Rumor: "Voigtlander is considering to start a new line of digital cameras"

I really can't see how Voigtlander could fit into the digital marketplace, beyond making lenses. With the film rangefinders, they rode a 10 year window in a very small niche. I would think the best they could do in digital would be to rebrand someone else's digital camera...which would lead nowhere. They certainly aren't going to offer a digital camera with an optical rangefinder.
 
WHAT Voigtländer? The company itself has been gone for 50 years, and so have all successors that took over (Zeiss Ikon, Rollei, the Mandler imperium). Today, it is a empty trademark owned by the largest cooperative of independent German camera dealers (Ringfoto) who have frequently used it within Germany as their house brand, mostly for cheap point-and-shoots, digital picture frames and the like, and have leased its use for higher-end gear to Cosina. If it is not a Cosina Voigtländer, a new digital "Voigtländer" would simply be yet another sub 100€ point and shoot.
 
sevo said:
WHAT Voigtländer? The company itself has been gone for 50 years, and so have all successors that took over (Zeiss Ikon, Rollei, the Mandler imperium). Today, it is a empty trademark owned by the largest cooperative of independent German camera dealers (Ringfoto) who have frequently used it within Germany as their house brand, mostly for cheap point-and-shoots, digital picture frames and the like, and have leased its use for higher-end gear to Cosina.
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Relax... around these parts, we consider Cosina to be Voigtlander at this point.
 
sevo said:
WHAT Voigtländer? The company itself has been gone for 50 years, and so have all successors that took over (Zeiss Ikon, Rollei, the Mandler imperium). Today, it is a empty trademark owned by the largest cooperative of independent German camera dealers (Ringfoto) who have frequently used it within Germany as their house brand, mostly for cheap point-and-shoots, digital picture frames and the like, and have leased its use for higher-end gear to Cosina.
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That is a very good point. Does the rumour refer then to Cosina making a DRF, or to someone else with the Voigtländer name on it? If it would use a ZI or RxM rangefinder I would take it seriously, whereas I'm not so sure otherwise.

PS: I find it somewhat amusing that the eBay automatic translator, which I can not figure out how to turn off, calls this brand "voigt pays". Note that I use ebay.fr. On an anglophone version of the site do you get "voigt countries"?
 
this can hopefully be very good news, and would almost certainly involve some kind of digi rangefinder. as the rumor itslf points out, CV was involved in joining with epson to put out the rd1--still my 'go to'! and it would be the perfect vehicle on which to put their lenses! yup, could be really good news.
 
R-D2 is coming ? :)

jsrockit said:
And an announcement tomorrow (of course could be unrelated)?

http://www.mirrorlessrumors.com/voigtlander-announcement-tomorrow/
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If not the R-D2, FE lenses would be great.

sevo said:
WHAT Voigtländer? The company itself has been gone for 50 years, and so have all successors that took over (Zeiss Ikon, Rollei, the Mandler imperium). Today, it is a empty trademark owned by the largest cooperative of independent German camera dealers (Ringfoto) who have frequently used it within Germany as their house brand, mostly for cheap point-and-shoots, digital picture frames and the like, and have leased its use for higher-end gear to Cosina. If it is not a Cosina Voigtländer, a new digital "Voigtländer" would simply be yet another sub 100€ point and shoot.
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Point & shot market is almost dead. No company would get into that now.
 
jsrockit said:
Relax... around these parts, we consider Cosina to be Voigtlander at this point.
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We indeed do, however the article from Photorumors does not, some of the digital cameras they reference are not from Cosina.

The Cosina RF products did perhaps need a distinct brand, but new Asian brand names now stand on their own. Even impossible names like Xiaomi and Huawei are now considered hip. It might be time for Cosina to emerge from behind the curtain? :)
 
We can all only hope for a DRF. Doubt it though. It's probably new lens lines.

Mabye though. Think of that Bessa production line all set up and not producing anything.
Modify it for one quick blast of RD1's with later sensors and procecessors. It could be another cult classic.

Someone here knows and they aren't telling :p

(it's not me)
 
olakiril said:
Point & shot market is almost dead. No company would get into that now.
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It is not a company, but a dealers association, and they don't make things, they merely put their house brand on them. There still are market segments where there are buyers for bottom end point-and-shoots, for example those too old to own a mobile, let alone a smart phone...
 
f16sunshine said:
We can all only hope for a DRF. Doubt it though. It's probably new lens lines.

Mabye though. Think of that Bessa production line all set up and not producing anything.
Modify it for one quick blast of RD1's with later sensors and procecessors. It could be another cult classic.

Someone here knows and they aren't telling :p

(it's not me)
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I can think of at least two that know and are not telling hehe.
 
photomoof said:
We indeed do, however the article from Photorumors does not, some of the digital cameras they reference are not from Cosina.
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Oh, I get that. I was just saying that when we speak of Voigtlander here, it would not be the low end P&S / photo frame Voigtlander. However, as far as the rumor goes, we don't know which one we will get.
 
A relatively inexpensive digital M would be welcome. I'm not going to be snotty about who makes it; I just want someone to make it.
 
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