pretty conventional zoom lenses for the Samsung versions of Pentax cameras

Sadly that isn't really true, ALL the Schneider lenses released for Samsung were direct re-badges of Pentax lenses, they were even still made by Pentax, Samsung I guess just paid to put the S-K name on them...

 

[Michael]

I welcome, make that excited at the prospect of Schneider Kreuznach making MFT lenses. Its at the point now where certain aspects of sensor and in camera image processing has to rise to the quality of the lenses!

 

[squidbrand]

They won't make money if MF.

Won't make money? The Nokton is manual focus and costs a thousand big ones, and they can't make enough to keep them in stock.