To bring things into perspective...
If the assumption that the MFDB market covers 10,000 units a year WW is true, then 2,400 AFi/ Hy6 cameras a year is 1/4 of the market (assuming that the vast majority of them are sold as a digital platform and not as a film one).
2,400 X $50K (camera+back+2-3 lenses + accessories) is $120,000,000 worth of business in one year!!
Yair
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Regarding the HY6
EpD you almost had me when you said the F+H workers took a pay cut to insure this camera gets produced. That's commendable.
Theirry, you scare me when you compare it to Hasselblad's business model and Yair, you lost me when you say $50,000 is a body, a back and 2-3 lenses.
The closed part is the most disconcerning to me, because I've been down that road where one brand camera back stopped working for me and I took a $18,000 hit to go to another brand.
At least the next brand I bought clipped right on my exisiting cameras so the loss and the transition was much easier to take.
50k is a tough buy in for a new camera and though I'm sure they'll sell and though if it was open to Phase and Imacon at the current state of professional photography $50,000 camera systems take a long time to recover the investment.
I put a sharp pencil to every investment and right now I have $23,260 invested in 645 cameras, $30,000 invested in digital backs but that includes 13 lenses (from 35mm to 350mm), 4 bodies and two digital backs
From an artistic standpoint that pretty much does everything I need a medium format systems to do.
From a business standpoint the difference is clear.
Still, I (and many others) are obviously not adverse to investing in our busiensses, but for me to start again at 50k is going to require more than what any medium format camera offers at the present.
We need real wi-fi, that is long reached, stable and goes to multiple devices from computers to hand held.
Seriously fast and stable software for shoot and post production, sensors that go to higher iso with less worry about noise and in camera previews and back of the camera lcd's that match the dslrs (I'll even accept matching the 2nd generation dlsrs).
Lens and accessories that are full ranged and on the shelf ready to buy and to put to work. It's a little silly that there are new "annouced" camera systems that involves more of a waiting period than what I can presently find and easily buy for my Contax.
Most importantly we need transparency from the medium format companies with clear upgrade paths that are not time stamped and dated along with software that is released on time, full featured and stable.
Since the start of Hasselblad's perceived lock down of their brand, to the intorduction of the Hy6, there have been about 50 million words written that still makes me dizzy as to what is, is not available and when, where and how much.
I keep reading that the HY6 is only sold to the western world in Leaf or Sinar badges, though as of today on Kurland's website their is a rolliflex hy6 and 80mm lens offered for around 10 grand, though once again in the medium format world the details are murky. Does the Rollei accept anything but Sinar and Leaf, will it accept Sinar and Leaf, where, if, when, it can be serviced?
[a href=\"http://www.kurlandphoto.com/home.php?cat=9]http://www.kurlandphoto.com/home.php?cat=9[/url]
At the cost of investment, these aren't questions any of us take lightly and clear, full featured and stable equipment is not an elective it's mandatory.
JR