What's up at Fuji - PMA 2008

I AM surprised -- I was expecting it to look closer to the more recent Fuji 645 cameras, which weren't exactly attractive. I didn't expect knob wind, but that's OK, believe me.

What's that bellows material? Kevlar?
 
Okay, who's going to be first to complain that the focus ring is tabbed, and they prefer knurled. 😉

Looks like it has aperture priority with +- settings. Pretty cool, but where are the sports and macro settings?

This one could make my Rollei get lonely, but then there's the cost. Any word?
 
P3tr said:
PMA08_04.jpg

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From: http://www.grafika.cz/art/df/pma08-prvni-dojmy.html
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Wow, yeah !!

When and where this will be available?

It remeind me of my Dad´s old AGFA folder, long forgotten but still remember how much I liked to play with it.

Thomas
 
Sorry guys I think this camera sucks.

It's just catering to nostalgia buyers. If the rangefinder camera market of the future means producing 1950s cameras over and over again, with the possible addition of the occasional 1970s feature like an "A" mode, then we can kiss the MF rangefinder market goodbye and leave it to the collectors. And if this is supposed the symbol of Fuji's commitment to film, then I don't think their commitment is worth a lot.

This missing the whole point of a camera IMHO, which is not to stand in glass cupboards and incite warm fuzzy feelings in camera collectors.
 
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rxmd, I think you made your point in your post above. It's a camera and takes pictures. You don't like it. Cool. Thanks.
 
rxmd said:
This missing the whole point of a camera IMHO, which is not to stand in glass cupboards and incite warm fuzzy feelings in camera collectors.
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It depends on you if you use it or put it on the shelf. I certainly would use it. This promises to be the most compact 6x7 camera ever (correct me if I am wrong). This IS exciting. By the way, there are many committed photographers here and elsewhere using (!) the Leica MP. Following you logic, all these MPs should stand on the shelf.
 
Looks a little retro to me too, although I'm still very glad to see it.

Personally. I would have preferred an update on the last Fuji folder, one that moved the game on a bit.
I know it looks retro but does it walk the walk? With an electronic shutter I'm guessing it won't work without batteries.

How about a carbon fibre or titanium body? More advanced metering?

Oh and how about a lever film advance - I hear they're been very popular over the last 40 years or so. 😉

*Runs*
 
I for the first time in a very long time am experiencing a bit of GAS...
Don't care for the knob wind or the placement of the shutter speed dial, but otherwise it looks well thought out to me. Retro Shmetro, Fuji's got a nice concept here.
 
rxmd: Yes, (assuming it is actually produced and sold) it will take pictures on film ... whether or not it is "retro" or whether or not "retro" has any bearing on ones desire to have this camera is irrelevant except to the individual. As for me, I have no realistic desire to own a MF camera right now; I focus on 35mm & 4x5. But...

If I did want a MF camera, this would be right at the top of the list. Not because it is "retro" (whatever that means ... I think it is an example of really good industrial design), but because

  • It is new and will have warranty and support
  • It will have the latest Fujinon lens design
  • It will NOT be autofocus and have a lot of additional electronic tom-foolery
  • It looks to be compact and likely be made of "modern" materials giving it a good strength-to-weight ratio
  • The 6x7 format fits my shooting preferences, though this is not my highest priority
  • It is a film camera and I prefer to work with film at this time
  • Again ... it will have support from the manufacturer

The only downside is that it is fixed lens. I can live with this, though a non-folding system camera would be more interesting to me. But hell, the number of good photos that can be made when you have only one choice of lens is infinite.
 
When shooting MF with an RF, knob or lever wind is irrelevant, IMO. The knob maintains the clean design. I dare someone on this forum to tell me none of us considers design and how a camera feels when succumbing to GAS. 😀
 
JoNL said:
It depends on you if you use it or put it on the shelf. I certainly would use it. This promises to be the most compact 6x7 camera ever (correct me if I am wrong). This IS exciting.
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Well the Plaubel Makina 67 is certainly in the same ballpark, and as long as none of us have seen either the camera in real life or some specs this is kind of a pointless discussion.

JoNL said:
By the way, there are many committed photographers here and elsewhere using (!) the Leica MP. Following you logic, all these MPs should stand on the shelf.
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The MP is the M6 under a new label. The M6 never went out of production. By rangefinder standards it's a mass-market camera.

This is not like the M6, it's more like Leica's reproduction of the 0-Series Leica, or like a Nikon reissue, at least unless Fuji starts to produce on a larger scale (well until they produce it at all, really). I am sure there are some photographers using those to take pictures, too, but most of them probably stand on shelves. Then again there are people doing grocery shopping in a Ferrari, and if Ford issued a limited-edition reissue of the model T marketed only in Connecticut, I guess some people would drive around in those as well. It's not my job to criticize these people how they spend their money or what they do with their stuff, I just think that there isn't a lot of future if all you can do is cater to these people.

As I said, I just think it's pointless to produce 1950s cameras all over again. The best you can achieve is competing with the used market. Nostalgia only gets you so far. The next thing will be an auto-exposure Synchro Box, probably.

Philipp
 
foto_fool said:
Oh joy. Another "film is dead" thread. :bang: Many corporations seem to be unable to come to grips with the reality that all markets are now niche markets. Production runs for everything are going to be measured in the thousands, not millions.

Development and tooling costs drop every day. Newer manufacturing lines are able to produce multiple products simultaneously, to supply demand at the finest granularity and do it profitably. Companies that don't move to keep up with this trend and harness the power of these new technologies will go the way of the dinosaurs (buh-bye, Kodak).

I expect that - barring a comet strike or some other unforeseeable end to civilization as we know it - my grandkids and their kids will still have the option to shoot film.
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Wow !
Without the smallest hitch of irony, I have not read such an interesting statement for long a while. Again, I am not kidding.

But the writer needs to substantiate it somewhat more.

Cheers,
Ruben
 
Sorry guys I think this camera sucks. - rxmd

Goes to show that you can't please all of the people all of the time - In this case that includes most technophiles.

Collector edition or not, I'll definitely be able to use this camera. So, I'm saving up my yen just in case this 6x7 folder comes to fruition and it turns out to be only issued to the Japanese home market.

This is definitely a niche camera - So, don't look for perfection.
 
rxmd said:
As I said, I just think it's pointless to produce 1950s cameras all over again.
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This is exactly what Leica does since 1954 with their M-series cameras (and not the O-series you mentioned). And there are quite some photographers around (me included) who are grateful for this. Not at all pointless.

There are plenty of cameras available (not in 6x7 however) which cater for those who want the latest technologies. This is great. Here is one exception for the much smaller audience which prefers simple cameras. This is great, too.
 
I'm with Solinar on this. I want one and will find a way to afford it if they produce it.

I really don't care if it's supposed to be for collectors only - if I can get one it'll get a heck of alot of Reala run through it 😉

William
 
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