Photokina 2018: Zenit and Leica collaborate on new 'M'

C'mon people, what are you all puzzled about? This is simple marketing scam (or should I say, an investment into future scams).

They pay Leica to put "Designed by Zenit in Russia" on German body, to simply gain credibility.
Now 6 month later, they can simply re-brand any made in China junk with Zenit name and voila, 300-400% profits guaranteed.

If you listen to the interview its pretty clear, they said it themselves, they want Zenit name to be known again and associated with quality, and thats the way to go.

To me, the only thing I see is that they can spell correctly, that is all. If they would have designed a rangefinder-M camera ala Konica, or Zeiss, then I would have some respect for them.

I love this, and I find it wonderfully poetic how they've gone full circle now. KMZ, the factory that made the classic Zenit cameras, initially produced locally copied Leica IIs, the Zorki (it's a ctually a bit more complicated than that, having started with the FED camera, but that would be a whole book...)

The first Zenit (and most subsequent models) was basically a Barnack Leica with a mirror box and prism added.

Personally, I would have liked they stayed with "Zorki" as that was the rangefinder line, while "Zenit" was the derived SLR line.

I guess "Zenit" is more recognizable though and that's why they went with.

One way or another... Super happy to see this, for all sorts of nostalgic reasons. Their glass was magical back in the day, absolute joy to shoot with. I hope they manage to bring that magic back!

Wow, so much crap comments here: anti-Russian, anti-Zenit, anti-Leica.

We had to learn Russian language long years and I'm thankful today for that, as I can read a lot of state of the art engineering documentation described nowhere as deep and good as in the Russian sources. I speak 5 languages so I know what I'm talking about.

I'm shooting photos 40 years and I was developing them myself for 20 years. The second camera I had was Zenit and thank to it I love photography still today. I do look back with a lot of emotions to those years. It never let my down and I developed positives of most of the negative frames I've shot. Can a lot folks tell this about today's computerized/AI pictures from their smart-cams?

If I could, I would design a full-frame full-manual camera. Classical, as Nikon F2 or Canon AE-1 or Zenit was. Leica is the only such camera, but it's too expensive for me, so any attempt to create something in the direction digital-manual-classical is very welcomed for me.

To all the naysayers: this is just a first step. To quote from the movie Casablanca: “this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship”.
Everybody would gain: Leica - by adding yet another cooperating partner; Zenit by coming back to life as a camera+lens producer and the average consumer with limited pocketchange.
I am eagerly waiting for a detailed, real life review.
And one more thing: don’t bring your biases into this. This is photography.

I just want to say that anything that brings a wider range of digital range finders compatible with the M-mount is a good thing. I would love to see an even cheaper knock-off, Leica made or not.

Possibly the weirdest photo link-up I've ever heard about! My first ever 35mm SLR was a Zenit E (re-branded "Prinzflex" by Wallace Heaton, of Bond Street). The very lowest of low-tech, albeit with a surprisingly good kit lens in the form of the Helios 58mm F2, manual preset stop-down lens. Thoughts of Leica were SO far away from potential reality, that I used my Zenit until finally I could afford to buy my Olympus OM-1D. The one I still have, with 4 prime Zuiko lenses and numerous attachments, but I digress.

In the Grand Scale of Things, where 0 was nothing, and 100 was perfection, Zenit was in the zone of 5 for the camera, perhaps 20 for the optics. Leica was as near 100 for either: in other words, extreme opposite ends of the quality spectrum.

So now they are LINKING UP?!

Think I need to pour a large glass of wine.

Brian

Why don't Leica create a partnership with Kodak, and sell a Kodak M10 designed by Trump for half the price of a M10??

They will sell every copy. 10 years after your A7iii bites the dust, these will be hardly brassed.

Why do brands that were always known for offering humble good value come back as premium fare for rich people?

It's like when you have a traditional tailor or shoe maker who a hundred years ago catered to the poor and who's products rich people would have rather died than worn, selling them for £1000 because of their fine hand crafted quality.

I wonder how long till we see stuff like Tupperware in Harrods.

Let us wish for a miracle that a digital Bessa R will exist and at a reachable price range.

Zenit and Leica are two opposite ends.
I would say they came together to 'make ends meet' lol

I used to love Russian RF cameras like the Fed, Kiev and Zorki, and don't mind the bubbles on the lenses that's the Russian quality made the image unique, I am not a pixel peeper and can't afford top of the line glasses...

Wait, Leica M 240 costs 6500€ body only;
and this is the same camera kitted with Zenitar 35mm F1.0 for ~4500€ ?!?!
What's going on here?

They should charge much more for this. After all it is a Leica special edition that not only is missing the red dot, it does not even have the name Leica on it! How cool is that?

I will carry it proudly while wearing my $1600 pre-scuffed sneakers from Neimans.
I hope Zenit makes a distressed version soon so I can get that too!!!

https://www.neimanmarcus.com/p/golden-goose-superstar-embellished-star-sneaker-prod201570113?ecid=NMCS__GooglePLA&utm_source=google_shopping&adpos=1o4&scid=scplpsku172310734&sc_intid=sku172310734&gclid=Cj0KCQjw_7HdBRDPARIsAN_ltcKwv1ByeqOSwTjexgXd9kTrAkOsE4bKTkrdUV6KajXayK_A7K6iJ34aAhlKEALw_wcB

Note, be careful when buying these sneakers. I bought one pair that looked too new and had to return it.

Few weeks ago I joked who will be next in a FF mirrorless race. Panasonic? Olympus? Kiev? And looked wha happened! tDon't tell me Practica is next!!! (I had one and loved it) Too many news in such short time. Did they all go crazy? The best time ever for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But what to buy???

They should have placed a big red star on it. Then in a year or so the could have released the MP version without the star for $500 more.

That looks like a seriously uncomfortable camera - very fat, sharp top edge, shutter button recessed on the top plate so your finger has to stretch backwards to press it, no grip at all, and probably slippery like a bar of soap in hot or wet conditions. Probably designed to sit in the glass cabinet of oligarchs but never get used.

well, might as well buy a leica since that price tag so much.

This is a truly bizarre case of rebranding. The Chinese make very poor quality rip-off copies of Land Rovers, branding them with a local name, but Leica are actually *giving away their genuine technology* and allowing a Russian brand name - associated with downmarket clunky and crude products - to be slapped on. Somehow, I can't imagine Land Rover building cars on their own production lines and shipping them to China with a LandWind badge. I can't wait for the Porsche-built Ford Mondeo 911.

I notice that the price is anything but Zenit... Surely a real Zenit should cost a quarter of a Leica? :)

From Russia with (Zenit) love...

This camera seems to be targeted at the fiercely nationalistic nouveau riche of Russia. I don't think they expect too many sales outside of that and probably don't need it either.

.
Obviously, these dumb marketers missed the major selling point of the Zenit / ЗЕНИТ cameras for us modern hipsters: the cool-looking and unusual Cyrillic inscriptions that would have stood out in this bland, Latin alphabet-infested world.

Нет кириллица, нет купить !

The funny thing is, it reminds me of a Kiev more than a Zenit or the Zorki the Zenits evolved from. That embossing on which the Zenit M writng sits looks just like the focus wheel housing on the Kiev. The slanted corners (how do you properly call that?) at the ends , well, Kiev rangefinders had them, later Zenits had them, while Zorki and earlier Zenits had Leica round ends.

The camera for Medvedev and for his friends as present from Medvedev. :))) Some cameras will be in private collections. I think it's all and nothing to discuss at all.

zenit has always been a cheap substitute for higher grade japanese and german equipment, miserable attempt to compete with western/eastern industry by copying most primitive examples with horrible build quality. I have an unused zenit with helios 55 f2 in my vintage camera collection, compared to the same aged pentax with smc takumar 55 1.8 it is just piece of cheap crap.

this sounds like April Fools' Day in September

It certainly looks very nice!

They should have engrave the top plate wity their old style engraving.
http://www.sovietcams.com/popup.php?ru=bS9tX2ltYWdlcy9hZG1pbi9mX2ltZ19wcmV2aWV3X3BvcHVwLnBocA==&show_big_img=1&m_images_id=8099

Lord knows I hate rangefinders.

The MAIN THING that we need to know. I've read in Russian news.
ZENIT M + ZENITAR 35/1.0 will be LIMITED edition camera in 500 pcs. with individual number for each copy for selling only in Russia and Europe. The price will be from 5000 till 6000 EURO. From interview of representative of Krasnogorsky Optical Mechanical Plant (KMZ) https://ria.ru/economy/20180926/1529359545.html?inj=1