ALL ZI & ZI SW production stopped

jpskenn

jpskenn

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Nov 23, 2010
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Hi, ZI lovers.

I share you a bad news that ALL ZI & ZI SW are discontinued.

Today, Fujiya Camera, a famous shop in JAPAN tweets (*Japanese only) like below.
https://twitter.com/fujiyacamera/status/276534767091081216

It says:
[Finally discontinued!]
Carl Zeiss Zeiss Ikon & Zeiss Ikon SW are discontinued!
Hurry up for limited stock!

After seeing that tweet, I telephoned COSINA about this news.
COSINA says:
- Production is stopped.
- There's no specific production timetable at this moment.

Keep watching the official information.(Not released now)

# Sorry about my poor English
 
Funny, the thought that this would happen occurred to me earlier this week. Honestly, I'm surprised it took this long, but it sure is a shame. I had a ZI that was terrific, though sadly it's in someone else's hands now. I wonder what this will do to used prices?
 
I've always thought the Ikon was in a difficult place price wise ... a fair bit more than a Bessa and pretty much on a par with a user M7 or really mint M6. Fantastic camera though and a shame to see them ceasing production.
 
The rumor is that they are retrofitting the production lines to start building digital ZI's. ;)
 
kxl said:
The rumor is that they are retrofitting the production lines to start building digital ZI's. ;)
Click to expand...

You might want to cite sources for this...just because it's on a bunch of wishlists (mine for sure), doesn't mean it's going to happen. Zeiss reps have been denying development of a digital ZI for a year or more now.
 
I am not really surprised. I wonder which rangefinder to get for a while now, and I would never consider a new ZI when for the price I can get a used M6TTL with recent CLA and 6 months warranty. Even used ZIs are around €700 to €800 depending on condition.
 
It made sense new as a price point between the Cosina RF's and the M7, as a good camera with a lovely bright finder. People buying new at that price point now seem to be buying from among the many digital offerings recently available. The ZI will certainly be missed.
 
Great camera, nothing lasts forever. Unlike digital, film cameras must compete with cameras made 50 years ago, always going to be a tough market. I wonder now what Cosina will do (if anything). Nobody could have predicted they'd have made a 6x7 folder, so who knows what they'll get up to. Interesting times.
 
Fortunately I have managed to get mine ! ! !
I wish this end will be the beginning of ZI digital ERA...
and will not stop the production the awesome ZM lenses...
 
...bad news...guess teh economy is not helping...

Have you any news about the line of lenses???

someone said in a previous ost that zeiss was about to launch a new lens for the M mount cameras...did it happen???

:rolleyes:
 
Zeiss is known to be a optical company, not a camera maker. They haven't made a camera in decades (the M-mount Zeiss Ikon is made by Cosina after all).

I get the impression that selling lenses for SLR's and for the M-mount is profitable for them. I doubt they'll seize production of the ZM line.
 
kanzlr said:
I am not really surprised. I wonder which rangefinder to get for a while now, and I would never consider a new ZI when for the price I can get a used M6TTL with recent CLA and 6 months warranty. Even used ZIs are around €700 to €800 depending on condition.
Click to expand...

Well, every time I get to hold an ZI for a while, I envy its crystal clear viewfinder. When I first learned about rangefinders, I wanted this ZI. I was brainwashed by 'friends' that I supposedly would end up with a Leica anyway, sooner or later and I should just give in now. Well, I have the M6TTL 0.58, and I think I might have been happier with the ZI. But maybe it is just as they say: the grass is always greener on the other side. ;-) Bye, M.
 
mile said:
Well, every time I get to hold an ZI for a while, I envy its crystal clear viewfinder. When I first learned about rangefinders, I wanted this ZI. I was brainwashed by 'friends' that I supposedly would end up with a Leica anyway, sooner or later and I should just give in now. Well, I have the M6TTL 0.58, and I think I might have been happier with the ZI. But maybe it is just as they say: the grass is always greener on the other side. ;-) Bye, M.
Click to expand...

I traded my ZI for an M6, regretted it right away. I then went to M3 and was much happier, but I still consider just going back to where I started with a ZI.
 
Production stopped and being discontinued are completely different things. Production is done in batches, it's not like they are making them all the time. The frequency of production batches is determined by how fast the stocks are exhausted, which in case of the ZI, is very slow. Anyhow, all film cameras will be discontinued sooner or later.
 
Not really surprised it was discontinued. Introducing a rangefinder (guaranteed low production) just when the digital market was catching fire about guaranteed it's demise. Like any discontinued film camera, it will be missed.

Jim B.
 
The SW, surely, was discontinued some time ago. Linking the ZI and SW in this way makes me slightly suspicious...

And as EdwardKaraa says, Production stopped and being discontinued are completely different things.

Cheers,

R.
 
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