Sinar now wholly owned by Jenoptik...

[johnastovall]

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Coming now just six months after Leica's failed attempt to by Sinar, Jenoptik announces they have now bought Sinar.

 

I wonder if this will have any impact on future relations between Jenoptik and Leica?

[woodyspedden]

It is very interesting to me that the new Sinar CEO is Wolfgang Keller, who was COO at Leica AG!

 

Woody

[adan]

We need a program - ya can't tell the players without a program!

 

So Jenoptik buys the other half of Sinar, which is marketing a rebranded version of the Rollei (now once again Franck & Heidecke) Hy6, which is supposed to be an "open" 6x6/6x4.5 MF system that will shoot film, or digital using anyone's digital back, except that Jenoptik does digital so may have its own proprietary digital back competing with others for use on the Hy6 eventually...

 

,,,and we haven't even mentioned Leica yet, which may, emphasize "may", be doing the "unexpected" with regard to the R system and digital (to quote a Leica source). I.E. don't "assume" a 35mm-shaped sensor in the R10 - it may be, or then again it may be a semi-MF square chip - or something else altogether.

 

So Jenoptik/Sinar might be in competition with Leica and pull a 'blad/Imacon bailout - or the difference in size between the Hy6 format and anything R lenses can cover may be large enough that they coexist peacefully - or Leica may start designing lenses for the Sinar Hy6 in exchange for continued digital cooperation...

[ho_co]

There was always the question in the company when I worked there, "Is there life after Leitz?"

 

Good to see Herr Keller make the transition!

 

And Andy, your speculation sounds like a renewal of the days when there was fairly free exchange of personnel between Leitz and Zeiss (and probably other pillars of the German photo industry as well).

 

Could be a very interesting rebirth here of some companies previously thought gone.

 

--HC