Well, we have a little backlog to get through in the industry, notably the new camera from fuji has been known for a while. but my time is limited, so here’s the latest round of news from the world of photography:
Kodak-Branded SLR – 6th of march, 2007
‘Vivitar has plans to develop a Kodak SLR camera similar to the Vivitar V3000s,’ said Vivitar UK CEO Abbas Bhanji who added: ‘The planned KV100 is, at the moment, at the development stages and once released will be aimed at educational institutes who specialise in traditional photography.’ …
… Initial predictions of the death of film have been somewhat premature, according to Joel Proegler, general manager of Film Capture at Eastman Kodak who told us: ‘Kodak has focused on the digital message for the past four years. As we come out of that transition, one thing is very clear: film is a very profitable part of the business’.
Now, a simple case of re-branding an existing camera? Perhaps, but if it’s “in development”, perhaps not. Some quick research turns up the specs on the Vivitar V3000 – it’s sort of a modern Pentax K1000 with a plastic body. Pentax K mount, manual everything, built in light meter, split prism finder – really a solid basic SLR. Vivitar has never been a camera manufacturer, but has sold cameras under it’s brand since the 1970′s – so where this is actually being manufactured, I don’t know.
But, disregarding the speculation that will ensue – There will be a new Kodak brand, K mount, Manual SLR coming to the market. It’s aimed at educational institutions, and I’d expect it to be around 200-300USD.
Ilford in Japan
Japan likes film, and a fair few photographers quite like Ilford, so reports of Ilford pulling out of the japanese market upset a fair few people. Chugai Graphics released a statement, which you can find [here, in Japanese]. I don’t read Japanese, but those who do have pointed out what the beef was.
Essentially, Harman wanted Chugai to carry their range of Harman Inkjet products, as well as the Ilford Photo range (Remember, Harman is the parent company of Ilford Photo). Chugai already carry the old Ilford line of Inkjet papers (From Ilford Imaging, seperate to Ilford Photo.), and they apparently couldn’t handle products from two competing companies. Disagreement arose, and there was apparently some bad blood between the companies, and Chugai made an announcement before Ilford/Harman.
However, A new distributor has been appointed – CyberGraphics/Oriental, are now the distributor for Ilford in Japan. There’s even a Ilford Photo website for japan now: www.ilfordphoto.jp/
Simon has informally made the announcement:
Sorry to get to this late : HARMAN technology Limited have indeed appointed Cyber Graphics as its new and exclusive distributor in Japan. I am also pleased to announce that the full and comprehensive initial stocking order for our new distributor is on the water and we do not expect any stock outs whatsover to occur. A full press release will follow in the next few days.
Mr. Simon Galley [source]
So there you go. Ilford Photo are still in Japan, and it seems they’re happy about the new arrangement.
New camera from Fuji
This is big news, and I haven’t had time to report on it. Fuji have shown the prototype of a new folding medium format camera at PMA 2008, in Las Vegas.
It’s been affectionately dubbed, “That new Fuji Folder” – usually followed by a few sentences about mortgaging a house to buy one if that’s what it takes.
Pricing has been the biggest point of speculation – with anything from 500-2000USD suggested.
But, down to the cool stuff:
-It’s name is the GF670
-Rangefinder coupled 80mm lens f/3.5 lens
-Metal construction
-Manual film advance
-Both black and chrome finish available
-Shutter Speed is 1/500 to B
-Exposure compensation in 1/3 stops, 2 stops each way
The Speculation
-TTL light meter?
-Focal plane shutter or leaf (in the lens) shutter?
-flash sync at all speeds?
-Auto exposure? (There is an “A” on the shutter speed dial)
Some Photos:
Some Links:
-Initial Report
-The first images
-A video of the camera
-Czech blog, some more phots
David Bram got this response from Fuji USA:
“We wish to inform you that the new portable medium-format film camera displayed at the recent PMA 2008 Show is a prototype and currently not available. At this point in time, there is no additional information on the technical specifications, pricing, or release date for this prototype. “
A lot of people got this same reply. It’s a generic response, which suggests they’re getting a hell of a lot of inquiries about this camera. That’s a good thing.
As others have pointed out, a lot is price dependent. If it’s too expensive, why wouldn’t you just buy a Mamiya 7? 6×7 is often touted as Ideal Format, the aspect ratio fits perfectly onto a 8×10 sheet of paper. I’d prefer 6×6 or 6×9, and there’s a lot of speculation about maybe more than one version if there’s enough demand. Maybe even a version with a wide angle lens?
This has been debated on various forums for quite a while, and we’ll just have to wait and see. Everyone has their personal preferences . Personally, I’ll consider one if it’s in ther 500-1200USD range.
Also, Cosina’s speculated to have their hand in this as well. Expect more at fotokina in September.
So that’s the state of traditional photography today. We’ve been left waiting for more from Fuji and Kodak, and I’ll report back as we get it.