So why Cosina won't make a RD2?

As a business model, cameras are not profitable enough. The sector is doing terribly.

I have plenty of current Zeiss lenses too, including Batis (I even tolerate often awful Sony menus to use them), Milvus (if you really want film to look good put the 50mm f1.4 Milvus on a Nikon or Canon SLR - they are like a more modern version of where the Leica R lenses might have ended up if they had survived) and an Otus, but it’s clear that Zeiss is not putting much effort in. There is no reason to. And it is a clear sign that they talked a lot about a camera that essentially never materialised.

Marty
Zeiss cannot compete with the modern Sony lineup. When I got my first A7III, the situation was different.
Who can compete with Sony technology? Nikon and Canon were years behind with their first mirrorless cameras.
"They say" that they are about equal now. It is possible, but none of my concerns.
 
Zeiss cannot compete with the modern Sony lineup. When I got my first A7III, the situation was different.
Who can compete with Sony technology? Nikon and Canon were years behind with their first mirrorless cameras.
"They say" that they are about equal now. It is possible, but none of my concerns.
Of course: Zeiss is worth/has a market cap of ~$11 billion and Sony is worth/has a market cap of ~$110 billion. The point is that Zeiss tried to do something different and new, which was not trying to compete but to make its own market segment, but Zeiss could not, did not or decided not to pull it off. They are big enough and serious enough that they could have done it had they put enough resources in. The most likely driver is that the probable return was not ultimately worth it. The camera market seriously tanked between when the ZX1 was announced and when it finally failed to appear.
 
Perhaps. I have never cared what Sony does though. Do they make cameras? I've never bothered to even pick one up. On the other hand I have Nikon lenses that date back to the mid 50's and Zeiss lenses over a 100 years old that I can use on Nikon & Leica cameras that I already own. I can't get too excited about modern stuff I can't afford anyway 😎

I was out yesterday using a 1937 Zeiss lens on my Leica M 240. I had a lovely time and got a couple of images I liked out of it.
 
The problem with a new RD has more to do with committing to the semiconductor (sensor) supplier. It’s not just one camera release, once one gets onto the digital treadmill, it’s a continuous turnover as semiconductors are not simply manufactured and put on the shelf like potato chips waiting for customers to grab some. The purchase volume must be significant or it just doesn’t make sense.

It’s also a firmware/software commitment, whether in-house or subcontracted it’s a major expense.

These factors would be easily surmounted for someone like Sony.

There certainly is room in the price equation as the current Leica offerings are ridiculous even for them - $9k for a body?? How about an M-mount Sony with an optical viewfinder for $3k or less? Would that sell? They offer a full-frame A7CII for $2200 currently.

More likely tho they might offer an X100-style hybrid with E-mount.
 
As a business model, cameras are not profitable enough. The sector is doing terribly.

I have plenty of current Zeiss lenses too, including Batis (I even tolerate often awful Sony menus to use them), Milvus (if you really want film to look good put the 50mm f1.4 Milvus on a Nikon or Canon SLR - they are like a more modern version of where the Leica R lenses might have ended up if they had survived) and an Otus, but it’s clear that Zeiss is not putting much effort in. There is no reason to. And it is a clear sign that they talked a lot about a camera that essentially never materialised.

Marty
Yep ... I loved my Batis lenses.
It does seem that the whole sector is struggling .
 
Perhaps. I have never cared what Sony does though. Do they make cameras? I've never bothered to even pick one up. On the other hand I have Nikon lenses that date back to the mid 50's and Zeiss lenses over a 100 years old that I can use on Nikon & Leica cameras that I already own. I can't get too excited about modern stuff I can't afford anyway 😎

I was out yesterday using a 1937 Zeiss lens on my Leica M 240. I had a lovely time and got a couple of images I liked out of it.
Sony make superb cameras.
I`ve had a few .
I concluded that they aren`t for me for various reasons but when I need AF and I`m struggling with the sub par AF on the latest Leica bodies I do sometimes miss them.

I think we are very fortunate with the choice on offer today from all the manufacturers.
 
Given Cosina is heavily invested in the M mount from their many recent releases that has amassed a collection of M mount lenses rivaled only that of Leica, and not to mention pioneers to the first digital rangefinder in the RD1; so why haven't the company continued their foray into the digital M system to create the RD2? I don't understand...
Probably because Epson did not task Cosina to make an R-D2.
 
Forget an Epson R-D2... Now, a Zeiss Ikon DRF? Sign me up. 😃

The ZX1 was stillborn. The chances of a Zeiss camera are approaching zero. The Zeiss distributor here told me that in their analysis they concluded that they would sell more Axiocams (high end cameras for microscopes - $AU12k+ with no objective lens) than there was market for a still camera.
 
The ZX1 was stillborn. The chances of a Zeiss camera are approaching zero. The Zeiss distributor here told me that in their analysis they concluded that they would sell more Axiocams (high end cameras for microscopes - $AU12k+ with no objective lens) than there was market for a still camera.
They shipped at least some. MPB has three used ones right now. Can't imagine they are going to sell them at nearly $5k though.
 
Epson did consider an RD1 successor:
I once considered becoming Emperor of France. Also that did not happen.

From the DPreview piece: "the project was canceled due to [...] declining R-D1x sales." Very doubtful: The R-D1x sold solely for the Japanese market.
 
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Your opening statement is probably the very reason that Cosina doesn't care to enter the market. Perhaps when Leica was the only game in town they might have had a chance but now with so many it's not a good idea I would think. They seem to be doing fine with just lenses, it it ain't broke.......
 
The Contax brand returned to Carl Zeiss AG when the agreement with Kyocera to make cameras ended in 2005.

The Zeiss ZX1 seemed like a good idea, including in-camera editing, but appears to have been stillborn. I have never seen one. Zeiss have their sights set very firmly in much more profitable sectors of the optical market than cameras.
That reminds me: some months ago, a secondhand Zeiss ZX1 turned up on a dealer Instagram page. This is the only time I've even heard of one in the wild.

 
That reminds me: some months ago, a secondhand Zeiss ZX1 turned up on a dealer Instagram page. This is the only time I've even heard of one in the wild.



I was told informally that Zeiss imported zero to Australia. None. It’s a shame; a camera with lots of the features of a phone is surely the future of the enthusiast market, and I can imagine a huge number of professionals would like a camera with a cellular connection for instant upload.
 
I was told informally that Zeiss imported zero to Australia. None. It’s a shame; a camera with lots of the features of a phone is surely the future of the enthusiast market, and I can imagine a huge number of professionals would like a camera with a cellular connection for instant upload.
One could argue that the "enthusiast" market is making dedicated cameras popular again based on them not being phones. Additionally, I think instant posting or uploading of photos is detrimental to photography. Many times it takes time to figure out what is the best, to separate the cliches from the good stuff.
 
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My Sony A7 III IS my digital Leica M & my digital FF Olympus OM-5. I get extra use out of it with a Sony E-mount 50mm and a Tamron 24mm lenses.
I think a lot of us has found an actual(...) digital photomachine that fit their needs. I sold my Leica M6 when the EVFs had become comfortable and got a touch of night vision.
Small and quiet and a kind look where the further demands I had and have for my equipment. I can get such cameras from a bunch of producers today so I see no need for another R-Dx.
just my 5cent
 
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