hi Denis,
I won't intervene on this issue anymore: enough has been said, enough has been argued, and all facts have been communicated (by official press release) and are well known.
Just one remark to EPd's comment about Sinar not having its words to say concerning the Hy6 camera: Sinar AG is 100% owed by Jenoptik AG and is fully integrated in and part of the Jenotpik AG: everybody can throw his own consequences.
Best regards,
Thierry
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=184913\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
I believe Theirry has some kind of Dick Tracy device hooked to his watch and everytime anyone in the world posts imformation about the HY6, he is on his computer to "clairify" the "truth" and then let us "throw our own consequences"?
Well, I'll throw out some consequences.
Medium format more than anything needs wider acceptence and more market penetration.
In fact medium format needs to get back a portion of the billion or so photographers that were forced to lay down their RZ's and Hasselblad V's and pick up a Canon 1ds mark 1, 2, 3, (and I'm sure 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, ....) because when the first Canon hit the shelf (and by the way it hit the shelfs in every store in the world, vs. the medium format model of "call your secret specialized digital dealer for information, regarding pricing, delivery and use".
Honestly this camera makes me smile, or laugh, or almost just shake my head in disbelief.
Here is a camera that is so close to being a world standard. A combination of a V system, an RZ and hand held autofocus camera, but as of today you can't rotate the back without taking it off and I don't care if you work with a foam pillow under your feet, the idea of switching back and forth on location, under pressure is more than my heart can take.
Then of course there is all those beautiful lenses, but nothing wider than 40 which with even a 1.14 crop is pretty tight and then the price.
I know good glass is expensive, (see the cinema world or the Leica price list for comparision), but I also know if they could sell more of these cameras and more of these lenses, they could lower the price of all of it.
That is just the basics of economy of scale.
I have never met a photographer than wanted less options and wanted to spend more money for equipment, but Sinar, Leaf and Hasselblad are not doing us any favors by limiting the sale of anything.
Actualy medium format needs to get out of the labs and onto the street and see what we do with these cameras day in day out and more importantly find any way possible to widen their market.
Recently I added a P21+ and though at 18mp it seems like a downgrade from my previouis A-22 and my current P30+ I love this back. It shoots at 800 iso, looks like film and cost's almost 1/3 of my original Aptus.
If this back had been availble for 10 grand the day the 1ds was announced, I am positive there would be a lot less Canon users on the street.
If the HY6 was available in all mounts and the lenses were less than the $4,999 price point I am also sure that a lot of people, inclduing myself would take a serious look at it.
Still, I'm not going anywhere near a proprietary expensive camera. I've been down that road where one back manufacturer starts having software issues and I know how crippiling that can be to our workflow and available time and it's one thing to take a many thousand dollar loss on changing the capture device, but to also put a $25,000 camera system on the shelf because it just won't work with any back is something few of us want to contemplate.
And Theirry I'm not just picking on you so please don't get your "feelings" hurt, because it may be just the language barrier, but you seem to get your feelings hurt quite easily, though today you can walk into a store in New York and buy a brand new Rollei Hy6 and though you are positive it will never work on a Phase or Imacon back, there are a lot of people saying that will eventually happen.
And Theirry, you seem to want to imply that Sinar had influence into Jenoptik in limiting this camera to just two digital back makers, but if it was me, I would keep that thought out of the public domain.
Basically, the real truth about professional photography is the costs keep going up, but the fees and expenses we charge are not climbing in the same relationship.
Don't think for a minute than all of us dont long for the days of being able to use the camera and "film" of our choice, without thought or worry about if it will be compatible, or obsolete, or a manufacturer will just change their mind tomorrow and phase our camera out of existence (see Hasselblad).
Also don't think that if we invest in lenses and bodies, regardless of price point that we don't want to see them continue to be used well into the next decade.
So the manfacturers can play all the games they want, limit availability, promise upgrades in quarters, 2, 3, 4, and then miss their own self imposed deadlines by months (even years) but once again, don't think that this doesn't impact medium format sales.
You have to remember that most of us are independent business owners (undersocre the word independent) and don't take well to being told what we have to do and if most of us had our way, our back of choice would go on any camera with just a snap and a click.
JR