When did Kyocera/Contax EVER produce, or even intend to produce, MF sensors?? If that was their plan, it is no wonder they folded. I sincerely doubt it. The ONLY sensor Contax ever used was a 24x36 6mp Dalsa sensor in the N Digital. The story you were told doesn't ring true to my ears, nor does it seem to be consistent with the apparent Contax situation.
netexpress wrote:
I was also told that Canon purchased the lithography and related chip production hardware from Kyocera / Contax with the intention of producing MF sensors for themselves after Contax gave up on the idea. I haven’t verified this purchase. It would be interesting if it were true.
Lotusm50 wrote:
When did Kyocera/Contax EVER produce, or even intend to produce, MF sensors?? If that was their plan, it is no wonder they folded. I sincerely doubt it. The ONLY sensor Contax ever used was a 24x36 6mp Dalsa sensor in the N Digital. The story you were told doesn't ring true to my ears, nor does it seem to be consistent with the apparent Contax situation.
I was able to confirm that Kyocera/Contax is active in photo lithography development via trade journals. That's not surprising for a company of their size and scope. But I haven't found anything yet about a plan to produce medium format sensors before they folded. However, I'm not sure that information would be public. Unfortunately their financials are not very informative. US companies disclose much more about their activities.
Keep in mind this is a *rumor* thread! We’re talking about everything from Elvis to Area 51 here So if you've heard it someplace - that's good enough for me
netexpress wrote:
I was able to confirm that Kyocera/Contax is active in photo lithography development via trade journals. That's not surprising for a company of their size and scope. But I haven't found anything yet about a plan to produce medium format sensors before they folded. However, I'm not sure that information would be public.
References, references! What journals, what issues? Do you have copies of articles? While it has been clear for a while that they have been developing CCD sensors for cell phone cameras, I heard nothing about them producing sensors for still cameras -- either P&S digicams, fullframe or medium format. As far as I know they weren't even using their own sensors in their P&S's. It is inconceivable that the investment required for them to produce MF sensors could ever have been recouped through Contax 645 sales -- no matter how rosy their forecasts might have been. With 3 or 4 different options to source these sensors externally it would have been a difficult sales to the money guys internally. It's hard for me to see them taking that high risk investment course, and then taking the extermely conservative, risk-averse decision to fold Contax. I'd love to see the articles/references on this as it might help me unravel Kyocera's actions over the past few years and figure out what, exactly, they were thinking.
If the Contax makes a comeback with their digital or if anyone picks up where Contax left off with their mount, I can assure you there will be a Canon firesale happening on the Buy & Sell forum... everything with a red line and all big black bodies go out the door as soon as I can pack 'em
Please lord... let there be a Contax Digital reincarnation..... that and world peace
Lotusm50 wrote:
References, references! What journals, what issues? Do you have copies of articles? While it has been clear for a while that they have been developing CCD sensors for cell phone cameras, I heard nothing about them producing sensors for still cameras -- either P&S digicams, fullframe or medium format. As far as I know they weren't even using their own sensors in their P&S's. It is inconceivable that the investment required for them to produce MF sensors could ever have been recouped through Contax 645 sales -- no matter how rosy their forecasts might have been. With 3 or 4 different options to source these sensors externally it would have been a difficult sales to the money guys internally. It's hard for me to see them taking that high risk investment course, and then taking the extermely conservative, risk-averse decision to fold Contax. I'd love to see the articles/references on this as it might help me unravel Kyocera's actions over the past few years and figure out what, exactly, they were thinking....Show more →
Kyocera seems like a hard company to research. Not only do they not supply thorough annual financial statements like US Corporations do to the SEC but they also have what they call an amebic corporate structure where the company is split into entirely autonomous units that are allowed to compete with one another. This makes information very opaque.
They have a lot of information on their global WWW site: http://global.kyocera.com/
Under their product section they list lithography and also both CCD and CMOS sensors.
Their Investor relation section has a lot of information: http://global.kyocera.com/ir/financial/annual_r.html
But unlike US corporations that are filled with information about competitive risks and footnotes about sales of assets these look like glossy sales brochures. But if you want to read all their statements for the past five years, which is what I generally do, you may find what you are looking for. The Contax group was under the “Optical Instruments Group” which was part of the “Equipment Group” which made up about 50% of total revenue. So far doing some reading it seems clear they lost a lot of money on Contax and they made the proper strategic decision to cut out the consumer optical products and instead focus on the profitable industrial applications of optical products. So I wouldn’t look for them to do anything with Contax in the future themselves.
I think if you really want to get to the bottom of this your best bet is to call their investor relations department. That is how I’ve gotten the most information in the past on topics like this. You could ask them for complete financials and disposition of assets related to the optical group circa 2004 – 2005.
Restructuring activities
In fiscal 2005, Kyocera recorded ¥7,369 million ($69 million) of
restructuring costs which consisted of ¥6,866 million ($64
million) related to the structural reform of Optical Equipment
Group and ¥503 million ($5 million) related to the reform of
Telecommunications Equipment Group.
Structural reform in Optical Equipment Group was focused
on downsizing the camera business. Since the acquisition of
Yashica Co., Ltd. in 1983, Kyocera has advanced its optical
instruments business centered on the camera business under
the CONTAX, KYOCERA and YASHICA brands. With the shift
from still to digital cameras in the camera market in 2004,
Kyocera pushed ahead with the production and sale of digital
cameras best suited to consumer needs. The digital camera
market has expanded considerably on a global scale, however,
and because the optical instruments business was unable to
achieve sufficient cost reductions to counter the ensuing
intense cost competition with competitors, it was forced into a
difficult business situation. As a result of extensive
investigation into how to effectively utilize management
resources under the policies of “business selection and
concentration” and “high-value-added diversification,” Kyocera
decided to significantly downsize Optical Equipment Group in
fiscal 2005.
Business Outlook and Strategy
New emphasis on optical components to
improve profitability rapidly
Kyocera’s main challenge in this segment is
to improve profitability as quickly as possible
by concentrating on areas in which we
can best generate value. In line with this
goal, Kyocera has decided to shift this segment’s
business resources away from consumer
products. In effectively exiting the
consumer camera market, Kyocera will
concentrate its accumulated optical technologies
to expand its business as a supplier
of optical components.
During fiscal 2005, Kyocera combined
its lens, surface-mount-device and module
assembly technologies to begin producing
and supplying a 2-megapixel optical module
with a 2x optical zoom lens for mobile
phone handsets.
In fiscal 2006, Kyocera plans to
enhance its lineup of high-megapixel optical
modules for mobile phone handsets
and develop new optical components for
digital projectors and rear-projection televisions.
Production of optical modules is
also being shifted to China to yield more
cost-competitive products that can help
improve profitability rapidly.
OK! This may make more sense (or not). I re-grilled the original source of the rumor and according to him Canon purchased the tool and die equipment used to produce the Contax 645 camera bodies from Kyocera. They did not buy any digital sensor technology. This seems at least more consistent with the Kyocera’s disclosures regarding R&D on digital sensor technology i.e. they had no medium format digital sensor technology to sell.
Also if you are interested in generating rumors another great source of information is the Federal Communications Commissions (FCC) database of Grants of Equipment Authorization (Form 731). We have to search this sometimes to get the right codes to export electronics and sometimes I find the weirdest applications for devices listed by camera companies and sometimes you can get a glimpse of what they are going to release before they actually release it.
netexpress wrote:
OK! This may make more sense (or not). I re-grilled the original source of the rumor and according to him Canon purchased the tool and die equipment used to produce the Contax 645 camera bodies from Kyocera. They did not buy any digital sensor technology. This seems at least more consistent with the Kyocera’s disclosures regarding R&D on digital sensor technology i.e. they had no medium format digital sensor technology to sell.
There is a rumour circulating that Canon will be introducing a MF system with stitched 16+MP sensors producing 33MP 4:3 ratio, but this thread is for none Canon & Nikon rumours, so here is a link to an as yet unannounced new Zeiss ZA lens for the Sony Alpha
I talked to a Leicabeimeister rep. when I was in Berlin a couple of days ago.
Of course he said the digital M is coming. Will be about 10.9 mp according to him. Framelines will be from 24mm and up.
As for new R gear he said that there's nothing new. There will be some new 4/3 gear. I don't care to much about that though. If they would start making compact 4/3 cameras with Noctilux's I would care though.
I asked him about the future for the R system when Leica is starting a new SLR system and he couldn't say much about that. That made me a bit scared...
Superwide camera Zeiss Ikon SW
The Zeiss Ikon SW is an analogue camera without any focussing aid - the „SW“ stands for something like „super wide photography“ where exact focussing isn‘t as important since depth of field is huge:
The Zeiss Ikon SW is the 35mm precision camera for uncompromising superwide photographers. Its lens mount takes any lens with M bayonet, in particular the ZEISS high performance superwide-angle lenses Distagon T* 2,8/15mm ZM and the Biogon T* types from the ZEISS ZM range.
An accessory shoe directly above the lens takes the corresponding superwide viewfinder. A second shoe is built in to take a flash, a bubble level or other accessory.
The electronically controlled metal focal plane shutter offers speeds ranging from 1/2000 sec. – 8 sec. in automatic mode (AE-lock is available) and 1/2000 - 1 sec. + B in manual mode. Fastest flash synchro speed is 1/125 sec.
The Zeiss Ikon SW offers the same extremely high image quality as the known Zeiss Ikon rangefinder camera: far above today’s digital cameras. It is fully integrated into the Zeiss Ikon system. The Zeiss Ikon SW comes without the complex rangefinder and is therefore considerably more affordable than the rangefinder camera.
The Zeiss Ikon SW will be available as of October 2006.
List price is 799,00 € (without VAT)
This is not a rumor but a quote from Sigma Germany to a Sigma user by email.
"Photokina in Cologne
At booth B020/C020 in the new Hall 3.2 on the Cologne fair grounds,
we will present our latest new products, including the long-awaited digital single-lens reflex camera.
Lotusm50 wrote:
Now THAT'S a rumour! (Unlikley, I think, but stranger things have happened).
i am 100%ly sure that canon will bring a nice wide-angle lens to the market. and maybe a 50L. i am so sure because i have just bought an elmarit 19/2.8v2 on ebay and the purchase of cz 50/1.4 is less than one month old. it would be just typical.....
So if you've heard it someplace - that's good enough for me 
