New cameras - is anybody making & selling?

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ianjmatt

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Talking with friends there does seem to be a returning interest in film photography (the local sixth form are now doing an extra-curricular film photography course for example). But it seems all equipment is second-hand. Is there anyone making new film SLRs or rangefinders? I can't seem to find anything online.
 
I believe there is the Nikon (Cosina manufactured) FM10, there's the Phenix/Vivitar SLRs which are all K-Mount.

However, for the price of most of these, you can get a reasonably good second hand SLR, pay for a CLA (clean, lube and adjust) to bring it back up to factory standards and have something just as good, if not better.

Leica still makes some film rangefinders, such as the M7 and possibly the MP, I believe the Mamiya 7II is still in production and one of the various offspring companies of Franke & Heidecke still produce the occasional Rolleiflex, the last that I heard.
 
Canon still make the EOS 1V
 
ianjmatt said:
Is there anyone making new film SLRs or rangefinders? I can't seem to find anything online.
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You can still buy a new Voigtlander Bessa rangefinder

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/shop-by-brand/voigtlander/cameras.html

and Fuji are making the GF670 medium format rangefinder, a brand new model from a year or two ago

http://www.robertwhite.co.uk/shop-by-brand/fuji/fuji-gf670-medium-format-camera-1.html

They followed it up with the GF670W with a wide 55mm lens last autumn.

Then there's all the Lomos, Holgas and other plastic 'Lo-Fi' film cameras which are still being made...
 
I think you can still buy new Nikon F6's as well. Might not actually be in production, but Grays list them on their website.
 
Woodsy said:
I may well be wrong, but do Mamiya still make the RZ67?
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I dont think so, I think they have gone towards 6x4.5 digital
 
There's also a few Phenix SLRs which you can get for a bit less than £200, but considering what you could get for that used it's hard to justify.
 
I dont know if Zeiss (Cosina) have officially discountinued all forms of the Ikon, but you can certainly pick up new ones from a few places, and they are very (very) nice
 
Mamiya still make the RZ and the RB, and the 7 mk2

Hasselblad V system is still available.


Its funny how your best chance of a brand new film camera these days lies with medium format, a format never adopted by the masses.
I suppose it just goes to show how far the arse fell out of 35mm..:(
 
As does the Hasselblad H series with the H4X which can take a film back, also many Large format cameras 4x5, 5x7 and 8x10 models all being made by a variety of manufacturers.
 
joxby said:
Its funny how your best chance of a brand new film camera these days lies with medium format, a format never adopted by the masses.
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Arguably that actually makes sense, because once the masses no longer wanted 35mm cameras, it made it difficult for the manufacturers to justify continuing to make them - especially since their production lines were likely geared to produce a camera for the masses. On the other hand, cameras like the Mamiya 7 were not exactly being produced like a Canon AE-1, they were cameras with a niche following, a following that still exists even today.

(backing up your point a tad)

I believe many of the mentioned cameras, including the ones in my post, are on a "sufficient orders"/"from remaining parts" manufacture.
 
Although with reference to the OP, I doubt that there are many 10x8 or 4x5 SLRs or rangefinders being made :)
 
Also of interest: has anyone actually bought any of these recently?

The availability of so many great film cameras in the used market, coupled with relatively low demand among the pros who used to buy new high end cameras like most of the ones listed, I can't imagine there's much of a future for any of these, but it is encouraging that they are still available.
 
You can buy an RZ kit, its a body with your choice of digital back, the body sold with this kit lends itself technologically to digital backs in that it contains wireless/sync/digital technologies not present in the film version RZ body....but........it still takes a film back.
So at least as far as Mamiya are concerned, you buy a new digital body with film capability.
 
In addition to all the above Pentax 645NII and 67II MF SLRs are still being made.
 
dalex_257 said:
In addition to all the above Pentax 645NII and 67II MF SLRs are still being made.
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Officially yes, unofficially no. The last production run of the 67II was in about 2007 which surprised a lot as there had not been one for more than a year or so and to my knowledge there's not been a 645NII production run for some years either - most of the lenses for it which are still in production are only sold in Japan as well although some are starting to trickle out with the 645D. It is apparently possible to order either camera if you directly order with Pentax Japan though.
 
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TheGreatSoprendo said:
Also of interest: has anyone actually bought any of these recently?
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I purchased a Phenix camera with the Pentax K Mount when I was fourteen & first getting interested in black & white film. It was £12.50 off Bay of the E with three lenses, leather case & a range of other accessories. It was in pristine condition {purchased from a photography student who'd had no interest in film} & I still love using it today. I'm twenty this November ~ it's served me well!

deba4d17.jpg
 
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s162216 said:
Officially yes, unofficially no. The last production run of the 67II was in about 2007 which surprised a lot as there had not been one for more than a year or so and to my knowledge there's not been a 645NII production run for some years either - most of the lenses for it which are still in production are only sold in Japan as well although some are starting to trickle out with the 645D. It is apparently possible to order either camera if you directly order with Pentax Japan though.
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The OP question was not about how the factory runs are structured but whether it is possible to get a new one and it is. Pentax Japan still lists them as current products not discontinued ones. I may be mistaken but I don't think you can compare factory runs for MF with the way how 35mm (D)SLRs are. Those MF cameras nowadays are more produced on demand where current stocks are depleted and it probably does not make much commercial sense to produce them on a streamline basis like their DSLR line.
 
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