Rollei 6008i - digital backs

[qdb]

The latest Kodak 16 megapixel digital back is currently made to fit

the Mamiya RZ and Hasselblad bodies. I am concerned that digital

back choice for Rollei may be limited. Is there any chance of a new

high resolution digital back being released for Rollei in the near

furture? Anyone have any news on that? What is the 6008i's digital

future?

 

Quentin

[tak_l._poon1]

I happen to have a 2001 catalogue and flipping through it I find the following:

 

C4 and C6 digital backs, attaching to 6008i, slightly more than 6 megapixels, scan area similar to 135, connecting to MAC (not PC) via SCSI interphase, and controllable through the computer.

 

S12 digital back, also for 6008, scan area 56mm x 56mm, connecting to MAC or Win 98 via SCSI interphase. There is no mentioning of Win NT or Win 2000. 12 megapixels.

 

All prohibitively expensive.

 

I am not sure of any new products or future plans.

 

Regards,

 

Tak

[qdb]

Thought so. Yet anyone thinking of buying an expensive MF camera needs to plan ahead. Seen the output from a new Nikon D1X? It's stunning - unexpectedly so. I hope Rollei will not be bypassed because they have a smaller user base.

[andy_ongun]

Phase One(not H20), Jobo, Sinar, Imacon - most of the major digital back manufacturers have Rollei 6008i adapters. According to Kodak they are working with a variety of manufacturers regarding their adapters.

 

Also, if you are paying 20K+ for a digital back plus the cost of the computer equipment etc. the camera platform becomes an incidental expense.

[qdb]

Rollei an incidental expense? I think not :-)

 

Interesting about the Kodak, though. As an Imacon owner (Photo scanner) I hope they produce a higher pixel count back soon.

--

Quentin

[mr._kenny]

<p>a response, then a comment.

<p>rollei is in step. i met with a german rep on a road trip showing off an x-act2 (first time i've ever seen one in the usa) with the back (sorry, i can't remember the back manufacturer.)

<p> the lens was a schneider digitar, used with the lens control s. output was to a mac g4, amazing. 3k by 2k back, using the phillips chip.

<p> my point bieng this: digital is a nice dream circa 2001 for MF, but the tradeoffs are just a little too much for me to abandon film just yet.

<p> i worried that rollei would get outpaced by others, but no worry. things are looking pretty good. until an epoch-making product comes out for imaging, i wouldn't worry too much at all. i agree with the former poster that it makes little difference what camera system is used, they are all pretty unimportant in light of the imaging resources available. personally, i think that when digital comes along to offer the flat-out better alternative to film quality, it'll be easier to build the camera around the imaging system. kind of like a coolpix, but bigger. otoh i think that bieng able to pick and choose the back is a better way to go versus the dedicated system at this point, if only because the technology is outpacing the rest of the systems. what does it matter, they are too expensive anyway!

<p> to answer the original question: rollei is with it. we on the other side of the pond just have to keep up with the continent.

 

<p>kindest regards,

 

<p>k

[ravi_nagpal]

AFAIK, Kodak intends to make adapters for other MF cameras besides the Blad 555 and Mamaiya RZ. Whether Rollei makes the cut is anybody's guess. Anyways I do not see a back like this is my near future even if they make one for a Rollei

[andre_souroujon]

This is exactly why I dumped my complete Rollei system. To say

that Rollei is marginal in terms of medium format market share

is an understatement. I can easily see that only three or four

manufacturers of medium format cameras will exist in the near

future: Mamiya, Hasselblad, Contax and Pentax (and maybe

Fuji). They're the only ones selling in any significant numbers.

It is just not enough to sell Rolleis in Germany and some other

nordic countries, they have to sell in the US and that hasn't

happened and will likely never happen.

 

As a result of their meager US presence you cannot rent any

Rollei gear in NYC of all places and you will probably never be

able to rent a Kodak DCS Pro or any other digital back for Rollei.

[wim_van_velzen]

I don't know much about marketing, but saying that a product makes only a fair chance if it is a success when sold a lot in the USA is in my eyes a bit strange. If I am not mistaken: the USA/Canada has about 300M people, the European Union about 600M.

 

You can be right about Rollei, I don't know; but I it isn't simply a case of bad marketing in the USA.

[andy_ongun]

Checkout Imacon, they have a digital back that they are introducing at the Photo East. It is based on the Kodak chip, and does 1,3 shot and micro step modes. They do have adapters for Rollei cameras.

[doug_dolde]

I was informed by the Kapture Group which makes adapters for the Kodak DCS back that it will never work on the Rollei due to design incompatabilities.

[paul_hoon]

I would like advice on options on going digital.

 

I have an older (factory refurbished one year ago) Rollei SLX body, normal, wide angle and telephoto Schneider lenses made in Germany (not more recent lenses made in Asia). Though the 6XXX series bodies are superior, I've simply never had any problems, or any compelling need to move up from the SLX body to the newer ones.

 

Please comment, criticize, elaborate on the following possibilities:

 

1) Buy a digital body/back for the SLX and outstanding lenses you own. Please recommend a digital body/back.

 

2) Sell your obsolete SLX body on E-Bay. [Please recommend one of the following:] Buy a 6001, 6003, 6008, 6008E body on E-bay first that will be compatible with existing digital bodies/backs.

 

3) Now, consider a digial body/back that is compatible with one of the 6XXX series bodies. Please recommend a digital body/back.

 

4) Don't bother going digital with your Rollei Lenses in Medium Format. Too expensive. Buy another cheap used SLX body on E-Bay for $500, stick with film for Medium Format, and have two of your three lenses each on an SLX body, ready to shoot film of your choice.

 

Now go out and buy a Sony F 717 5 MP with a Zeiss 8X Optical Zoom Lens for $814 and play with digital in this camera and format to your heart's content. But save your Rollei lenses and SLX for film.

 

5) Get the Sony F 717 (Do you recommend another choice?) and keep your SLX body and lenses and use them in film. Wait for several years for prices to come down on Rollei Medium format digital backs, and then buy a used 6XXX series body and a digital back compatible with this body, if you really must go to digital with your Rollei Medium format lenses.

 

Any elaborations, or additional options that you would recommend that I haven't thought of, would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you for your support.

 

Peter

 

Phoon@attglobal.net