Confirmed - the Contax 645 is NOT discountinued

[patricks]

Please see <a

href="http://www.luminous-landscape.com/new/index.shtml">Luminous

Landscape</a> for more details and a official response/press release

from the US distributor.

[markogden]

Whew!

[calvin_lee]

There's one born every day.

[victor4]

Interesting... in a previous thread I suggested that perhaps PhaseOne would be picking up the tab for production of the Contax 645. The referred .pdf in the above noted link starts out ... "Dear PhaseOne Reseller..."

[bob_katz1]

So, we have one distributor saying Kyocera/Contax is out of the camera business (except for cellular phones), and another Kyocera/Contax distributor saying they will keep making one camera line.

 

I guess the "Loony Landscape" has annointed one version as gospel and cast off the other one as being maliscious... at least until he can sell his own Contax gear?

[andre_noble4]

If you're a dedicated true Contax 645 lover, I don't care what anyone says, time to go apply for a credit card. I did this with Bronica, and am so glad because it takes outstanding pitures.

[franka t.l.]

I don't know what's the situation over at State or Europe; my impression is none of the distributor / agent there seems to speak the whole truth, probably they don't know either.

 

But the fact is that Kyocera had already made an official statement on the issue and its posted for all to see in Japanese Press ( They actually ran an Ad statement on most papers ) and the short take of the whole article is Kyocera Optical dept had make decision to pull out of digital camera market ( that's in Japanese, and that word typically means all Digital camera except DSLR / Digital Backs ). They will be finishing the DC production by summer when scheduled production batch finished. They will continue to sell the remaining stock and commit support for the typical 10 year period. Their future business would concentrate on manufacturing for mass consumer product module for Cellular photo phone. They have not stop the Film lineup and the film line up is now under " consideration and re-thinking " as to any further concern.

 

 

IMHO, in light of Kyocera''s strong push for their DC lineup even right up till the recent months. The decision by their management to do this is almost certainly as new as we are seeing, and simply put, they simply do not yet have anydecision on how to deal with the Film lineup. Not a surprise since they do have an extended agreement with Carl Zeiss to license the brand "CONTAX" , and with a name like this, its likely Business is still viable should they be able to rationalize their market position and product stratagy. Here is Asia at least, their lineup is still put in high regard. The 645 is a very competetive product and with plenty of digital support via the like of Phase one. Digital solution is never a issue. But everyone is waiting to see how Kyocera respond to the anticipated question of how they would like to continue or dis-continue the film camera line.

[roland_haid]

Can't see how a camera manufacturer can survive with a single camera.

[roger krueger]

Wish they'd sort their mess out and build some more of an item for which there seems to

be a lot of pent-up demand--the 21mm Distagon.

 

Worth noting on the 35mm items is that B&H still lists most of them as backordered. If

B&H had info that convinced them they weren't getting any more they'd have pulled the

items by now.

 

I have heard that the Kyocera lens plant is already shut down--is this true?

[shiver_me_timbrrrre]

I'll believe it when I see some new lenses like the long promised leaf shutter lenses and an updated Mark 2 camera. Until then, I have a sneaking suspicion that Kyocera has a huge pile of unsold stock which it is trying to move through TOCAD.

[jack_carlton]

Well, now that everybody here is in the guessing game, I feel like I should chip in my

two cents.

Maybe Kyocera is still in the process of partnering with the right digital back maker or

sensor manufacturer to bring the Mark 2 on the market -- as an answer to the H1D,

the Mamiya ZD and now the Pentax 645. It will have a 22MP back fit into the form

factor (see ZD) and maybe an extra back which would fit the "old" Contax 645 -- and

only this one (see Hasselblad's policy with the V96C). And it will be presented to the

public by the end of 2005/beginning of 2006 -- it simply has to. If not, they're out of

the business in a few years' time.

Its always the same with businesses like that: the low end segment is booming (see

phone cameras, even at Kyocera), the high end is booming (somewhat), but that

wishy-washy segment in the middle is squeezed out of business. Honestly, who

needs (or even knows about) digital TVS cameras? They (Kyocera) don't have a DSLR in

their line-up, they have no lens innovations in their analog line-up for years, they

don't expand their professional systems (N1, 645), they don't do nothing right, so it

is their own fault if they fail in the market.

[q.g._de_bakker]

Jacques,<br><br><i>"[...] and only this one (see Hasselblad's policy with the V96C)"</i><br><br>Hasselblad's policy apparently is to have every back they offer fit any camera they offer. Not just one.<br><br>Another part of "their" policy is to have every other back in the market being offered for Hasselblad cameras too.<br>That bit still works nice too. But whether it hurts or helps Hasselblad now they have backs 'of their own' too...?

[colin_elliott]

A back to fit every camera they offer? That shouldn't be difficult given they offer only 2 cameras (H1 and 500 series) Are you suggesting they are coming out with a back for the X-pan?

Colin

[q.g._de_bakker]

Colin,<br><br>I hadn't thought about the XPan... ;-)<br><br>But no.<br>I wrote: <i>"[...] every back [!!!} they offer fit any camera they offer"</i>, not <i>"A back [...]"</i>.<br>The suggestion that only the one Hasselblad/Imacon back (V96C) was intended to be used on the V-system ignores the fact that all the other Hasselblad/Imacon backs fit that system as well (and, i may add, the Contax 645 too).<br>There is no "policy" that concentrates on producing digital backs for the H-system only, giving V-system users just one back to play with. The "policy" is (with the exception you noted) "every back on any camera".

[jack_carlton]

Q.G.,

 

I'm referring to the V96C, which is a back that fits only to the V-system of Hasselblad;

if you would want to use it on a Mamiya RZ for example, you would have to buy the

more expensive 96C. THAT is the policy of Hasselblad.

 

Cheers

Jaques

[jack_carlton]

... which I have no problem with, I should add. I'm right now in the process of

purchasing a V96C, after serious considerations on (used) H20, Kodak ProBack, Leaf

and so on. But I just can't afford to spend more than EUR 10K on a back AND a

PowerBook, so I have to take my old Hassie off the shelf and go the Imacon route.

 

(If you sense some sort of grumpiness between my lines you are right. I had hoped to

work digitally with my RZ which I absolutely love, but, alas, it's too much money.)

[mike_kearney]

Although production was stopped many years ago, my Nikon F still works. I anticipate that my Contax 645 will continue to work whatever might happen to the line.

[q.g._de_bakker]

Jacques,<br><br>I must, and do, apologize.<br>I understood what you wrote as saying that Hasselblad would, as a matter of policy, only make new digital backs available for their (relatively) new H-system, ignoring their "old" V-System, save the one "complementary" V96C back.<br>My mistake (obviously)!

[jack_carlton]

Yea, my writing's is a bit confusing, too (just re-read my posting). Could be

misunderstood.

 

Cheers

Jaques

[jack_carlton]

Contax is discontinued:

 

http://global.kyocera.com/news/2005/0402.html

 

Amen.