Voigtlander/Fujifilm MF folder

[Steve_F]

Hi all,
I don't know if anyone here was at 'Focus' at the NEC (UK) but I was talking to a guy from 'Fujifilm' about the 6x6 / 6x7 folder (BessaIII) and he said that it costs the equivalent of about £1500 in Japan.
Ouch! That'll count me out until they appear second-hand....if ever.

Steve.

 

[Tuolumne]

Actually, 1653.17 pounds. Japan Exposures (formerly Megaperls) is carrying it now. If you really want it, you can get it in 3 days from them. I've decided to just add an 80mm Mamiya 7II lens to my collection for less than 1/3rd of the price.

http://www.japanexposures.com/shop/product_info.php?currency=GBP&products_id=259

/T

 

[Eric T]

That's pricey even with the reduced value of the pound. The price in the USA may be a little lower. Does the UK price include VAT?

 

[Harry Lime]

That's nuts. It's a nice camera, but it's not worth over $2000 dollars. You can get a nice Mamiya 7 II or RB/RZ, Hasselblad, Rolleiflex, Fuji 6x7/6x9 or Plaubel for that kind of money.

They even want 82GBP for the hood.

 

[Solinar]

I just bought a Nikon 8000 scanner third hand - so I'll be sitting out the March 15th - introduction of the GF670.

Megapearls/Japan Exposures shows a price in US dollars as $2,352.51

Is whatever sales tax charged in Japan included at this price?

 

[dazedgonebye]

I'm afraid that is "nuts" from my perspective as well.
I'd love to have one, but no way I'll be able to talk myself into it for much more than half that price.

 

[Tom A]

I think this is one of those "bad timings" - though through no fault of Cosina and Fuji. The Yen took off and gained a substantial amount, the US$ tanked and so did the Pound sterling! At the onset the price was thought to be around $15-1600 - high, but not outrageously so. The collapse of the "greed" decade has pushed it up and it will be a difficult sell.
It is a stunning piece of work. Great rangefinder, bright view finder, AE exposure system and whisper quiet release. Not small, but portable and the optics are supposedly very good. We are off to Japan in late March and I hope to have a chance to shoot with a Bessa III for a week there. Will bring Ektar 100 from here and pick up some Acros 100 there.

 

[projectbluebird]

Like many cameras, I'll have to covet this one from afar, unfortunately. From the photos on cosina's website though, it looks like a very very nice folder. I'm still happy with my Agfa Record III, but I wouldn't mind AE sometimes.

 

[jwhitley]

We are off to Japan in late March [...] Will bring Ektar 100 from here and pick up some Acros 100 there.

Hmm... I thought that Ektar 100 in 120 wasn't due out until April. Pulling some strings, Tom? Or am I simply misinformed?

 

[noimmunity]

At the onset the price was thought to be around $15-1600 - high, but not outrageously so.

That's what we all thought it would be. At that price they would have sold at least 3-4 times more than what they will sell at $2300.

 

[Keith]

It has the potential to turn into a huge lame duck ... and possibly not Cosina's fault!

Collectors will likely buy them but when you consider how cheap used MF gear is you'd have to think very hard about parting with this much money for a 6x7 folder and fixed lens combo.

If you actually want to shoot 6x7 and not just be the first kid on the block with the latest greatest toy there's much better options.

 

[Tom A]

Hmm... I thought that Ektar 100 in 120 wasn't due out until April. Pulling some strings, Tom? Or am I simply misinformed?

Trying to - but if it doesn't work - it will be Acros instead. Not a big blow to me any way. I like black and white more than color!

 

[maddoc]

The test report and photos of the new Fuji 667 in "Camera Magzine #9" look very promising to me. It is a quite heavy camera, 1kg but nicely flat when folded.

Foreigners buying in Japan can have the consumption tax deduced, when presenting their Passport with the normal tourist visa. The consumption tax in Japan is 5% now.

 

[historicist]

£1600 isn't too bad - I sold my Makina 67 for about £1000 if I remember rightly and that was a camera with really bad ergonomics and a terrible viewfinder with a reputation for unreliability. There aren't really many cameras in town if you want folding and medium format, and most of them are expensive.

The Fuji is new, hopefully has a good RF and less reliabilty problems, weighs a fair bit less, has AE, etc. etc. - it doesn't come off too badly in the comparison assuming it all works as it should. The price sounds fair for a new medium format - after all, a Rollei 2.8FX costs £4000 which is at least four and more likely eight times as much as a 2.8F costs and presumably people buy them.

At that price I can't see it selling a lot but it doesn't seem unreasonably expensive to me.

A Mamiya 7 new is £1719, and used to be more expensive before Mamiya ran into troubles - about £2500 if I remeber correctly. Of course with the Mamiya you get interchangable lenses, but the fuji is more compact...

 

[mgd711]

I don't think the price is all that high. A couple hundred dollars over what it should be but not double. Anyhow, mine's ordered and I hope to have my sticky mits on it soon.

 

[Matus]

I hope that all of you who soon will get one do realize your duty to report in detail how great this camera is, how it changed your vision and how you just can not imagine to make it without it from now on; so that the rest of us, who can not get it for whatever reasons, can suffer even more 😱 ... (you know, it is Monday morning ... 😉)