M Camera made by Zenit

[Leon_B.]

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In cooperation with Leica, Krasnogorsky Zavod from Zenit designed a new digital rangefinder camera technically based on the Leica M (Typ 240). The camera is equipped with Zenitar 35 mm f/1.0 lens and is completely designed and manufactured in Russia.

 

The Zenit M will be available from December 2018 in Europe and from January 2019 in Russia at both Zenit's online store and selected photo shops.

 

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Full press release:

 

Zenit and Leica Present Joint Production Camera
 
Krasnogorsky Zavod, manufacturer of the Russian brand Zenit, in cooperation with Leica Camera AG, German manufacturer of premium cameras and optics, designed a new digital rangefinder camera Zenit M. The Shvabe Holding, part of Rostec, has presented this product at Photokina 2018, the largest international trade fair for the photographic and imaging industries held in Cologne.
 
One of the participants of the project is Krasnogorsky Zavod (KMZ Zenit), a leading designer of photographic equipment in Russia, is now part of Shvabe. The Zenit M is technically based on the Leica M Type 240 platform, but was modified both in terms of hardware and software.
 
The camera is equipped with Zenitar 35 mm f/1.0 lens, completely designed and manufactured in Russia, 100% of its components and materials are Russian-made. The lens creates an image that doesn’t require processing, has unique bokeh and soft focus effect.
 
The design of Zenit M copies designs of the legendary Zenit and Zorky cameras, it’s a full-frame rangefinder camera made for shooting under various conditions.
The official presentation took place with participation of Andreas Kaufmann, major shareholder and chairman of Leica Camera AG supervisory board, Alexey Patrikeyev, CEO of Shvabe, Ivan Ozhgikhin, Deputy CEO of Shvabe, and Vadim Kaliugin, CEO of KMZ Zenit.
 
“Zenit and Leica cooperation forms a unique alliance between long-term experience in optics manufacturing and modern technologies of Russia and Germany. With this project we for the first time declare launch of world famous Russian brand Zenit into the new segment of photography equipment market,” said Alexey Patrikeyev, CEO of Shvabe.
Zenit M will be available from December 2018 in Europe and from January 2019 in Russia at both Zenit’s online store and selected photo shops.
“On purchasing the camera and the lens the users will get not only a high-quality device with elaborate ergonomic design and high optical characteristics, but a really smart camera which will provide high image quality,” reported Vadim Kaliugin, CEO of KMZ Zenit.
 
At Photokina 2018 Shvabe also presents the whole line of Zenitar and Helios lenses manufactured by KMZ Zenit as well as historic models of SLR and rangefinder cameras. This exposition is also completed with products of another Shvabe enterprise, LZOS. Along with other showpieces the leading manufacturer of space and astronomy optics demonstrates mirror-meniscous telescopic photo lens MC Rubinar-10/1000 with high light transmission and image contrast.

[Robert M Poole]

I find this story much more interesting than the L-Mount story released yesterday. I don't really know why but I really fancy getting one of these! 

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[dkCambridgeshire]

Very interesting … Can we also expect some Zenitar long focus SL lenses?

 

dunk 

[maitoparta]

Price? If reasonable, then would for sure buy one instead of Leica.

[Stuart Richardson]

Always nice to see a new camera. It is not totally clear though, is this an interchangeable lens camera, or is the 35mm fixed on there? It says that the camera is equipped with the 35mm f1 lens, not that it is available as a kit or released at the same time...

[Rona!d]

If you buy this beautiful russian camera you have to consider it might need a service (remember Leica issues). Not sure how they will organize that worldwide.

Designwise I like it very much. Somehow they found the old Zeiss M Digital plans ;-)

[Viv]

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Always nice to see a new camera. It is not totally clear though, is this an interchangeable lens camera, or is the 35mm fixed on there? It says that the camera is equipped with the 35mm f1 lens, not that it is available as a kit or released at the same time...

 

My question too.

[dkCambridgeshire]

Always nice to see a new camera. It is not totally clear though, is this an interchangeable lens camera, or is the 35mm fixed on there? It says that the camera is equipped with the 35mm f1 lens, not that it is available as a kit or released at the same time...

 

 

My question too.

 

 

 

Lens bezel: ZENITAR 1/35 M-MOUNT … thus It's 'M Mount'… an interchangeable lens digital rangefinder based on M240   

 

dunk 

Edited September 26, 2018 by dkCambridgeshire

[MackThePen]

The lens states 'M-mount', so presumably interchangeable, and compatible with all other M-mount lenses.

[Robert M Poole]

Might mean some nice new m mount lenses. I love my Helios 44-2

[Dannybuoy]

Always nice to see a new camera. It is not totally clear though, is this an interchangeable lens camera, or is the 35mm fixed on there? It says that the camera is equipped with the 35mm f1 lens, not that it is available as a kit or released at the same time...

I'm guessing it's interchangeable as it's based on the M mount. So they wouldn't call it an M if you couldn't actually use the mount for other M lenses. 

[MarkP]

 

 

Very interesting … Can we also expect some Zenitar long focus SL lenses?

 

dunk 

Dunk, you're so predictable... :-)

[hborowski]

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zenit-and-leica-present-joint-production-camera-807533135.html

[zeitz]

This is the only interesting Leica news from Photokina.  I hope there is a website soon for world-wide pre-orders.  We don't have any meaningful Leica repair support in the US anyway.  DHL / FedEx / UPS deliver almost anywhere in the world in the same time it takes to get a package to New Jersey.  (Shipping price is different of course.)

[dkCambridgeshire]

I wonder which sensor the camera uses?

 

Russian?  Original M240?  Other? 

 

And does Zenit have the capacity to match the likely high demand for the 35/1 lens?   

 

Maybe ask the Lomo shop in Carnaby St if they're accepting advance orders? 

 

dunk  

Edited September 26, 2018 by dkCambridgeshire

[Alberti]

Interesting development. The KMZ plant has made some very nice glass.

I dropped and resold  older Jupiter 3, 8 LTM (M39) lenses due to hard-to-focus issues on our western-standard M-bodies, but optically they were very nice. Was considering Contax mount, but if KMZ will now make native true M-mounts - I will ponder these instead - a fit for a low-end guy like me. 

I looked at the Zenitar 50mm f/1.2 in full frame (Kodak DSLR camera bayonet) looks gives great results. Mandler revisited! At 1200 grams (really) in 2016 a tank that will bog anyone down in action. 

 

albert

[barcoder]

Begin quote:

 

“The new lenses will be manufactured according to the new quality standards of Leica, while preserving the artistic aesthetic, unobtrusive characteristic of the objectives of the factory KMZ”, said to AFP the press service of Shvabé, stating that the purchase price of the new device would be located between 5000 and 6000 euros (between 5700 and 6800 francs).

 

End quote

 

Source

https://sivtelegram.media/leica-brought-back-the-legendary-zenit/47479/

[newnew]

I will be waiting for the monochrome version ... hopefully it should be way cheaper !!!

[kimaldis]

This sounds to me very much like the old Zorki. One of which I had back in the 70s. I don't know the price on this one but the Zorki was stupidly cheap and came with a pin sharp lens. I was working on building sites at the time, gutting terraced houses for flat conversion. I carried a Zorki in an open hip holster for about a year, photographing the guys I was working with. If you can pull ceilings down over a camera for a year and still have it work you know it's not a bad one.

 

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Hallo,

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[rpittal]

35mm f/1 certainly sounds interesting! Especially if "unobtrusive!" But at 5 to 6kEuro (just for the lens?) and if only sold as a "kit," the package cost would not be that low as a starter Leica.