What if Nikon (and Canon) released new RF FILM cameras (and lenses)?

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Well Nikon did, in 2000 and 2005.

I mean, it was a limited-run, special remake of their classic S3 and SP rangefinders, but still - who else has ever done such a thing?

I have a Nikon SP 2005 and if things get really dire in film manufacturing I'll buy as much bulk 35mm I can and shoot that camera forever.
 
It sure would be fun; however it's more likely you could build a time machine,
transport yourself back to the 1950's and buy them when they were making new ones.

Don't forget to bring a pocketful of cash...

Chris
 
Not sure why they would do it now. Who needs it? A few.
RF made by Canonikon are still around. It is not about having not enough. I purchased original Canon IId, no problem. It is parts and service. Was it Nikon offering films cameras special over one year not so long time ago?

It is 21st century and if anything is to be done for climate change it should be not producing of new, but supporting something which was made to lasts for decades and works as new, as long as service, parts are availible.
Enough of this planet eating consumerism, it works, but me wanna new, already.
 
CameraQuest said:
Nikon MIGHT if there are more classic remakes.

Unlikely, but possible.
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If film users keep making noise and if RF fans keep making noise Nikon may be tempted to join the party.

Suppose they come up w/ something along Bessa and ZI prices.

Now that would be an interesting plot twist.
 
splitimageview said:
Leica still offers the classic M camera in the form of and M-A, or metered M-P.
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Leica deals in the luxury market.

NIkon sells practical tools. I want Nikon to sell us something in the 1k price range for camera body! And lenses in the $600 range... W/ nikon pro quality. :):):)
 
colker said:
Canon and Nikon have tons of experience w/ rangefinders.
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Corporations don’t have experience; individual humans who worked for those companies had that experience. And they’re mostly dead, and took the requisite knowledge to their graves with them.
When Nikon reissued the S2 and SP, they had to mostly reverse engineer them because many of the original drawings were gone, and the manufacturing methods had changed as well.
NASA engineers have confirmed to me that America could not build another Saturn 5 rocket today if it had to, for the same reason. Designed with slide rules, and much of the necessary paperwork is just gone.

Unfortunate, perhaps, but not gonna happen. That’s pretty much the safest of safe bets.

Although ......I understand that Russian scientists in Siberia are working on bringing back the Wooly Mammoth. Seriously. So, yes, you’ll probably see Wooly Mammoths roaming the tundra before Canon brings back the 7S.
 
colker said:
How did they lose money on a camera that sold out like the SP?
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Its because they cost a whole lot more to develop and manufacture them than they sold them for. And its been mentioned more than a few times over the years here, that it took a long time for them to eventually sell them all. Meaning, the demand was "OK" but it wasn't overwhelming.

I just don't see a pressing need for another round of S3s or SPs in 2019 or 2020 or whatever, with the 2000-2005 versions still available nearly-new.
 
colker said:
Leica deals in the luxury market.

NIkon sells practical tools. I want Nikon to sell us something in the 1k price range for camera body! And lenses in the $600 range... W/ nikon pro quality. :):):)
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Seems to me that when Nikon did this in the early '00s, the prices were about 2.5x to 3x what you are looking for above. They would be more expensive today.

That's not quite as expensive as a new Leica M-A or MP, but it's not that much cheaper either. And they were certainly sold as "luxury" products for enthusiasts and such.

I wouldn't be interested in a new Nikon or Canon film RF camera because I already have all the Leica M-mount lenses I need (never mind both Leica M film and digital bodies). If I needed a new film body, I'd buy a body that took my existing lenses—that is, another Leica M. It's the economical thing to do: my kit of Leica lenses is worth about three to four times what a new Leica M body costs. But my 40 year old Leica M film camera is just fine and I don't need (or want) a new body. :D

G
 
colker said:
What if Nikon (and Canon) released new RF FILM cameras (and lenses)?
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They would only hasten their demise (especially Nikon)! :bang:

splitimageview said:
Leica still offers the classic M camera in the form of and M-A, or metered M-P.
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Leica gets away with it (in limited numbers) because they're a privately held company.

IMHO it's foolish to pay $4k+ for an MP or M-A when you could get a freshly CLA'd M6 or M2/3/4 for a fraction of the price.
 
BillBlackwell said:
IMHO it's foolish to pay $4k+ for an MP or M-A when you could get a freshly CLA'd M6 or M2/3/4 for a fraction of the price.
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Leica M6 prices are closing on 2k. Those cameras are 20 yrs old. 4k for a new camera does not sound that foolish anymore. Not to mention all the VF flare problems and cheaper construction on M6. IMO it´s wiser to pay 4k and get an MP.

In the end it´s a niche and fickle market which counts as a blimp in Nikon´s horizon.
 
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