Asher Kelman
OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Michael Reichman said:
Michael Reichman is usually ahead of the curve on digital cameras. He went rhapsodic on the D30 announcing its virtue over film way before a lot of others. When I saw the photography of Neil Turner of dg28.com (Neil, BTW is a great photographer and his website has very useful information), I was blown away by the beauty of the D30 images. They were shown on DPReview after Phil Askey's review and when I saw them I knew there was Digital Nirvana and its first name was Canon.
Well since then Michael's testing of gear always fascinates me. He has used his Contax MF camera with various backs, praised square format and used everything. He has written about more MF backs than almost anyone and more recently seems to be gravitating towards and shooting with Phase One people and cameras.
He gave, as he does, from time to time, a sort of State of the Union written address on MF cameras a little while ago, June 2006, and was bemoaning the falling of camera companies like dominoes, with just one company, Hasselblad, left standing and most all the backs orphans without bodies.
Well, look what happened! Yes, Mamiya and Pentax are off to slow starts (or no start) but that is not the real picture.
F-Distagon 3,5/30 HFT PQ
Distagon 4/40 FLE HFT PQ
Distagon 4/50 FLE HFT PQ
Distagon 3,5/60 HFT PQ
Planar Rollei 2.8/80 HFT PQS
Planar 2/110 HFT PQ
Makro-Planar 4/120 HFT PQS
Sonnar Rollei 4/150 HFT PQS
Sonnar Rollei 5.6/250 HFT PQS
"Sinar Hy6 represents the beginning of a new era of digital medium-format photography. Evolving from a technical cooperation between Sinar and Franke & Heidecke, it is a leap forward in innovation that is bound to revolutionize medium-format photography work for many years to come. To cite just two examples: The Sinar Hy6 is currently the only 6x6 cm medium-format camera with 6x4.5 cm capability, so that it can be used for vertical and horizontal as well as square photographs."
Well remember Rollei and the 6008 boxy series, (always technologically ahead of Hassy's but somehow not so popular), well here's the heir, the Hy6, a Rollei design 6x6 film/digital camera that can be had clad as a "Sinar" (a Jenoptic back, now "Sinar"), "Phase One" or "Leaf" and fitted with the respective backs. Oh, BTW, heard of film? Well it uses that analog material too!
And who should arrive on the scene. Remember that dying company called Leica? Well this is proof of resurrection! Leica has indeed purchased the 51% of Sinar (owned by Jenoptic) so now they control this new camera!
So here's Leica now controlling perhaps the most important medium format camera in 40 years and actually marketing the real true almost messianic M8 Digital Leica.
Imagine, Leica now controls the only universal mount modern camera that is produced today that can take any of the backs made except one.
The latter is Hasselblad. The one company that was supposed to lead the pack has now turned inwards and controls everything in custom lenses with software to get rid of vignetting chromatic aberration, geometric distortions focus issues, all within the camera based on the lens that's mounted!
Sounds brilliant? Well yes and no. The new 28mm lens will put it ahead for some interior designers and architects.
Phil Askey said:
Still, one can take a 35mm lens put it on a Horseman Digital camera and do just as well and shift the back X and Y planes to get a larger architectural image. Or do the same with a Sinar e75 with Sinar LF camera or an Ebony with a Phase one back or many other combinations that will leave the new Hasselblad in the dust.
So, the Hasselblad is now a perfectly integrated system, a good answer, but not as dynamic as we'll find with the new Leica(Sinar(Rollei)) camera called the Hy6.
I guess Hy stands for hybrid!
The special thing about this camera is market forces will be at work. The front of the camera will take Schneider, Zeiss and Sinar lenses. The back of the camera can be film or any digital back you choose!
So, there will be a lot of competition to sell us the backs. I see prices going down as MF backs compete for the limited market for these cameras. I see this as an important stabilizing point in the history of the MF camera. At least that's what the potential. Now who would have even though Rollei would be represented in this new camera? More crazy, who could have dreamed that we might see a Leica lenses and name plate too?
Now I know digital Nirvanas real name and it's Leica!
Michael has been to Photokina; see what he says in his fascinating video blog. After all he actually has held all these cameras! http://luminous-landscape.com/photokina/medium-format-report.shtml
One great thing about Luminous Landscape is the publishing of The Video Journal. Professionally produced, the DVD's cover all aspects of photography. https://www.luminous-landscape.com/video_journal/index.shtml The video blog is made ad hoc at Photokina so it does not represent the production standards of the Video Journal. OPF has no financial interest in LL and my remarks are unsolicited.
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Q,PQS,EL), 90mm4.0macro, 100mm3.5macroAF, 110mm2.0, 120mm4.0macro(PQ,PQS), 150mm4.0, 180mm2.8, 180mm2.8AF.....3 zooms (af, non-af),....you get the picture