[Leica] Leica Sigma, Panasonic. ( SL Mount cameras and lenses)

[Paul Roark]

The L-Mount alliance sounds like a great idea.  I currently use the Sony
a7rii (42 mp) with Leica-M lenses, but I have to work through a third
party, adjustable mount, which is not easy to optimize for the correct
infinity stop and has no electronics that allow communications between the
body and lens.  I am only interested in manual focus, so it works fine for
me, though I do miss the lens information encoding.  Obviously AF would not
work with my system.  Also, not all Leica M lenses are suitable for the
Sony due to ray angle.  Getting rid of the issues I have faced should open
up the basic concept I've implemented to a much larger audience.  I hope it
works for the participants.

BTW, I was a long-time Canon shooter who, as it turned out, was in denial
about how good Leica glass was until Tina M. and I compared the images of a
couple of our lenses at one of the Golden Trout Workshops in the Sierras.
Thank you Tina (and Leica)!

Paul
www.PaulRoark.com

On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 8:47 PM Frank Filippone <red735i at verizon.net> wrote:

> L-Mount Alliance: Strategic cooperation between Leica Camera, Panasonic
> and Sigma
>
> One day before the official launch of photokina 2018, Leica Camera AG,
> Panasonic and Sigma announced a strategic partnership at the company's
> press conference. The "L-Mount Alliance" is an unprecedented way of working
> together and will be particularly beneficial to the customers of the three
> companies. It allows Panasonic and Sigma to use the L-mount standard
> developed by Leica for their own developments and thus also offer cameras
> and optics with this lens mount. Through the joint efforts of the three
> partners, the alliance will significantly contribute to the importance of
> the L-Mount standard for the world of photography
>
> Due to their numerous interchangeable components, system cameras allow a
> very flexible use and can be individually configured according to
> requirements. The bayonet is the most important interface, as the lens has
> a significant impact on the imaging performance and therefore on the final
> image quality. The strategic partnership between Leica, Panasonic and Sigma
> will allow customers to use a wider range of cameras and lenses in the
> future without compromising on so far to have to specify individual
> manufacturers, because they use propriety bayonets.
>
> Dr. Andreas Kaufmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and majority
> shareholder, Leica Camera AG: "Photographers are extremely important for
> their chosen camera system. Particularly in the increasingly growing market
> for mirrorless system cameras, there is an ever-increasing variety of
> different requirements on the part of the users. In order to be able to
> meet these requirements at short notice, we have decided to work together
> with renowned partners from the photographic industry.
> With
>
> Panasonic associates us with many years of partnership and trusting
> cooperation and their expertise in electronics is undisputed. Sigma is also
> a respected company, which has established itself particularly in the field
> of optical development and can offer a perfect complement to our existing
> L-Mount portfolio with its innovative products , We believe that together
> with our partners, we can achieve mutual and sustainable growth for all our
> products. "
>
> Mr. Tetsuro Homma, Senior Managing Executive Officer, Panasonic
> Corporation, said: "Panasonic's focus has always been to revolutionize the
> camera market and make photographers' lives easier, more advanced, and more
> enjoyable. Our long-standing partnership with Leica has resulted in
> numerous high-performance, high-end digital cameras, combining Leica's
> leading optical technology with Panasonic's digital technologies. This
> partnership has enabled us to drive the development of excellent digital
> photography products. The L-Mount alliance with Leica and Sigma is a prime
> example of the power of our collaboration. This alliance of strong
> companies will fundamentally change the future of the photography industry.
> As a market challenger we always have the slogan 'Changing Photography'
> Driving innovation to meet the high expectations of professional
> photographers. Our partnership with Leica and Sigma will open up additional
> business opportunities for our companies, but above all, it will continue
> to delight our customers in photography. "
>
> Mr.Kazuto Yamaki, Chief Executive Officer, SIGMACorporation: "As cameras
> evolve toward digital and mirrorless, user and system requirements have
> also changed. Currently, there is an almost overwhelming choice of
> different systems that, however, do not yet meet all the needs of users,
> especially in terms of extensibility and flexibility. SIGMA joins this
> alliance to develop mirrorless cameras that benefit from the short run. As
> SIGMA seeks to develop high-quality and innovative high-performance
> products, this alliance will greatly enhance both the implementation and
> expandability of our camera system, significantly increasing the value to
> our customers. Leica is a great company and has been a major influence on
> photography for more than 100 years, and Panasonic is due to it proven
> developments market leader in many different areas. Combined with SIGMA's
> high quality, high performance and unique products, the L-Mount will become
> an extremely attractive system for potential users. "
>
> About the L-Mount
>
> The L-Mount has been designed by Leica Camera to provide customers with a
> future-proof, flexible, rugged and precise bayonet that will meet even the
> most demanding photographic needs Leica T, the L-mount has been
> continuously developed by Leica Camera and its partners, resulting in an
> improved and quasi-new L-mount technology.
>
> For the widest possible variety of products, the diameter of the L-mount
> was dimensioned at 51.6 millimeters, making it suitable not only for
> full-frame cameras but also for APS-C sensors. The small footprint of only
> 20 millimeters allows for a small distance between optics and sensor,
> making lenses much more compact - particularly useful for wide angle
> development. To withstand even the heaviest loads and to guarantee maximum
> safety for customers over many years of intensive use, camera bayonets
> become wear resistant Stainless steel and with four flange segments, which
> prevents tilting and ensures a particularly firm and flat fit of the lens.
> The standardized L-Mount contact strip ensures smooth communication between
> the electronic components in the lens and the camera, including the
> possibility of firmware updates for lenses, in order to react to technical
> developments and thus ensure full performance in the future.
>
> Currently, the Leica SL system in full format and the APS system with
> camera models Leica CL, TL2 and TLde use the lens mount. All the optics of
> the different systems can be operated without restrictions and without
> adapters on all cameras - here is already one of the many advantages that
> customers have through the unified bayonet.In the near future, both the
> Leica CameraAG, as well as Panasonic and Sigma announce other products
> using the same standard.
> Frank Filippone Red735i at verizon.net
>
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