Have We Seen The Last Release of a Serious Film Camera?

Have We Seen The Last Release of a Serious Film Camera?

  • Yes

    Votes: 271 46.2%

  • No

    Votes: 316 53.8%
  • Total voters
    587
Chris101 said:
The F6 is amazing, that's for sure. But I wonder why it exists.
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One of my friends told me something interesting today. He's always blabbering with the owners of a local photo shop. Apparently, if someone with theft insurance gets a Nikon film camera stolen (F100 or N90 for example), the insurance company is compelled to replace the old film camera with a new film camera. Since Nikon only has one autofocus film camera, then the stolen one is replace with a F6.

If you think about it, camera thefts might actually provide Nikon with a steady stream of F6 sales.
 
antiquark said:
One of my friends told me something interesting today. He's always blabbering with the owners of a local photo shop. Apparently, if someone with theft insurance gets a Nikon film camera stolen (F100 or N90 for example), the insurance company is compelled to replace the old film camera with a new film camera. Since Nikon only has one autofocus film camera, then the stolen one is replace with a F6.

If you think about it, camera thefts might actually provide Nikon with a steady stream of F6 sales.
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Does anyone want to steal my F100 ?
 
Chris101 said:
The F6 is amazing, that's for sure. But I wonder why it exists. Perhaps for the digital shooter who wants to have a film camera they can just pick up and shoot?

I mean, it saves the EXIF to a CF card! What's up with that?
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> I mean, it saves the EXIF to a CF card! What's up with that?

Way cool, huh :)
 
antiquark said:
One of my friends told me something interesting today. He's always blabbering with the owners of a local photo shop. Apparently, if someone with theft insurance gets a Nikon film camera stolen (F100 or N90 for example), the insurance company is compelled to replace the old film camera with a new film camera. Since Nikon only has one autofocus film camera, then the stolen one is replace with a F6.

If you think about it, camera thefts might actually provide Nikon with a steady stream of F6 sales.
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Depends on what kind of insurance one has. Replacement cost or actual value.

http://insurance.suite101.com/article.cfm/q__acv_or_rcv_

Replacement cost insurance costs more - most people don't have it for that reason. And you still generally have a deductible to overcome, so you have to cough up the first X dollars of that, the insurance doesn't kick in until that's paid.
 
filmfan said:
Does anyone want to steal my F100 ?
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I'm sure you're joking, but just FWIW, in most states, insurance fraud is a felony. You don't just get your claim denied, you go to real pound-me-up-the-butt prison. And now that insurance companies are doing everything they can to cut costs, I would not be surprised to find a person's joking reference to wanting to arrange a theft for monetary gain as a good reason to doubt a claim.
 
Replacement cost or actual value, the insurance company is going to give you a check, not deliver an F6 to your door, no more than they'd deliver a new BMW to me if my boring little Saturn went missing.

It does, though, bring up the question of how insurance companies determine either the actual value or the replacement cost of a used camera.
 
Coming late to this thread, and having read every post (Whew!), what I wish - that film would endure - and what I fear - that digital will smother it, it is merely my dilemma.
And, yes, the tons of perfectly good film cameras still in existence would certainly give any manufacturer pause when thinking of introducing a new one. Yet, Cosina did just that, and an "archaic" rangefinder design to boot.

I'm with Keith; I think the R4A is a truly innovative product and I'm shortly going to buy one. I would love to have an M2 also, just to have one, just to feel all cuddly that I own a genuine Leica camera! But I suspect I'd use it less than I'd use the R4A, simply because the R4A is easier to use and has the wider framelines and a brilliant viewfinder and a genuine built-in metering system. Leave the Luna Pro home!

Heck, I still like my Bessa R, clacky shutter and all.

I also still like and use my beat-up, brassy Spotmatic SP and the many lovely lenses made for it.

If I were to wish for something new? Well, redesign to the top plate of the R4A, smooth it out a bit. Sort of like an M. Lessen the shutter release sound. That's it.
 
Ted,
You've just described the Zeiss Ikon ZM! :) Flat top, better viewfinder than the R4, if you can believe it, and a somewhat quieter shutter.
 
As many have stated, I think we have not seen the last serious film camera introduction. I do think the majority will be in the MF & LF category, but I think a couple of 35mm cameras may be introduced down the line. I think Leica might possibly one day put out a new version of the M, and I think MP2 is a pretty good guess for the model designation.

As an aside, I still listen to vinyl (though not exclusively), and I have a tube amplifier, and a mechanical automatic winding wrist watch.

I also shoot motion pictures and television shows for a living. Some are shot on digital HD formats, and some are shot on 35mm film (and even super 16mm). Film is not dead yet.
 
Jaime, I had totally forgotten about the ZM. Thanks. What are its framelines? Well, I guess I could google it.
 
Not only will the large camera companies stop making film cameras, but they will lose the knowledge and expertise to make film cameras. The cliche is true--you cannot go back.
 
Jamie Pillers said:
Ted,
You've just described the Zeiss Ikon ZM! :) Flat top, better viewfinder than the R4, if you can believe it, and a somewhat quieter shutter.
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Well, except that the R4 viewfinder magnification is .52x, shows framelines uniquely starting at 21mm. That's what makes the R4 so interesting! Manual sets of 21/35, 28, and 25/50. And the ZI body has a .74x viewfinder with auto-setting framesets of 28/85mm, 35mm, 50mm. The two make a complementary pair! :)
 
Just got a Nikon F2 for $200, pretty much mint. That and the Leicas should last a life time or until I can no longer get film/chemicals/processing.

Nikon has made their last. Leica can`t sell many MP`s, 150 a month by their words. I don`t see a new film camera from them.

CV & Zeiss, well maybe some tweeks. To sell lenses, they need a camera and Mr. K is supposedly not interested in digital. Even Leica has not mastered digital RF yet, ie red corners etc. I think his money will come from Nikon and Canon mount SLR lenses and M mount lenses.

Film is not dead yet, but has not long to go at any decent volumn. Without volumn, it does not make profit and they it moves to China or ceases to be made. Ilford will be the last quality manufacturer.

I give it 5 to 10 years when it becomes an unaffordable niche product. In the mean time, I am stocking on on metol, hydroquinone, sodium sulfite. Have a box of Borax from the laundry aisle that will be good to 2049 at least.
 
Right! It will be surprise to see new ZIkon camera. I think that Cosina is one of the last of the Mohicans in film camera world ... hmmm. I know, it will never happen, but Bessa camera with cloth shutter and longer EBL ... it sounds good, right?
 
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