Medium Format Nikon

[jerry_lehrer]

I have heard, recently, that Nikon intends to come out with a 120/220

medium format SLR camera to compete with Hasselblad and Rolleiflex.

A lot of you people are in the know with manufacturers and

distributors. Can you find ou if there is any truth to this?

 

Jerry

[sergio_ortega]

Gerald,

 

Why not? Contax did it. I read that way back when, before Nikon finally decided to build their first 35mm RF, they were considering a MF SLR, like the Hasselblad, instead. Maybe they'll just resurrect that old design? Interesting....

[michael_meyer1]

nikon made lenses for bronica also, didn't they? they have the optical experience then in mf. but would it really be worth it in the terms of money outlay for what would be most likely a very small market share?

 

-m

[david_goldfarb]

Yes, they did make lenses for the early Bronicas. I have four of them. Some of the longer Nikon rangefinder lenses also covered 6x6", so they made an adapter for Bronica as well.

[david_goldfarb]

Oops... that should be "6x6 cm" not inches.

[dan_brown4]

Gosh, a 6x6 Nikon with multi-point AF and metering, motor drive, accepting a full range of Nikon accessries, like flash, at comptetive pricing? Sounds pretty good indeed.

[michael_meyer1]

um, isn't this how rumors get started...

[ken_eng]

I don't know, but it seems unlikely that Nikon would make that move. As you all know, Canon has been a fierce competitor and has been coming out with alot of great equipment, and Nikon has been fighting tooth and nail to gain back the marketshare they had lost. It's evident that the Nikon's recent offerings reflect Canon innovations. For Nikon to make the move to medium format to compete with giants like Hasselblad, Rollei, Mamiya, etc. while keeping up with Canon seems like economical suicide.

 

Ken

[Troll]

For NikonNuts: they did actually once make a MF camera. It was labeled Nikomat (or Nikkormat, I forget). I actually held it in my hands, and it occurred to me that it might be a valuable collector's piece, but I am into using, not collecting, and didn't buy it (used from Norton's Camera in Sarasota). I've never seen another, nor a reference to it since.

[kelly_bradley1]

Here in Australia I too was quite excited to think that Nikon may bring out an MF camera.I called Nikon & asked if the rumors were true, I think that I may of made the Nikon Reps day as it took him about 1/2 hour to stop laughing when asked.He said, 'no way!', but there is a special edition rangefinder (a re-release of an older model)being released soon.I think he said it was an "S" model,& it will cost about $9000 aus.

Guess I will keep on saving for the Hassy.

[djphoto]

I smell a troll.

 

Also, the Nikkormat (labeled Nikomat for domestic Japanese sales) was a popular, lower-cost 35mm body made by Nikon. I owned several in the 70s.

[michael_briggs2]

In the mid-1980's, the Plaubel Makina 670 came with a 80 mm f2.8 Nikkor. This rangefinder camera makes 6x7 cm images on 120 or 220 film. The lens is non-interchangable and has a excellent reputation. I think the earlier Plaubel Makina 67 also had a Nikkor. The camera body was made by Makina in Japan.

 

As to whether Nikon is likely to bring out a complete medium format system: while they probably have sufficient capital, the key question is the business judgement of whether the sales would justify the cost and effort. With several well-regarded manufacturers in a market that is much smaller than 35 mm, it seems unlikely.

[twmeyer]

The old Bronica S and S2 had some excellent Nikkor lenses. The 50mm was an incredible piece of glass that rivaled anything by the best medium format mfgs. Unfortunately the cameras are now almost unrepairable and amoung the <i>loudest</i> 6x6cm SLRs ever made... t

[moses_sparks]

I don't know if there's any truth to this rumor or not, but I know this much: if Nikon were to make a 6x6 SLR with integral motor drive, prism finder with hot shoe, interchangeable backs, matrix metering, elctronically controlled Silent Wave autofocus leaf shutter lenses, and the ability to use SB28 flashes with 3D fill flash...I don't care how much it costs.

 

I will take 2 !

 

I have been searching for the pefect MF camera for over 10 years, it doesn't exist. This would be the closest thing I can think of.

[dan_brown4]

Yep, Moses alludes to a key marketing point. If the bean-counters at Nikon are looking to justify development of a MF system, directing it to the wedding shooter is a pretty good strategy. AF, sure; 6x6, sure; great metering, sure; great flash, as must; light weight polycarbonate, sure; a 50mm to 150mm 3x AF-S Nikkor zoom lens, sure; hmmm, why not? How many of you wedding shooters would buy into such a system?

[dan_brown4]

Back on my soap box...

 

And, at a price competitive with Hasselblad, maybe even a little less. Isn't Hasselblad pretty vulnerable to such a competitor? Has your 'blad jammed lately? Has your Nikon?

[moses_sparks]

I don't think it would be hard to compete with Hasselblad on a price basis (they are ridiculous) or a technology basis (they are antiques) but introducing a new product to market is always a gamble.

 

Years ago I worked for Vivitar's Product Development group and got to see first hand all the strategy that goes into launching a new product and penetrating the market.

 

But it does seem like there could be an opportunity there. I have recently been shopping for another MF solution for one of my markets, and the tool I need is just not out there.

 

The most technologically advanced 6x6 available is the Rollei 6008i, and that's a pretty old camera. The only real innovations to come along in recent years are in 645 cameras, and that's just a pointless format to me ( Let's see, I've now pissed off the Hasselblad guys, the Contax and Pentax guys, and a host of others ).

 

Relax boys, this is just brainstorming!

 

I could definitely see a niche for a 6x6 SLR that incorporates cutting edge 35mm technology...I know a lot of guys that would lust for such a machine.

[john_hicks___]

For several years I was the only Rollei dealer in central Florida....

 

The wedding guys who couldn't afford Rollei (or thought they couldn't) would buy Mamiya 645 or RB; those who could afford Rollei wouldn't consider anything other than Hasselblad. That both groups would end up spending _more_ money to build "complete" cameras is an interesting tidbit, but beside the point.

 

It was strange; it wasn't as if the Rollei name had just fallen off the turnip truck....

 

At any rate, I think that if Nikon does MF it'll have to be priced competitively with the Mamiya 645 gear or very slightly above. If it's at Hasselblad price or slightly below, it won't have much of a chance no matter how spiffy it is.

 

Personally I doubt Nikon's even remotely considering entering the MF market.

[a_okm]

I wouldn't know about nikon. But there is a rumour about leica moving into medium format. Look at http://washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/galleries/essays/index.htm

for more info.

[erin_argast2]

I doubt that Nikon is that adventurous. Nikon would not be able to

compete with: Mamiya, Bronica, Pentax, etc, on their turf...

particularly if doing so took resources away from their 35mm

operations, and lost them market share to Pentax, Canon, etc, and cost

them money they'd need for developement, and marketing. I'm still

waiting for those flying cars we were all supposed to have by now,

much promised by the visonaries, and auto industry insiders, of the

1950s. Then, there were all those great Atari computers which were

much promised, but never marketed. Then, we were all supposed to have

a really new version of Windows by now...but all we ever get are bug

laden revamps of the original Windows...minor upgrades which fix two

old problems, but create six new ones. As for MF Nikons, I will

believe it when I see it...and even then won't be interested in it. I

became disgusted with Nikon policies, and products, and moved into MF

to get away from Nikon. I won't be moving back to Nikon if it does go

MF. In fact, if Nikon goes Medium, I'll jump into LF.