Fuji GF670 limited run of 5000 for USA

[RayPA]

Pre-Order at B&H for $1899

Pre-Order at B&H for $1899

The camera is available for pre-order at b&h for $1899, which is a little better than the MSRP quoted.

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[Steve Bellayr]

pre-order $1900 USA

 

[Jamie123]

Wow, Fuji must be the distributor for their version so it doesn't get wrung through the Gandy price fixing...

That's a bit out of line, IMO. Stephen's price for the Bessa III was/is very competitive.

Naturally, Fuji will be the distributor of their camera and since the GF670 is a higher volume production run than the Bessa it also makes sense that it's cheaper.

 

[chris00nj]

Wow, Fuji must be the distributor for their version so it doesn't get wrung through the Gandy price fixing...

Harsh indeed. Gandy isn't "Big Camera" (ala Big Oil). It's hard to "price fix" when a) you don't have to buy it and b) there are alternatives available, like a vast used market of medium format equipment.

The Bessa III are priced too high, people will purchase alternatives. Goods are price at what the market will bear. Right now, 50-60 year old Bessa IIs sell for about $1000 on eBay when they are in nice working order. It's hard to say that a new Bessa with all the bells and whistles should be less than that.

They'll sell at $2200 for those willing to pay the money, and then they'll drop the price. If they immediately started selling them for $1400, then they lose $800 on the people who would have paid $2200 for it anyway. All companies do this. Apple and the iphone come to mind.

Cosina isn't Goldman Sachs with government infused capital. They need to make a profit to stay afloat and design new gear.

 

[Jamie123]

I thought Mr. Gandy was the official importer and US distributor for Cosnia Voigtlander products?

"CameraQuest is a Voigtlander USA distributor"

He's a distributor, not the distributor. The Voigtländer homepage shows at least one other distributor for the US (Photo Village in NYC). And then there's still the possibility of doing grey imports.

 

[aizan]

From what I've read the camera is produced start to finish by Cosina and they only approached Fuji for marketing reasons.

But does it really matter? The lens is what it is and there are quite few tests and sample pictures around by now. I'm sure the coating is compliant with Fuji's guidelines for EBC lenses or else they wouldn't write it on the lens. Both Fuji and Cosina are Japanese companies that make some very good lenses.

it's a fuji camera made by cosina. the zeiss ikon is similarly a carl zeiss camera made by cosina.

i don't think any of this matters a lot, only in passing. i rate fuji lenses more than cosina, at least. mostly because they have a consistent look, a very good one at that. voigtlander lenses are all over the place as far as that goes, plus they use misleading lens names. it's a little off putting. not that i don't want an early bessa r2a and 35mm skopar pii. 😉

 

[Pickett Wilson]

As far as I can tell, the Fuji is no more a "Fuji" than a Zeiss Ikon a "Zeiss" or the Nikon FM10 a "Nikon." Their names are on the camera, but it's all Cosina. The Fuji and the Bessa III are exactly the same camera. Perhaps they thought there were a few more bucks to be lifted from well-heeled Americans.

 

[thegman]

According to this blog comment (not exactly a reliable source, I know), Fujifilm are making more than 5000, as just Japanese pre-orders exceeded that:

http://travel67.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/fujifilm-gf670/

Not good news for collectors, as it makes their camera somewhat more common, but great for film shooter all round I think.

 

[jonmanjiro]

According to this blog comment (not exactly a reliable source, I know), Fujifilm are making more than 5000, as just Japanese pre-orders exceeded that:

http://travel67.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/fujifilm-gf670/

Not good news for collectors, as it makes their camera somewhat more common, but great for film shooter all round I think.

This blog comment was made nine months ago in June 2009.

I think the posters *currently* on display at Yodobashi Camera would be a more reliable and up to date source of information. Those posters say its a limited production of 5,000 cameras.

 

[Pickett Wilson]

"According to this blog comment (not exactly a reliable source, I know), Fujifilm are making more than 5000, as just Japanese pre-orders exceeded that"

My understanding is that they actually didn't sell as well as expected, rather than they didn't make enough. Can't you still buy cameras from the original batch?

 

[jonmanjiro]

As much as I hate to say it, I think Fuji is going to find it tough selling 5,000 of these.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I think that these are last year's posters referring to the Black launched in 2009.

Oops, my bad. You're right.

Fujifilm's announcement about the black GF670 says its a limited version of 5,000 units, but Fujifilm's announcement about the silver GF670 does not mention production numbers.

 

[Rayt]

Thanks, and by the comment that Fuji approached Cosina, can it be presumed that Cosina built the camera and used a Fuji EBC lens, or is it that Cosina built and provided camera and lens under contract to Fuji?

Cosina makes lenses for other brands including the highly regarded Nikkor 45/2.8P.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Cosina makes lenses for other brands including the highly regarded Nikkor 45/2.8P.

I'm pretty sure the Nikkor 45/2.8P was manufactured by Tochigi Nikon.

Not that that changes anything though, as Cosina is very capable of making top quality lenses.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Just got back from speaking to the Fujifilm rep at the CP+ Expo (equivalent of Photokina in Japan) currently being held here in Yokohama!

He said:

* limited run of 5,000 is for both black and silver versions combined
* around 3,000 blacks have sold so far
* Bessa version and Fujifilm version are identical
* the lens in both is a Fujinon lens (surprised me, but that's what he said)

 

[sevo]

Of course it makes the "Heliar" naming a complete farce.

That it is no Heliar was already obvious from the element count, and with Cosina naming almost everything Heliar, it is no surprise to see a double Gauss Fujinon branded that way - given their liberal nomenclature, I would not even be surprised at a Cosina Heliar ashtray edition...

Sevo

 

[jonmanjiro]

Why surprised? As I said, Fujinon is a Fuji group company and unless the quantities are too low for them to bother designing a lens or pricing is not competitive, why throw the money to Cosina instead of giving them lenses to put into the camera at assembly? Of course it makes the "Heliar" naming a complete farce.

The 5000 figure is confusing of course. When they announced the GF670 last year the number 5000 was quoted, so how come this now includes silver too?

As they made the body I fully expected that Cosina also made the lens, so it was a surprise to learn that Fujinon actually did. Both companies are capable of making great lenses.

As for the confusing 5,000 figure, I expect its a case of revised expectations to match shifting goal posts.