All Voigtlander Film Cameras Sadly Discontinued

[Eugen Mezei]

Too bad someone does not make a simple, non metered, roller blind shutter, M mount camera. If Leica can get away with the MA for $4.5k then surely there would be a small market for a Fed 2 type simple camera with an M mount.

In the old days you made a product, payed your workers, your toolings and all your expenses and sold it so you had a reasonable profit. Reasonable enough to have it constantly. These days it is not enough to have a sound profit, at the moment your stockholders smell greater profits elsewhere they will leave you. (Btw., I'm convinced this happens with film production too. Never heard that Fuji or Kodak produced film at loss. But most probably the financial gain is bigger when tearing down the factories and sell the land. (The same happened with Forte.))

 

[Keith]

I realise the market is heavy with used film cameras but I have to say I'm stunned at this news.

 

[ian_watts]

Yes, does seem sad and a little at variance with the more confident mood within the film photography world. Perhaps CV cameras are neither trendy or blingy enough for today's film camera buyers? Certainly the CV cameras strike me as a hard sell when you can buy a decent serviced M2 for £600.

 

[Michael Markey]

Yes, does seem sad and a little at variance with the more confident mood within the film photography world. Perhaps CV cameras are neither trendy or blingy enough for today's film camera buyers? Certainly the CV cameras strike me as a hard sell when you can buy a decent serviced M2 for £600.

Think that you`ve hit the nail on the head there Ian.
Film cameras are , for the public at large, considered an eccentric choice and therefore blingy.



In which case Voitlander are going to loose out especially when you can buy ,as you say ,an M2 or M3 for not much more.

 

[jarski]

perhaps new digital Bessa RF is just behind the corner 🙄

 

[k__43]

the Bessa III too? so sad!

 

[Keith]

So will Cosina not be manufacturing any cameras at all now?

 

[jsrockit]

I can't say I'm surprised. I never see them being used by anyone here in NYC anymore. Even some of the film diehards at our RFF meeting are increasingly going towards digital.

 

[lynnb]

BH only list Leica, Nikon and Voigtlander for 35mm film cameras - it wasn't long ago they still had EOS 1v's available for order. So now, what 35mm film cameras are available new apart from Lomo, Leica, Nikon and the Fuji Natura Classica? Is the "new" Rollei 35 still produced?

There's something darkly funny that before long the last two men standing may be at opposite ends of the spectrum - Lomo at the bottom and Leica at the top!

This is sad news about Voigtlander. I didn't see that coming so soon.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

perhaps new digital Bessa RF is just behind the corner 🙄

I could understand stopping of film cameras production, but I don't understand why they never upgraded RD-1 series. Plenty of hipsters, including me 🙂, to buy one if it is bellow $2K price, FF and in the same film RF body with shutter lever.

 

[Snapper_uk]

Yes, it is sad news. I bought a Bessa R2a (secondhand) as my introduction to rangefinder photography 10 years ago and I'm still using it regularly with never a problem. I added an R4a a few years ago - these are a great little cameras giving a relatively inexpensive way into rangefinders.

 

[swatch]

bought and have used R4M for 2 years ... the attraction to me is the unique viewfinder

R4M is a good camera and believe its 2nd hand price will go up due to production stop

enjoy rangefinder more ( easier to focus / quiet ) than SLR / TLR ... now only still offer new is Leica i.e. MA

hope Leica can keep offering RF camera

 

[ray*j*gun]

What is the difference between Nikon and Contax/Kiev mount?

Nikon S and Contax/Kiev mount camera/lenses have different pitch specs. The whole story can be read on Henry's site.
http://www.zeisscamera.com/articles_cnrfdr.shtml

 

[ray*j*gun]

I could understand stopping of film cameras production, but I don't understand why they never upgraded RD-1 series. Plenty of hipsters, including me 🙂, to buy one if it is bellow $2K price, FF and in the same film RF body with shutter lever.

Plus one .....

 

[Vickko]

Oh crap, better look at getting a Bessa III soon.

 

[sc_rufctr]

Lets hope they do a full frame digital rangefinder in M mount.

Maybe I'm being naive even hoping for that.

 

[Godfrey]

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven ...”
(Ecclesiastes 3:1)

“There’s a time to be born and a time to die; there’s a time to know love, and a time to cry. There’s a time to be young and fill the world with laughter; a time to grow old wondering what comes after. A time for love, a time for tears–oh well… All things in their time.”
(Lou Rawls 1976)

Cosina is a business. If there's inadequate profit in manufacturing film camera, then it's better for them to divest themselves of that costly business and put their money into more profitable endeavors.

The fact that I could buy an almost new condition, recent production Nikon F6, a top of the line camera still in production and selling for $2200, for less than 30% of that price says to me where the film camera market is. It's a tiny, hobbyist, enthusiast market nowadays. Leica's camera prices are reflective of what it costs to remain profitable given the sales numbers and the size of that market, and Cosina would not be able to sell at that pricing given the commentary I'm reading here.

Celebrate and applaud what Cosina has achieved over the past twenty years.
Look forward and hope for the new things that they might achieve in the years to come.

onwards,
G

 

[Bingley]

I saw that the Bessa R2A was discontinued a couple of months ago, but managed to find a new one from Adorama via Amazon.com. One of the last in stock. Glad I jumped on it, as it's a great shooter and I love the aperture priority mode. I can't afford an M7 or a ZI. Too bad this high value line of cameras is disappearing.

 

[HHPhoto]

Lets hope they do a full frame digital rangefinder in M mount.

Maybe I'm being naive even hoping for that.

Let's hope they don't do that, because it would be their financial death:
Millions of R&D costs needed, just to enter a tiny niche market, in which even Leica had to fight significantly decreasing sales (whereas their film Ms have increasing demand).

Not to enter the digital market with own products was probably the most wise decision Cosina has made.
I well remember a talk with a Zeiss camera salesman at a photo fair in Germany: He said the whole rangefinder market is less than 1/1000 of the SLR market.

It's just a little wonder that Cosina could produce cameras for this extremely tiny market for so long.
Don't forget: When they entered the market 15 years ago it was a total sensation! Everyone was surprised, and most thought that they will never be successful.

Cheers, Jan

 

[HHPhoto]

The fact that I could buy an almost new condition, recent production Nikon F6, a top of the line camera still in production and selling for $2200, for less than 30% of that price says to me where the film camera market is.

Then you've had very good luck. That is not a normal price for a mint used F6. Normally the price is higher.

Interestingly Cosina is still producing film cameras for other brands: Nikon FM10 and Vivitar V3800-50.

Cheers, Jan