photojerry

Speelling and grammer I ge tthe A. AS for what can Leica do. How about a AutoFocus R9A. Use the lens with the R9DAF. How about a AF M7AF. True the purist will roll over in there graves but AF was the future 10 years ago. But at least try to catch up with the Far East.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Bashir,

 

I would love to have Leica continue. They manufacture the best lenses in the world. I believe in there story of the quality of the glass. As I said earlier I would be first in line for a digital M camera. How can Leica stay in business if they have nothing but a 10K vanity camera. The folks on this BB are all users and love their LEicas. But there is NOTHING new.Call me wrong but the sales are DOWN> 20% just in the quarter. I have not tracked Leica in the last few years but I would guess their sales are down on a year to over 50% the last 5 years.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Where can I buy puts on Leica

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

HOw many quality camera manufacturers are notaround any more bcause tehy did not keep up with the times..

Still my question is who is going to buy Leica Film Cameras.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Gerald, Thank you Kodak confirms my belief with actual survey.

digital is coming fast and furious. My stats are from my head but you confirm the trend. In 5 years 40% advanced amatuers are3 going digital. WOW. I love the folks who say it ain't going to happen. The issue is the quality capture and output is here with digital. PRicw is still high but it will drop. What was it a LEaf Back for a HAsselblad was 35K with 5 Meg File 6 years ago. You can buy a 5 meg camera today for a few hundred dollars. ?

 

Again How many people are going to buy a LEica without digital option. I say VERY FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.

 

I think LEica is the best but they missed the boat. I do not think they can survive in there current configuration.

 

I heard they are trying to sell there cameras though boutiques inside camerastores in major metropolitian areas.

 

What is it there retailers can not sell it.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

WOW Thank everyone for there responses to my original comment.

I will try to respond to some of the comments.

 

Film is dead. There may be film available in 10 years but sales will be a very small percentage of what is sold today. Bill Gates has said tha tfilm is all but dead in 10 years. I am not saying that film will not be available but all of the action will be in digital. Look at 8x10 photography 5 to 7 years ago a 8x10 chrome was a very common image for professional market. DEAD DEAD DEAD Professionals are Digital. ALso I would be very surprised if any MEdium Format Equipment is purchased today that can not be digital. What doe this have to do with Leica everything. I am not going to buying any new equipment. If you look at LEica Sales they are down 20%

http://www.leica-camera.com/unternehmen/ir/presse/index_e.html

This is after many other quarters of down sales. LEica is only a camera and binocular company. LEca does not have anyting to do with the Geosystens and the Microsystens.

 

Jerry Freeman you are right film is not dead but in 5 to 7 years who is going to buy it. 20 to 30 % of the current market. Can Leica exist on such a smalll market. They are not making it now. Not many of the future photographers in the market will be able to afford Leica.

 

Chris you are on the money. I can see LEica being bought by Fuji and then Fuji buy HAsselblad. This would allow Fuji to market the LEica name in lenses. Fuji then cold sell create a Leica market to compete with Sigma and Tameron <Bronica>

 

JOhn Bossco I guessed at the 500 units but LEica does not get to keep the 10K remember they first sell to a retailer who has to make his 20 or 30 %. I capitalize the first 2 letter because of my crappy typing.

Sheldon you are correct but don't we have huge boxes of neagitives and slides..

 

J Wittenberg check out the WEb page it is explicit 3 unrelated compaies using the same name. I use LEica also but who is going to buy. Check out the quality ofthe current professional Digital equipment Imacon.dk 22MEg files unbeliable quality with instant results, Try VERY expensive back can cost 15 to 25 K but that is the professional market in years it will be priced for non profesional market.

 

Ralph you are correct. last year the digital sales are more than analog. It only took 5 years for that to happen. What is going to happen next year and teh year after. LEica sales on both the M and R are down. Who is going to be the customer

 

Why does everybody worry about archiving the film. What a mess we have now and amount of room being used to store the negatives.

 

Gary you have Kodachrme film now will be availabe in the furture. They have discontined all sizes except 35MM

 

JAmes they sad that they can not come out with a M digital. Ifthey did I would be /first in line to purchase.

 

Lee Photo East is a littlwe more than a consumer show. They are shwcasing all of the professional equipment from Sinar to HAsselblad Leica Canon Nikon PRofot etc etc. LEica was the ONLY company that did not have a professional digital camera. PERIOD.

SOme companies you had to purchase a digital back but it was avalable. Such as Hasselblad. I asked HAsselblad Rep and they said go to Imacon and Leaf

 

 

Jay Thank You

 

Robert Clark.

In photography there are many variable. Image capture with quality optics and large enough file you got a quality image. The upgrades are going to speed CApture time. I do not see the need for a 20Meg 35MM Raw File. If will be other aspects of the capture.

 

Chris this has nothing to do with AMerica . LEica sales are down in Germany. The Germans are buying the Canon and Nikon Digital.

 

Please excuse my misspellings and gramatical errors. I have to go back to work.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

I just came back from the Photo East Show in NYC. It was very

interesting to walk the floor with all of the camera and digital

manufacturers. The camera manufacturers were all showcasing the

digital capture with their cameras. Film capture cameras were as

polpular as using a typewriter. Everybody including LEica were

talking about digital. Film is out of business.

It seems that LEica has teamed up with Imacon definetly a leader

in digital photography. LEica maybe in a year offer a digital back

for the R9 camera. Why should I buy a R series camera this year with

the hope of a digital back.

 

 

Also they talk about a 10 Meg capture. In a year 10 Meg will be

average at best.

 

During the show the "Big" thing that was available for sale was

another special edition M camera Hermes for 10K . <Wow they are

going to sell 500 copies>.

 

Yes Leica makes the best in the world and market penetration is

minimal. But they are not offering a product to buy for the user.

So I think they can not survive.

1. R 9 has bee available for 1 1/2 plus and has minimal market

penetration. SO they are going wait another year with minimal sales.

And then try to sell the world on a digital R series.

2. The film option will have little impact on the sales of R9

3. M series camera is a special camera and I have to assume that

sales are on the down side.

4. Binoculars is probably the hope for LEica.

5. CAn LEica stay in business with its 2 major products declining

sales with no light at the end of the tunnel.

 

Jerry

I am having difficulty with the LED readout of the ISO setting with

the PME 45. It is not displaying the complete ISO setting. The 100

ASA is OK though above 100 it is not displaying the full reading.

IS this the need for a new battery? I recently changed the battery

or do I have to send the Meter in for repair.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

I use the Lee ND Grads they are great They are 100x150.

I have a set .3 .6 .9

I have purchased equipment for Poon. HK Supplies HE is very reliable.

 

AS for the Warranty issue. Here is what happened to me. I purcahsed a 180MM lens new from Hong Kong Etefore, Mr Lee, on Ebay.[also very reliable] IT did not focus at infinity. The savings on the lens was almost $1000 from the best US price I could find. Mr Lee said that I could send the lens back to him but I decided that I would try to warranty it in the USa with Hasselblad USA. They did NOT accept the International warranty. But they repaired the lens for $80 including shipping. So I say the heck with the international warranty I will pay for the equipment with the flaky International warranty. The amount that I save makes up for any repair I have to pay for.

Sorry I have not compared the 40 CFE IF with a 903. But I have owned a 40CFE and sold it so fast I did not like to results of the lens. I have purchased a 905SWC and it is a excellent

 

Jerry

AS for the X ray machines we all know of the potential damage. I always take one roll of 1600ASA fim with me and put it in my film bag. I tell them that I have a roll of 1600ASA film and they "NEVER give me a problem with a hand check.

I am going to buy,when it becomes available, the new LEica R9 with

the digital back. I do not own the R system at this time. But this is

the dillema. Should I start assembling a R kit or should I wait for

the new Leica R lenses especially designed for digital and film

photography. I have to assume that that LEica annouced the R Digital

to increase sales of the R9 and hold off the deteriation of sales of

the reflex system. Let us say the R9 is 2K but to assemble 2 or 3

lenses for 10K and have them obselute in a few years is not my idea

of fun. I can assume they will have have Erwin Puts write a fantastic

review saying that I should know the old R lenes are great but the

new desigend R lenses for Digital is the cats meow.

 

As anybody else had these same thoughts...

 

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Jerald Rosenfeld

You can buy a 503CW with a 80mm and A12for $2400 Gray market. The polaroid back is 250- 300 and you can but a 90 or 45degree view with meter for less than $1000. These peics are new Gray market. What is the differnece with Gray market and used as for warranty NOTHING. Gray MArket you get a

International warranty . I tried to claim against it and was refused with Haselblad USA. But So what ..The price I saved was beyond the $80 it cost me to repair the lens. I saved almost a $1000 on a 180MM Sonnar SO I was happy to pay the $80. That is not including all I saved with the the other Gray market items I bought. With Gray market it was worhtwhile to buy Hasselblad. instead of the JApanese brands.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Q. G

 

I am sorry <QB> ouch

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Q.B

 

That sounds reasonable to me.

 

Jerald ROsenfeld

I am in the US. I have purchased from Etefore. 100%. Very reliable. You almost can not afford not to buy from him. MAy I suggest Etefore has a Web page

 

HKSupplies.Com you have to go to< www.hksupplies.com> His prices on his web pageare usally a little less than Ebay and he sometimes throws in shipping.. I recently purchased a 905 SWC from him and it was perfect.

As for MeHasselblad he is in the US but his prices are higher than HK Supplies. As for Patowin he only specializes in Hasselblad Accessories. I have purchased from him and he is very reliable. His accessory prices are very good.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

If you want a accuratecomposition get the 41050 ground glass. It gives you exact image. The viewfinder is OK but not perfect.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Thre has been some discussion that Hasselblad lens specifications are being used by Fuji. Who does the designing of lenses for HAsselblad.. ! Zeiss or HAsselblad 2 Fuji or Hasseblad. I always thought HAsselblad was a Camera manufacturer and Zeiss designed and manufactured the lens. I would assume Hasselblad confirmded on focal length and limited to F stop by the Bay 60 control, but the actual design of the elements was Zeiss. DOes HAsselblad have a complete lens design studio or do they use the ideas of Zeiss. The planar, tessar biogon telephoto are the design of Zeiss so what does the HAsselblad LEns design studio do??

 

I could see design decision of Bay 50 or Bay 60 thoughout the line < I know there are a few or than Bay 60> would be input by Hasselblad. That decision is for marketing a consistantcy filter size.

Anthony Lee

 

Excellent Hong Kong Supplier. Anthony Lee [sales@accphoto.com] I do not have any relationship with Mr Lee except being a customer. I have purchased a complete Hasselblad Systemfrom Mr Lee and his service was SUPERIOR. I am interested in Product Price and Service. MR Lee meets all of the above. He sells the premium brands understands service and offers the best price. That is what I am interested.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

 

Rosenfeld@Ameritech.Net

Check out this Web Site

 

http://www.michigan.gov/emi/0,1303,7-102-113-49502--,00.html

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Interesting topic. I have bought from Delta and they are VERY honorable. Betty will do anything to make the customer happy. If you are going to buy gray market don't worry about warranty. I recently purchased a 180MM and it would not focus at infinity. sent it to Hasselblad USA and they fixed it for $80. I saved over $1,300 for the lens from B and H price. I purchased all of my HAssey kit. 503CW 3 lenses 3 backs and many accessories from Anthony Lee in Hong Kong. Anthony Lee [sales@accphoto.com]. His pricing made it worthwhile to purchase from Hong Kong. Delivery was 4 or 5 days with out any import fees. I paid $425 for A12 backs. 503CW was $1000. All of the equipment that I got was manufacutred with a serial number of "SH" The lenses have serial numbers of 888xxxx or 889xxxx. I purchased the equipment over a 2 month period . I wired him money in advance and NEVER had a problem.

 

I discussed the warranty issue with him on the 180MM CFE and he said that he would take the lens back. I said Iwould try Hassey USA first. $80 bucks was reasonable for me.

 

Jerald Rosenfeld

Mark your analysis is right on. Is there more Mamyia than HAsselblad in the market.

What I mean't Hasselblad has abandoned the 6x6 to 645. They have made there bet.. the future is in 645 and no 6x6. If they would have gone to 6x6 AF [ like Rollie] then they would be confirming there belief in the 6x6 as the gold standard.

 

I am sure that they support 6x6 for many years but the future is 645.

IS there a contract issue with HAsselblad and Zeiss and the 645 format. We all know about thte 6x6 contract.

 

 

 

Even if they wanted to have duel 6x6 and 645 they should have come with the 6x6 AF first an then the little sister of 645.

 

Question.. If they announce the H1 why have not listed a new catalog on there web page. Is there something else that has not been annouced.

Does Contax have an exclusive with Zeiss for 645 lenses?

 

I am very disapointed that HAsselblad did not expand the 6x6 format. They have been selling it for 45+ years and now they abandoned the format. How many HAsselblad REps swore of the absolute need for a 6x6 negative.

 

They have opened the idea for Hasselblad owners and potential buyerrs to REALLY consider 6x6 Rollie AF and Contax 645. BOth German lenses with "modern day" features.

 

MAybe HAsselblad will offer something new for the 6x6 in NEw york in October.

 

Interesting they do not showcase a new catalog on there web page with the H1 camsra. I would have assumed that it would be downloadable immediately after introduction. Are they holding back something???????????