Freefly Joins the L-Mount Alliance
Freefly has joined the L-mount alliance, becoming the 11th company to do so since it became a standard back in 2018.
The alliance consists of founding members Leica, Sigma, and Panasonic, as well as Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH, DJI, Astro Design, LK Samyang, Blackmagic Design, Sirui, Viltrox, and now Freefly.
Freefly is perhaps best known for its MoVI system, as it was the first largely successful camera stabilization gimbal to hit the market back in 2013. But as DJI’s Ronin gimbals have become more ubiquitous, Freefly has expanded its product offerings to drones and cameras, including the Wave, Ember S5K, and Ember S2.5K. All three cameras feature a fast scanning super 35-sized sensor with the S5K being the most performant with the ability to capture 5K footage at up to 600 frames per second and 4K footage at up to 800 frames per second.
These cameras launched with support for PL and Sony E mount, but now can theoretically ship with L-mount support. Future Freefly cameras will also likely come with an L-mount option.
“Freefly is obsessed with building the world’s fastest cameras and toughest drones, and joining the L-Mount Alliance enable us to go faster than ever,” Tabb Firchau, CEO at Freefly Systems Inc. says.
“The L-Mount allows us to interface with a wide range of beautiful lenses that are small, light, and feature advanced electronics that enable exciting electronic control options from the camera. We look forward to contributing to the Alliance and hope to put L-Mount lenses in places the world has not seen them before — from rocket launches to fighting forest fires.”
“With Freefly joining the alliance, we are welcoming a partner with a strong reputation in camera movement systems and aerial cinematography. Their expertise opens up new creative possibilities within the L-Mount ecosystem, particularly for professional film and high-end production workflows. Together, we continue to develop a versatile and future-proof system that meets the evolving demands of photographers and filmmakers alike,” Valentino Di Leonardo, Managing Expert Technology and Licensing at Leica Camera AG, adds.
As Leica explains, the L-Mount was developed with the aim of providing customers with a futureproof, flexible, robust and precise bayonet mount that would fulfil even the most demanding photographic needs.
“Since its initial appearance, development of the L-Mount was continued by Leica as well as by its strategic partners. This led to significant improvements and an effectively new and more sophisticated L-Mount technology, resulting in a constantly growing portfolio of cameras and lenses from all existing and new alliance partners, currently comprising over 20 cameras and more than 134 lenses. All lenses made for the different systems within the L-Mount Alliance can be used on all cameras without adapters and without any functional limitations – this illustrates one of the numerous benefits of the common bayonet,” Leica says.
Image credits: Leica, Freefly
