Sony/Mamiya/Zeiss MF digital.

[Ken R]

There's a couple posts on the rumour sites about the possibility of a Mamiya 7 type medium format digital camera with the Sony 50MP sensor.
Depending on the price, I think a digital version of such a great camera could be pretty exciting.

One suggestion was it might be a fixed 35mm (Eqv) lens, but IMHO that would have to be pretty cheap to make it worth while.
I'm not sure how such a thing would compete against something like the 810 and a good 35mm lens unless it was a bit of a bargain.
Maybe less than 5K ?

Would you buy one ?

I am sure Sony can make one and sell one for $5k tomorrow if they wanted to. The technology is there. everything including a high quality EVF is VERY easy to implement in a MFDigital compact camera with Sony's 50mp sensor.

[ndevlin]

That rumour is my wildest photographic dream come true. I still take my Mamiya 6 out and fondle it lovingly every once in a while.  Best. Camera. Ever. (for me).  But then I remembered the Phase owns or has some major stake in Mamiya, and the dream turned to dust. Sony maybe??

- N.

[EinstStein]

Mamiya 6/7 have a well known focusing problem. The RF is not well sync with the lens. This seems a common problem with Japanese RFs, including the Konica 35mm. I got rid of all my non-Leica RF with inter changible lens. fujitsu's fixed lens RF  690 seemed fine, although I had neven happy with it.

Should be attractive if the new digital MF has fixed zoom lens, and make it mirrorless with EVF. I doubt you can find any satisfactory RF out of Leica.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

I wouldn't put to much interpretation in that rumor.

Clearly, such a camera could be built easily and would adapt to existing lenses. If it makes sense is another question, where I have doubts.

Best regards
Erik

I think the suggestion from the rumour site is that Sony will make the sensor, Mamiya the camera and Zeiss the lenses.
Happily ignoring the unicorns for a minute, I think a digital version of the 7II wouldn't be a great leap from what's already available from these companies.

[eronald]

Hi,

I wouldn't put to much interpretation in that rumor.

Clearly, such a camera could be built easily and would adapt to existing lenses. If it makes sense is another question, where I have doubts.

Best regards
Erik

I'm sure your doubts make sense
On the other hand, I think "digital rangefinder" is just another name for mirrorless ...

[hexx]

I would welcome such camera, but not with fixed lens. Interchangeable would make sense. I still use Mamiya 6 for it's portability pretty much on weekly basis.

They could squeeze all this tech into body of similar size. Sensor is smaller but you also need quite a lot of processing power for baby like this and somehow deal with heat produced by components. Battery could go into grip.

All they need is to release it with 3 lenses for start which would give you similar AoV (in 135 temrs) to: 28-50-90 - problem solved. And what would be nice cherry on top? Leaf shutter lenses

[EinstStein]

28-90mm or 24-75mm equivalent is definitely the sweet spot. With the help of on camera lens compensation, a zoom should be able to offer very similar image quality to primes. But the primes would still have strong advantage on the lens aperure. It will mean the image render in terms of out of focusing and selective focusing.

An EVF mirrorless medium format, with 6x7 sensor? Hmm, I can make a print the size of a football field!

[Lacunapratum]

Some say there'll be two.  And Sony has started to make curved sensors.  And lenses add a lot of $$ to system development.  So I am still hoping one of them is the Mamiya 7II with a curved Sony sensor and the old Mamiya 7 lens mount.  If there is another one with new Zeiss lenses, another body, and the same Sony sensor, even better.  But the Mamiya mount with the curved sensor and the old lenses would be for me.  Perhaps they'll put IS on it this time around?  Then there'd even be a sensible camera for the 210mm/8.  Just dreaming.   Those Mamiya 7 lenses don't need much of improvement .

[ndevlin]

As much it would be lovely to just have a digital Mamiya 6/7, that's not going to happen.  The focusing simply isn't precise enough for digital. If we get something, it will be clean-sheet, and essentially a MF mirrorless camera.  That, however, may be plenty good in its own right. 

On-sensor focusing and electronic first-curtain shutter would solve most of what ails MF digital. The results could be astonishing. Would be kind of a specialist amateur's camera, though, especially if fixed lens.  Still, we can dream.

- N.

[Lacunapratum]

 

[David Anderson]

The focusing simply isn't precise enough for digital.

Maybe with a hybrid EVF/ Rangefinder ?

I would be happy with manual lenses with some of the focus aids available now like focus peaking and live view.

[ndevlin]

I do think it more likely than not that Sony will eventually use this chip themselves. But there's no guarantee, bc their various arms seem quite separate from one another, and they seem quite content making money making chips for others.  Still, this is the crew who made the RX1. Someone at Sony has designs on weaponizing this amazing sensor in their own metal.  

Fingers crossed.

- N.

[ErikKaffehr]

Hi,

Sony is the largest vendor of image sensors in the world, by a wide margin. This also applies to CCD sensors.

So, making a sensor is probably seen as a business case and not necessarily connected to Sony's camera making business.

I would guess that making A7-type body and let the market deliver the lenses may make some sense.

Best regards
Erik

I do think it more likely than not that Sony will eventually use this chip themselves. But there's not guarantee, bc their various arms seem quite separate from one another, and they seem quite content making money making chips for others.  Still, this is the crew who made the RX1. Someone at Sony has designs on weaponizing this amazing sensor in their own metal. 

Fingers crossed.

- N.

[eronald]

One can make modest money from components, more money from complete systems - look at how much money Apple and Samsung are making from each iphone.

Edmund

[Chris Livsey]

One can make modest money from components, more money from complete systems - look at how much money Apple and Samsung are making from each iphone.

Edmund

Why does that argument not work with Phase One (components, mainly) and Hasselbald (until recently complete systems, mainly) ?

Yes I know what kind of components you mean but don't spoil the argument 

[hexx]

As much it would be lovely to just have a digital Mamiya 6/7, that's not going to happen.  The focusing simply isn't precise enough for digital. If we get something, it will be clean-sheet, and essentially a MF mirrorless camera.  That, however, may be plenty good in its own right. 

On-sensor focusing and electronic first-curtain shutter would solve most of what ails MF digital. The results could be astonishing. Would be kind of a specialist amateur's camera, though, especially if fixed lens.  Still, we can dream.

- N.

The rumor itself is quite strange, but if Zeiss is involved then there's a hoping that they would design lenses specifically for this sensor (or upcoming ones from the same breed) the same as they did with Loxia series. If I was reading the papers correctly, Zeiss designed them specifically for those sensors mentioning that there's quite thick layer on those sensors.
The size of M6/7 (Mamiya) could easily house large EVF and enough processing power (50mp is huge amount of data) and large battery to feed all the juice.
Me personally, I would prefer interchangeable system. After all, this isn't film and investing in fixed-lens digital medium format would be quite hard to justify, can do that with APS-C that are less than £1000 but MF would be probably north from £5000.