Rollei Hy6

Hello. What are the last news about this camera ? Where is it on sale ? In Europe ? Price ?

Thanks for any info.

I got an ad for it from Calumet photo in the mail last week. That'd be in Chicago I think.

http://www.franke-heidecke.net/

 

There you can find all info.

Currently the latest news can be found here:

 

http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/16918/leaf-afi/

 

There is no place where it is on sale yet (to take home, I mean), but can be ordered from

Sinar, Leaf and Rolleiflex dealers. In Europe the Sinar list prices are as follows (without

VAT):

 

Sinar Hy6 Body EUR 3,155.-

 

Sinar Hy6-e75LV, complete set EUR 25,255.-

 

Sinar Hy6-e54LV, complete set EUR 18,295.-

 

Sinar Hy6-m54, complete set EUR 17,000.-

 

Prism Finder 90? Hy6 EUR 1,210.-

 

Waist-level Finder Hy6 EUR 405.-

 

Hy6 Film Magazine Adapter for 4560 EUR 475.-

The first deliveries were announced to take place in april of 2007.<br><br>In june of this year, a F&H press release mentioned that the first cameras were delivered to Jenoptik/Sinar and F&H customer Leaf.<br>These cameras are fitted with digital backs, and are put through a test programm. At the same time F&H is testing the analog Rolleiflex Hy6 version.<br>Only after satisfactory completion of these test programs will the cameras be released for sale to end users.<br><br>Sinar has announced in july that the camera will be available in a couple of months time. Leaf is presenting the Afi as if it can be ordered today, though they do not mention a period of delivery at all. F&H has not yet announced a definite date.<br><br>Leaf will be selling the camera as Leaf Afi world wide.<br>Jenoptik/Sinar and F&H are dividing the market, with F&H selling the analog and digital version Rolleiflex Hy6 in Russia, Japan and China, the analog version in Germany too (to trade only), while Jenoptik/Sinar will be selling the digital Sinar Hy6 both in Germany (to end users) and world wide (except in Russia, Japan and China).<br><br>The Jenoptik/Sinar version of he camera body differs from the other two versions in the battery pack used (different pin out).

Dates and places of the European Leaf AFi roadshow can be found here:

 

http://dpnow.com/4308.html

Thanks Erik. Any idea what the 'complete set' includes?

Complete set includes: Hy6 body with waist level finder, back as indicated and 80mm lens (+

battery, charger and the standard goodies that come with the back).

 

Effectively you pay EUR 2,480.- extra for the camera plus lens if you take the e75LV-combo.

If you take the e54LV-combo the same camera plus lens will cost you EUR 5,015.- extra.

These wild variations in pricing of the Hy6 indicate that the Sinar list prices are open for

negotiation.

For those who read German: Jenoptik did the official kick-off of the sale of Hy6 on Sept. 26.

 

http://www.jenoptik.com/cps/rde/xchg/SID-26EE34DB-8E0886C4/jenoptik/hs.xsl/4582_5399.htm

 

Most interesting part of their press release is that they mention that Hy6 is ready to use future digital backs with sensors up to

56x56mm. There is no real news in this, but Jenoptik makes the Sinar backs. This is the kind of aknowledgement that I like to

hear from a back manufacturer! Dalsa is ready to make these large CCD's as soon as someone will order them. We'll probably have

to wait out the 48x48mm generation first though. Marketing strategics demand that the growth of sensors will have to be slowed

down as much as competition allows, in order to milk us to the max. Sigh.

It ("ready for 56x56 mm sensors") could also be a marketing thing, making it more attractive for us to buy the Hy6 now.<br><br>I get the impression that the history of the Hy6 is a rather convoluted one. It appears to have started at Rollei still, after their AF machine proved not to be a succes in the market. At the time, the 6 x 4.5 machines appeared to be 'The Thing' (which is why Hasselblad made a 6 x 4.5 film camera earlier also), and the Hy6 started life as a 6 x 4.5 film camera-to-be.<br>The choice for 6 x 4.5 may also have been because it was (then) believed that this would be as large as sensors might ever grow?<br>Meanwhile, Rollei abandoned MF, Franke & Heidecke took over, and developed the thing for Jenoptik.<br>All in all, a fair deal of changed plans.<br><br>And by now, rumours of a possible 6 x 6 sensor pop up every once and again.<br>Let's hope they are not just a promise but hold truth, and that the Hy6 will be a runaway succes!

Q.G., of course it is a marketing thing as for how things are at this moment in time. But the aknowledgement alone that

the door is open to larger sensors is already a step in the right direction, IMO. It could be like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Will the Hy6 be a runaway success? Honestly I really wouldn't know. The current marketplace for digital cameras is so

complex that nobody really knows. There's a lot of debate between DB-owners and those who believe a modern Canon

or Nikon will do the same. Both camps use invalid arguments as well as valid ones, but the fact that this whole debate

has such a high level of wishful thinking makes it impossible to say anything reasonable about it. Irrational thinking of

the consumer is any product developer's nightmare.

http://www.imaginginsider.com/?p=60883

Calumet Germany advertise the Leaf version currently:

 

http://www.calumetphoto.de/store/LeafAFi?t=deeenews122107&a=EWAYDE

 

but for the delivery period one has to call them