many big business deals are done that way...companies sell and buy others for 1$ (nominal fees)...does not mean you can walk in and buy it for 2....
i don't know the numbers, but the RB/RZ was THE system a couple of years ago.....i know a lot of commercial photographers and most of them have owned that system and most of them still do.... nothing better then to find out that those "old" (still amazing!) lenses can work on a back, and it might save you a bundle!.....
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I'm guessing that you read the part where I stated "plus transfer of an undisclosed amount of debt". I can't really tell.
Yes, it is not unusual in the business world that a company (like Mamiya's camera/optical division) that has been losing money and racking up debt for a long time is purchased for very little cash along with the transfer of debt. It is a path for a small company to expand with little cash outlay, provided they think the company acquired can be turned around and generate enough income to cover the debt.
Every business also has a break-even point. Below a certain volume of sales, you lose money. Above a certain volume of sales you make money. The problem with medium-format camera sales is there is not enough volume for any company to make the break-even point. The only way to survive is to combine that activity with something else, that when combined will make money (Hasselblad). Otherwise you stop production (Bronica, Contax, Fuji), stay afloat with other activities that supply needed capital (Mamiya, Rollei) or find partners to invest capital that keep you breathing (Mamiya, Rollei). It's basic financial reality and a business can only lose money for so long before creditors or a corporate board gives it a dose of reality.