It may be a dumb question to ask but I for one will love to see a digital serious compact done by Russian camera makers. Fact is, the former USSR had a long history of camera making. At least the books say so. From 1932 to 1990, there had been quite a number of camera brands in USSR. Their logos are displayed in the following image.
Russia may not need to build back its consumer-camera industry from scratch. OEM products are not a new thing. If Ricoh can buy Sony's sensors and Nikon supplies its camera bodies to others, Russian cameras can follow this beaten track of development.
Why Russian cameras? I think the mysterious fanciful history of the former USSR will arouse a great deal of interest in Russia's cameras. There are just too many cool USSR cameras with sort of a sexy period outlook. If the right amount of investment is made in buying the right sensors and optics, the Russian makers can revive the glorious past of the USSR in, well, the cameras.
Or will the Chinese chew up the Russian brand names and produce Russian cameras with a Made in China tag? Some of the sexy USSR cameras:
Chaika-3, 1971-1973. Feature: Settings are made on the top plate--
KIEV-35M, c1990. Feature: Front cover folds down to switch the camera on -
KIEV-5, c 1967 – 1973. Feature: This one is equipped with the extraordinarily rare ultra high speed REKORD-4 f0.9/52mm lens -
Oh, or are they ugly to you?
Comments
I would love to see a digital Russian camera as I do collect a few Soviet era film jobs, I was on line now looking to see if a digital model exists, guess you answered my question lol