“My name is Bob” starts the latest News update from Konost, the fabled M-mount rangefinder that has had us titivated for the past couple of years. There’s a leaked picture here, a few tidbits of info there, a cryptic comment to suit every occasion. But we have been left wondering who is behind Konost. There have even been suggestions that Leica is involved although this is totally without foundation.
Bob Lian, now named himself for the first time, has explained some of the background to Konost and indicated that a production version will be available towards the end of 2017. He says he is an MBA student at Duke University (Fuqua) in North Carolina and has even used the Konost project as a case study. He has received a lot of support from the academic community and has managed to capture a small amount of VC investment — enough to get by, as he puts it. His team includes Allen Jiang, Michelle Jiang and Jason Lee, each specialising in a different aspect of design, manufacture and marketing.
The specification of the rangefinder certainly sounds interesting. The camera will feature a custom 20/24MP CMOS sensor and a mechanical rangefinder. Earlier there had been hints at a hybrid optical/digital finder but I can find no direct reference to this in the latest announcement. It is something that I am sure Leica has been looking at but, clearly, the technical problems are huge. However, In addition to the rangefinder, the team claims to be working on a full-frame mirrorless camera.
Bob Lian goes on to say that his vision had always been to make “affordable digital rangefinders for consumers… who could not afford other systems on the market, and to share with people the beauty and experience of simple photography.”
I really do not know what to make of all this. Is it simply a design project, a business model, or does it stand a real chance of coming to fruition? It is certainly an interesting project and I hope it can succeed. There is tremendous interest in rangefinders and another contender, especially at a lower entry point, would even be good for Leica — not to mention the market for M-mount lenses in general.
I’m sure Bob has many hurdles to overcome, not least the need to establish a small-scale manufacturing system that can produce the required quality at a price lower than Leica. We have a lot to look forward to in 2017.
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This has all the hallmarks of a Kickstarter project — some good visuals, an attractive product — including a pre-order form and an obviously enthusiastic team. But the journey between concept and, even, prototype cameras and an actual production version is long and hard. The rangefinder mechanism is notoriously difficult to make and very expensive. I once heard that it adds at least $750 or $1000 to the cost of every camera because of the precision and manual involvement. I agree with Elderin that it is difficult to imagine the production Konost costing less than $3000 or, more likely, $4000. At these levels the Konost will have to have a convincing lead in technology and ability to persuade Leica owners to switch. I suppose there would be a market for a "second body" or, perhaps, as a cheap way into rangefinders for people who can’t afford a Lieca. But this is unlikely in my view. It is, after all, just a body and impecuneous buyers will be faced with speding a good few dollars more on a lens or two — even if they choose Voigtländer or vintage stuff. I tend to agree with Mike that I wish to team well. But I do worry that the camera could never make it to market.
Being late is never a good thing and i thought this camera would be available end of this year, not next year. By that time you can get a used M 240 for less than this camera will set you back (i am pretty shure, that they will not be able to produce it for less than 3000 USD, more likely around 4000 USD).
I wonder who will buy that Konost camera then, when you can get the supreme service of Leica and be safe and good.
I was really interested in the Konost in the past. But that was before I was able to buy a Leica rangefinder 🙂
If it ever does hit the market it will have to have some unique features (which I don’t immediately see) or be much cheaper than Leica — certainly under £3,000 for a body. Even then, there will be a big after-market and warranty commitment requiring really serious funding. We will have to see.
Having been involved with a project that started to become vague about its mission following setbacks and the ravages of OFT, I would suggest that this project has now slipped into a state known as ‘steamware’…
… Like vapourware but still making some noise.
I suspect you have a good point.