Kenko mirrorless C-mount camera announced

[kshapero]

Kenko’ announced their mirrorless C-mount digital camera with 14 megapixel sensor. It’s a very “basic” camera, it can’t take videos and it doesn’t have a built-in flash. It will be on market in Summer for about $300. If you look on the image above you will see many awesome fast C-mount lenses which you usually can find on eBay (Click here). Those lenses are usually made for video use only so don’t expect them to be good. But on the other hand they are very cheap. . It will certainly not be a Micro Four Thirds or NEX competitor but I bet it could become a very popular camera!

 

[Pickett Wilson]

Is there really a market for a C mount digital P&S?

 

[kshapero]

Is there really a market for a C mount digital P&S?

I have no idea. Don't even know what a C mount is, but it is a cute little bugger. With a M mount adapter, who knows. Who is Kenko BTW?

 

[hexiplex]

Exciting times for the digital world, a lot of cool ideas being realized for what are essentially niche markets, and niche markets really are the real future and to some extent the present of much of the consumer electronics industry.

And if I'm not mistaken are not the lenses in the photograph in the OP lenses that Kenko plan to manufacture themselves? I expect we might see some relatively inexpensive quality glass to go with this unassuming little block of a camera, Tokina (who are a part of Kenko) make some pretty good and relatively inexpensive glass for the SLR bigwigs... At least they did when I was still into those evil SLRs.

Kenko is a really... Erh, broad company. They make optical filters, colour meters, film SLRs (!), lenses, medical equipment and so on.

 

[batterytypehah!]

See those Tokina lenses in the lineup? That's Kenko. (I admit I had to look it up, too.)

I found some more (rumored) detail here http://www.imaging-resource.com/NEWS/1296799634.html

As well as C-mount lenses, Kenko plans to offer adapters for Nikon F-mount lenses, and for T-mount compatible telescopes or spotting scopes.

Hey, interchangeable lenses, shoe for a real finder, $300 price point - I might actually like the thing. Wanna start a sub-forum? 😉

 

[Pickett Wilson]

A Japanese company.

http://www.kenkoglobal.com/

 

[hexiplex]

Does anyone have any idea of sensor size? Surely it must be APS-C at that size?

 

[batterytypehah!]

None of the news items I've seen had any details on the sensor.

F-mount adapter is apparently more than a rumor, see the banner:

 

[hexiplex]

I don't know if this post (http://blog.digitalrev.com/2011/02/02/kenkos-c-mount-interchangeable-lens-camera/) has correct information, but it quotes a 1/2.3″ sensor and no raw capability.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

The original story said it was a prototype. Didn't say if it was a working prototype or not.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I guess if you want to play with old movie camera lenses, it's cheap enough.

 

[Japan---Exposures]

Kenko is a very large photo accessory 'seller' (not really maker, everything is OEM'ed I believe). They launched a small range of very inexpensive film SLRs not too long ago, I can only imagine made by Cosina. Who knows who is behind this, could be a China job (nothing wrong with that of course).

C mount are cine lenses (small format). Many people went nuts over adapters for M4/3.

 

[oftheherd]

...

Who is Kenko BTW?

You're kidding, right? Kenko has been around a long time. As already mentioned, I think they are best known for their filters. But one only needs google kenko or search ebay for kenko if one really doesn't know the brand.

It seems interesting that someone would bring out such a camera. I wonder if it will accomodate all C-mount or only those made for the camera. I'm wondering if it will require contacts for transmitting information to the camera or something.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

I have a very good quality tele-converter from the 1980's with the Kenko name. I think there might have been some association with Vivitar at one time.

 

[gavinlg]

It's a tiny sensor in it apparently - a 5.6x crop.

Eh.

 

[batterytypehah!]

By the way:

It’s a very “basic” camera, it can’t take videos and it doesn’t have a built-in flash.

Hooray for that!

 

[batterytypehah!]

It's a tiny sensor in it apparently - a 5.6x crop.

Eh.

Dang, you're right. That 8mm lens is the "normal."

 

[jsrockit]

Is there really a market for a C mount digital P&S?

There is if it is $300 and takes weird lenses. I'm sure it is more a labor of love than a money making scheme.
I bet the Holga crowd would like this...

 

[zumbido]

C-mount lenses of any quality (and even some that aren't) now go for prices many times what they were before the introduction of the micro 4/3 cameras, with their ability to adapt (some) cine lenses for normal, not just macro, use. There is unquestionably some market for this, but how big it is... beats me.

There are good, expensive C-mount lenses made for 16mm motion picture cameras, machine vision, and other applications. There are super, super cheap ones made for miniscule CCTV cameras. And everything in between. Most of the big names in optics, both individual and brand (Zeiss, Pentax, Angénieux, Taylor, Hobson, Canon, Schneider, Leica, etc.) have worked in the world of C-mount, though for some (including Leica maybe, not sure) it's been in the context of microscopy, telescopy, endoscopy, etc., not misc. film or still capture.

 

[sevo]

Kenko is part of Sanwa, the same old keiretsu (conglomerate) as Konica Minolta, Hoya, Tokina, Pentax and Slik - the latter four and Kenko form a pretty close group that shares the same international distribution. The highest end professional gear Kenko market under their own name seem to be light meters - they took over some of the remaining Konica Minolta photographic branches that weren't included in the Sony deal, most notably the light meters division.

Nowadays, Nikon might have some finger in that pie as they all were merged into Midorikai, the new mega keiretsu formed from Sanwa, Tokai and Mitsubishi after the Japanese stock exchange crash.