Rollei autofocus

[thomas_diekwisch1]

Confirming rumors about a Rollei autofocus 6x6, Shutterbug has a

paragraph about a "6008 AF" with an attached picture of the

"integral". The camera seems to resemble the 6008i with the addition

of autofocus functions, one of them a Trap feature which releases the

camera when a subject is in focus. They mention three autofocus

Schneider lenses, a 2.0/80mm, a 2.8/180mm, and a new 4.5/60-140mm

Zoom. TTL flash of the 3000 system was noted, possibly an improvement

over the 6008i. Definitely a hit for technology freaks and quite an

achievement. I guess the next couple of months will show how

practical the new toy is...

[william_carter1]

Yeah, I saw this in Shuuterbug as well. Good to know what the first few lenses will be and the "Trap" function was also interesting. Perhaps next month, Rollei will provide a working model for testing by one of the photo mags? (the press release for it is supposed to happen in Feb.). I'm interested to see is how much more expensive the camera/lenses are than the existing ones. (There's a short blurb by Bob Shell on BestStuff.com that the word is that the body will be about $1000 more and the lenses will be a bit more than existing lenses). We'll see... I'm also interested to know if Rollei really fixed the flash system and the size/weight/performance of the zoom.

 

I'm kind of surprised by the relative silence on various boards regarding this upcoming camera...

[anthony_lee4]

According to the factory, the camera and the lenses will be available in April for sale. It is unofficial but quite reliable from one of the distributors.

[thomas_diekwisch1]

I agree with Bill, Rollei has added another milestone to photo history. The first 6x6 autofocus. A remarkable achievement for such an embattled company. And another highlight in a long list: the 80 years history of the twin-lens, the SL66 as a feast of mechanical camera engineering, the compact 35, the extremely futuristic SLX with motordrive and automatic exposure via linear motors, the SL2000/3000 35mm SLRs with exchangable magazines, the improved 6008i with exchangable magazines and dual automation, and some more. I guess there is no other camera brand that can proud itself of such a history of technical innovations and achievements, of remarkably unique designs for photography, of utterly individual photographic tools. In my humble opinion, there is none like it. This company continues to fascinate and amaze me with its achievements in design and engineering. Some will prefer the box or the 8x10; in my own humble case I can say that I would not have shot many photographs without my Rolleis...