Is a Zeiss Ikon FF ready to start?

[shadowfox]

All this talk actually comes around to what we already have and be comfortable with:

Full-frame Rangefinder cameras and lenses. With a "sensor" that we can replace cheaply, easily, and works wonderfully.

We're just too lazy to scan? 😀

 

[aka5ha]

Just a matter of time

Just a matter of time

My opinion is it is not even debatable. FF sensors for RFs will be out in no time. No one is going to have to reformulate all the wide angle optical formulas into "reverse retrofocus" designs. Soon everyone will have FF sensors that capture light at any angles, or are able to competsate for it. It is just an engineering problem that has to be worked through. We flew to the moon and back using pre handheld calculator technology. I've been a Ph.D. chip engineer for the past 10 years. In my general observation the technology no matter what its nature will always adapt to what the installed base is. In this case the sensor has to adapt to the huge installed base of lenses out there; the tail does not wag the dog. Cheap FF sensors in both RFs and SLRs are inevitable; cropped sensors will be evolutionary junk that we had to live with because there was nothing better. This all does not mean I am not buying an M8 soon to compliment my MP 🙂 Let me ask you M8 owners this: is the shutter bigger than the sensor? I mean, if they could retrofit a FF sensor in the M8, would the shutter open wide enough to expose it? Cheers!

 

[Nachkebia]

I hope not! film is the way for zeiss, they are the last company who actualy developes and researches film cameras and lenses! thats why they are amazing! excellent lenes! excellent camera! we don`t need digital! 🙂

 

[Andrew Sowerby]

I would kinda like a 1.33 cropped Zeiss/CV RF. The Nokton 35 would be a great match for it.

 

[Tuolumne]

I would kinda like a 1.33 cropped Zeiss/CV RF. The Nokton 35 would be a great match for it.

Count me in!

/T

 

[jlw]

"Huge" installed base? Not by camera-industry standards.

Basically, the reason this will never happen is that nobody gives a crap except us, and we make up a miniscule market. And actually, even some of us don't give a crap... myself for one, because I still haven't been able to find in the Bible where it says "Thou shalt have no other sensor size than the holy 24mm x 36mm"...

 

[kevin m]

My opinion is it is not even debatable. FF sensors for RFs will be out in no time. No one is going to have to reformulate all the wide angle optical formulas into "reverse retrofocus" designs. Soon everyone will have FF sensors that capture light at any angles, or are able to competsate for it.

Well, I hope what you're saying proves true. Even if it doesn't, I'd be happy if Sony stuck a cropped sensor in the Hexar RF body. 🙂

 

[Tuolumne]

My opinion is it is not even debatable. FF sensors for RFs will be out in no time. No one is going to have to reformulate all the wide angle optical formulas into "reverse retrofocus" designs. Soon everyone will have FF sensors that capture light at any angles, or are able to competsate for it. It is just an engineering problem that has to be worked through. We flew to the moon and back using pre handheld calculator technology. I've been a Ph.D. chip engineer for the past 10 years. In my general observation the technology no matter what its nature will always adapt to what the installed base is. In this case the sensor has to adapt to the huge installed base of lenses out there; the tail does not wag the dog. Cheap FF sensors in both RFs and SLRs are inevitable; cropped sensors will be evolutionary junk that we had to live with because there was nothing better. This all does not mean I am not buying an M8 soon to compliment my MP 🙂 Let me ask you M8 owners this: is the shutter bigger than the sensor? I mean, if they could retrofit a FF sensor in the M8, would the shutter open wide enough to expose it? Cheers!

It's nice to have someone who is an expert to speak on this topic for once. Do you know how to build a FF sensor for a RF?

/T

 

[Bully]

Perhaps a crop Zeiss Ikon...

Perhaps a crop Zeiss Ikon...

It is obvious, that building a fullframe sensor in a rangefinder is a very difficult quest.
I could imagine, that, if it is such a big problem, then we will see a crop Zeiss Ikon. Why shouldn´d Zeiss catch the successful (crop) train of the M8?

And, a second question: what is in the line at Nikon? Will they look at Leica a longer time and watch the success of the M8 without any attack? Imagine a Nikon SD as a late sucessor to the legendary SP side by side to the Nikon D3, today´s best digital SLR?

 

[M. Valdemar]

I can't find it now by Googling, maybe it's no longer online, but a couple of years ago a guy took the 12mm Rangefinder Heliar and got it onto a Canon 5D.

The rear element was practically touching the sensor.

The images came out fine with not-too-bad vignetting.

 

[italy74]

Remember that on the Zeiss Ikon brochure, prepared 2 years ago there is a very clear statement about the interest for a FF digital sensor...
Literally:

When digital sensor technology takes another
leap or two, accepting the high incident angles of
a wide-angle M-mount lens to the corners of a
full format sensor, you can count on us to come
up with high performance digital systems that​

will satisfy even the truly passionate.

To me, it means that they will look straightly for something with outstanding performance

 

[italy74]

Besides, just in these days, Leica management leaks FF rangefinder hints (more than a simple M8 option) so I guess that Zeiss won't remain at the window. Probably they are following two different politics: Leica chose to develop anyway a digital rangefinder with the M8 as an intermediate step. Zeiss maybe could go straightly for a FF camera and could be planning it since two/three years ago on.