NEWS: Samsung NX Lens Manufacturer - OPTRON-TEC

Is there anything else known about the history and expertise of that company?

There have been big changes in that company recently. Split off and a merger

http://www.reuters.com/finance/stocks/keyDevelopments?symbol=082210.KQ&pn=2

Could have to do with a new role in lens production and a contract with Samsung. They were busy with optical elements for some time.

I don't think Samsung goes on the cheap with this. More likely lens designs from other sources produced in this company with control from Samsung and the lens designers. Schneider Kreuznach is a likely candidate for the last. Don't underestimate Schneider Kreuznach, if it allows a license on some of their Digitar designs you couldn't have a better source for NX primes.

We don't know half of what goes on in lens manufacturing and design. Korea had more surprises in lens manufacturing in the past and more recently the 85 mm 1.4 Polar lens from Samyang showed good quality at an affordable price.

ihkim wrote:

OPTRON-TEC announced that they contracted with Samsung Imaging to provide lenses exclusively for Samsung Hybrid Camera system on July 9.

What's your interpretation of the original Korean text, which way exclusive is it? Optron-Tec will provide lenses to Samsung NX only OR Samsung will buy lenses for NX from Optron-Tec only?

IIRC, doesn't Optron make those fairly inexpensive F8 500mm & 1000MM telephoto lenses you see on e-bay? (I only look at the lens section for Pentax)

I don't suppose it means too much as most manufacturers make lenses at different grades of quality. The question will be how much Samsung is making the NX to fit a price point.

Optron-tec makes most of the lenses for Samsung's p&s compacts, labeled with "Samsung lens". They have got the deal of manufacturing lenses for the NX-system that will be sold under the Samsung-label. Samsung does not have their own manufacturing of lenses.

Now, it is not clear who has designed the lenses. It is not mentioned in the article.

But the lenses for the Samsung NX system is exclusively for the Samsung NX to be sold as Samsung lenses.

Roland Mabo wrote:

Optron-tec makes most of the lenses for Samsung's p&s compacts, labeled with "Samsung lens". They have got the deal of manufacturing lenses for the NX-system that will be sold under the Samsung-label. Samsung does not have their own manufacturing of lenses.

Now, it is not clear who has designed the lenses. It is not mentioned in the article.

But the lenses for the Samsung NX system is exclusively for the Samsung NX to be sold as Samsung lenses.

Does Schneider still employ lens designers or are they content with licensing their name to Samsung (and Kodak, I think?). If they still do, then it might be the case that Schneider designs lenses, Optron-tec will handle mass-production, and Samsung pays for both. It's a very workable solution, but I would hope that Samsung bank on the Schneider name somehow (much like how Panasonic used the Leica branding before), since that's the best known name when it comes to lenses among the three (Samsung, Optron-tec, Schneider).

it's just the company that owns the plant where the lenses are going to be made.

You never know where a product branded Canon/Nikon/Olympus/Panasonic really comes from, either.

It sounds like the partnership with Pentax is fragile...

Noisy Cameras duly reported the actual news on Optron-Tec, and then added their own -Opinionated Questions- to the mix.

http://www.1001noisycameras.com/2009/07/samsung-nxseries-revelation-optrontec-is-the-exclusive-lens-provider.html

They should be ashamed of themselves for starting a rumor inadvertantly, because Google just grabs text for a search, no matter from which portion of the post.

And of course you can count on the fanboy troglodytes on Pentax Forum to continue to misquote it.

Roland Mabo wrote:

Optron-tec makes most of the lenses for Samsung's p&s compacts, labeled with "Samsung lens". They have got the deal of manufacturing lenses for the NX-system that will be sold under the Samsung-label. Samsung does not have their own manufacturing of lenses.

Now, it is not clear who has designed the lenses. It is not mentioned in the article.

But the lenses for the Samsung NX system is exclusively for the Samsung NX to be sold as Samsung lenses.

Thank you for an intelligent clarification. Optron-Tec is a listed company in Japan, and was not someone standing in the street with a -will make lenses for food- signboard.

In the earlier Samsung interview, they said that the NX System would be -open- to third-party; whereas 4/3 is quite exclusive.

Noisy Cameras ignorantly posted when they called an -opinionated question- or two, and a Google search picks it up - if the person had been smart enough to research Optron-Tec, and smart enough also to realize that Google would pick up his words in whatever context he meant them, this would just be a piece of news; and no more.

An extract from the DPREVIEW interview:

So is this something that you're developing completely independently of Pentax?

Yes. The lenses, sensor, processor, display - everything comes from Samsung.

So there won't be a Pentax version?

At some point maybe we'll collaborate - but not only with Pentax. To fully develop this kind of product we'll need a lot of collaboration with other industries in general terms, so there are lots of partners we have, but the majority comes from Samsung, all coordinated by Samsung, all done by Samsung.

I presume you intend to open the system to third party lens manufacturers?

Certainly. Once we've succeeded with this format that is our intention. We will open our system and license it to others.

To body manufacturers as well?

Yes, sure.

roblarosa wrote:

stdr wrote:

You never know where a product branded Canon/Nikon/Olympus/Panasonic really > comes from, either.

Ahh, wrong.

Why wrong?

Many products sold by those brands (well, most brands)  are not made in house.

In fact I am about to post a hint on another thread...

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4656263#forum-post-66280193

BTW, this is nothing new.