Leica lenses for Mamiya mount

[leonardobarreto.com]

It seams that Leica is talking about making available lenses --leaf shutter-- for the Mamiya/PhaseOne mount. This could happen in less than a year and some photographers have seen at least a 80mm version of such lens.

If this is true we could have the very attractive system of PhaseOne back, Mamiya/Phase body and Leica leaf lenses...

It may also mean that Phase One made a deal with Leica and got this for the back know how --that Leica insist is only in programing-- but that the typical Phase One 4 buttons-in-the-back makes a bit difficult to believe...

For Leica the relationship may be not so bad since it would be easy for a photographer that has ether a Mamiya or Phase body to complement it with one or two gourmet Leica lenses than to adopt a first gen. body and an entire fleet of probably very expensive glass...

The big winner is probably Mamiya that is not giving anything to Leica but expanding their accessory menu with a list of delicacies...

 

[leonardobarreto.com]

http://www.phaseone.com/Content/PressInfo/PressMaterial/PhaseOneDBPressReleases.aspx

There is a Press release from Phase that talks about a "long term relationshiop" with Leica and talks about how the two brands can complement each other. Phase can provide software expertise, for example, and Leica optical expertise ...

Very interesting development, the only question is why the decided to not make a big announcement at PhotoKina? may be Phase wanted Leica to have the stage... as long as they have the lenses later...

 

[Graham Mitchell]

What makes you think it is not just a matter of Phase selling C1 along with Leica cameras? Let's wait and see. Until then it's all rumour.

 

[leonardobarreto.com]

Graham, That is what I thought at first and it could be the case, but if you think about it, a deeper relationship makes more sense.

For Leica, the cost of developing an entire line of lenses for a new generation camera would be harder than doing it for the S2 and all Mamiya mount --including the Phase One 645--.

If is logic for Phase One to have an interest in selling their software to Leica users it should also be for Leica to want to sell their glass in the same way.

Technically it should be easy to make the S2 lenses work on Mamiya mount especially when the format is being designed from scratch and could have done with that objective in mind.

So this could be a win-win-win for Leica, Mamiya and Phase One ... or just another rumor...

 

[Graham Mitchell]

It doesn't make sense to me, for 2 reasons.

1) Leica's best selling point for the S2 is their lenses. If people can use their lenses on cheap used Mamiya bodies then I don't see the S2 selling well.

2) The image circle required for the Leica S2 is 54mm. The image circle required for 645 is 70mm. This is a big difference.