Looks like the Rollieflex branded version of the Hy6 will be shown at PhotoPlus Expo NYC:

http://www.imaginginsider.com/?p=60883

http://www.cameratown.com/news/news.cfm/hurl/id|4494

This is the camera that is looking for someone to make a Phase One adapter plate. Or for Phase to get off the bench and sign a license with F&H.

I was told by a phase dealer that phase will be exhibiting a back on this camera at the ny expo

"Called the Rolleiflex Hy6, the new camera is a film-digital breakthrough that features a unique open system for high-end digital backs, but also 6x4.5 and 6x6 format film."

this does not sound like sinar and leaf only....but in the brochure they say "all sinar and some leaf backs.." i guess we will know more in a couple of weeks.....
i was always sure that phase would be on some incarnation of this camera....did not expect itto be so soon....

Afaik, any digital back which fits onto a Sinar Hy6 will fit an AFi and a Rolleiflex Hy6 too, so it won't make a difference.

afaik the Hy6 won't accept the leaf back and the Afi not the sinar....so it seems that the rolleiflex uses an adapter system to accept backs....anyway we will know more soon...
or maybe thierry or yaya have something to say here?

Who is the importer/distributor of Rollei in the U.S.? Sinar or D.S.M.? Both seem to have claimed exclusive rights to sell Rollei professional products in the U.S. market.

Will lenses and accessories for the Hy6 be distributed by Leaf, Sinar and D.S.M.?

Who will provide service on the "Rollei" Hy6?

Thierry already has. See posts 16 and 17 in this thread:
http://luminous-landscape.com/forum/index....showtopic=19705

Sinar has worldwide rights to distribution with the exception of 2 countries I believe. Japan and the UK.

D.S.M. does not have rights in the US although claiming they do. What they are currently doing is bringing in Grey Market product thru Japan and claiming to be the US importer. Any purchase from them would probably be dicey from a warranty perspective and involve a camera being sent back to Japan.

My understanding is different: Sinar isn't planning to sell the Rolleiflex branded version of the Hy6, so F&H can sell their camera wherever they want through other channels. What they cannot do is license the Hy6 firmware to a digital backmaker. That right is a Jenoptik exclusive. So there is nothing "gray market" about the Komamura representation of the Rolleiflex Hy6 in the US or wherever they are selling their stuff when Sinar is not doing it.

It isn't very clear for any potential buyer. Looking at the Franke & Heidecke web-site, they appear to be a contract manufacturer with no mention of where to buy products. F&H Link

The Sinar Bron web-site makes no mention of Rollei products anywhere. Sinarbron Link

D.S.M. seems to be the only one with a web-site talking about U.S. distribution, but via Japan. DSM Link

Confusing!

If you have the Rolleiflex Hy6 camera can you use it on any digital back? Also can you use firmware update from Sinar and Leaf?

The development of the Hy6 appears to have been a joint effort with contributions from Jenoptik, Sinar, Leaf and Franke & Heidecke. Sinar will sell a Sinar version. Leaf will sell a Leaf version. It looks like there will also be a Rollei branded version, but nothing appears online regarding distribution of the Rollei brand except from D.S.M..

So, I'm still confused. Will Leaf and Sinar and D.S.M. all provide sales of lenses and accessories for the Hy6? Are firmware upgrades to the Hy6 universal or specific to brand? Who services what?

I guess time will tell. Anyone know yet?

Dear TechTalk,

I can tell you that Sinar will sell the Sinar branded Hy6 in the USA, through its official distributor, together with all lenses and accessories.

Service and support are of course also included in this service, as well as firmware updates, like for any "normal" product.

Best regards,
Thierry

Thierry,

I have every confidence that Sinar will provide excellent support and service for the Sinar Hy6. What I've noticed, however, is that there is little or no mention of lenses or accessories on either Sinar or Leaf web-sites. Any information on distribution of Rollei branded products is very hard to find as well.

Thanks for your response and best wishes to you.

I believe this information shall be available as soon as the camera is ready to ship.

best regards,
Thierry

this is just amazing...i am pretty sure there has never been a camera that has been announced with so much confusion....just do a search on this forum....and misinformation.....
afaik sinar was supposed to be the sole distributer for rollei in the US! and now this! i really ownder who makes the desicions with whatever company owns/builds/...the Hy6....thierry comes here and tells us that there will not be a rolleiflex Hy6 sold in the US, because i am sure that is what sinar was told by F&H and here it is before sinar can put it on the market!

anyway...i think we all knew that phase would at some point get thier backs on the Hy6, but like someone else pointed out here: firmware updates? service?(i am sure that onick with rollei/hensel in NJ is getting training on it as we speak, so i am not worried) warranty? distribution?
this fits just in with the rest of the great rollei history of great marketing fiaskos....

and yes i can't wait to get my hands on one....because it will be the best camera...

ps: did anyone bother to check out the ridiculous pricelist on the website...the lenses are even more then on the sinar pricelist....most of which can be had quite a bit cheaper from "old" rollei dealers...crazyness!

I'm confused!

Is Franke & H then ignoring Jenoptik by selling through DSM in the US or is it something that Jenoptik endorse?

If not then this will only worsen relationship between the companies. Is that not potenitally disasterous for the Hy6 project?

From DSM...

'Direct Source Marketing, www.dsmww.com the U.S distributor for medium and large format Horseman and Rolleiflex professional cameras and Rodenstock filters, will be the sole source for the new camera and all Rollei products in the U.S. ranging from prisms, lenses and monorail systems. The products are available at leading retailers.'

Sole source? No mention of Sinar or Leaf?

I don't geddit.

Jo S.x

Why would a Rolleiflex dealer mention Sinar or Leaf? I don't get it.

No offense, but as great as this camera might be, this is the exact reason why I'd never come close to considering it for a tool that I make money with. Here we are, two weeks or so from when it's supposedly unveiled, and they don't even know how to communicate with the public on who is going to sell it.

Imagine it going down. Imagine needing a part for a job. Berlin's gotta call Switzerland, who's gotta turn around and call another country. And there you are, holding a camera that doesn't work, and your job is in three days.

These guys seem to be great engineers, but exceedingly poor SELLERS of cameras. As if, the only thing that mattered was designing it and manufacturing the first one, and then the thrill is over.

Again, this seems like The Ultimate Dentist Camera -- if it goes down on a Sunday morning, when the guy is going to take a leisurely walk thru the countryside and "snap some snaps", then, well, what a shame. But nothing is really lost, because he goes back to being a dentist tomorrow morning, and he still gets paid.

No thanks. If it's this confusing right out of the gate, wait til the real problems begin, when real photographers, (real customers), start demanding answers on delivery.

No, no thanks at all. This camera's marketing makes Phase One seem like true marketing geniuses.

Personally I think it is a very good thing that the Hy6/Afi can be purchased from different sources. Imagine what would happen if -for example- only Sinar had control over the pricing of the camera. They could sell the Rolleiflex branded version at a higher price than their own branded model, although technically there would be no difference between the two. Now DSM has to compete with the Sinar offering, which is only good for the end users. As we can see in Sinar's European price list there are already big differences in pricing between buying the Hy6 with an Emotion 75LV (EUR 2,480 extra) and buying the same camera with an Emotion 54LV (EUR 5,015 extra). Looks like Sinar sees the camera as a marketing tool to sell their digibacks, especially the e75LV. And Leaf obviously sells the camera to move more backs as well. F&H does not sell digibacks, so DSM will have to compete in a different corner of the marketplace. Let's wait and see who comes up with the most attractive offer. All we have to do is sit back and relax.

Sinar will sell the Sinar Hy6. Leaf will sell the Leaf Afi. DSM will sell the Rolleiflex Hy6. What is difficult to understand about that? And if you have questions about the respective models, why not ask each supplier for details?

Mark, isn't it clear that the Sinar Hy6 will be available through the existing Sinar network? And the Leaf AFi through the Leaf network? etc. How is that any different to buying another brand through another network?

Dear Mark,

no offense too, and with all due respect, I think you cannot just bash on a product and company, being it Sinar or F&H or else. Berlin is gonna call nobody, nor is Sinar goona call another country. We are mature companies and people who might not always have all right, but we know what we are doing, in opposition to your suggestion.

Let things come and judge then.

Thanks for your understanding,
Thierry

Famous last words.

Dear Paul,

as you probably know, things and decisions sometimes change in life as well as in busines. Yes, I did tell that the Hy6 would be sold by Sinar in the whole world, and yes I did say here that the Rollei branded model would be sold only in Japan, Russia and China. That was the information months back.

Now let things come and see. Fact is that Sinar is selling the Hy6 worldwide and in this nothing has changed. I don't see therefore anything so different and dramatic.

Best regards,
Thierry

But "we know what we're doing", Thierry says. And you got to take his words at face value.

With the Canon 1Ds Mark III on the right, the Hasselblad H3D Mark 2 on the left, and the Nikon D3 (and possibly, a D3x) in the middle, the Hy6 in all its variations is soon going to be a moot point anyway. As Mark says, the Ultimate Dentist Camera.

Thierry, the market decides. Let's hope you're right.

I'm not sanguine.

The last story that I heard about USA Sinar was that there was a woman who ran the parts department out of her garage somewhere in the midwest. If you caught her at home, you might be able to do the deal. Uh, not my cup of tea.

I think a lot of this too is somewhat of a cultural gap. Maybe a slight difference in the USA mindset versus the Europe mindset. I have a friend that was born in Germany, but lived here for many years, and he's just now moved back to Germany. He described to me the difference in trying to buy a car there, versus in the US. He said, in Germany, you might go to the showroom and ask to drive a car. The salesman might say, "Oh, you have to make an appointment for that, how about a week from Thursday?". So then, ten days later, you come back and drive the car, and you like it. You then have to set another appointment to come back and do the money part. And then maybe another appointment after that to actually take delivery.

Here in the US, the chain-smoking salesman sits out front of the dealership with his binoculars, waiting for Fresh Meat to drive up in the parking area. Before you're out of your car, he's got his hand extended, and he's slapping you on the back, complimenting your wife, and offering Little Tommy a cherry sucker. You find a car you like, and they'll trip all over themselves to have you sold a car within the hour, and you drive it home that night.

(Actually, thinking about it now, I kinda prefer the German method, due to the quality of Car Salesmen that I've met over the years, but this does not support my argument at this particular time).

I just think the USA method is to "give me the information, keep it simple, make it fast, and let's do the deal, and don't screw me". And when there's a job on the table, as a commercial photographer, the last thing that I want to hear is, "The part is out of stock; we must order it from Zurich, or Berlin, or _ _ _ _ _ (fill in the blank with any European city)". My fear is any answer I'd hear from that question, in any language, would translate into "eight to twelve weeks, let's hope".

All I know is, the USA world is speeding up, and NO client wants to hear No for an answer. No matter the reason.

To be frank, I mildly follow the Hype6 discussions. Maybe it WILL be a great camera. But like I (and others) have stated, there has never been so much confusion around a new product in the history of MF photography. Is that the customer's fault? Do all these companies that are in bed together have a chance to clear up the confusion? Yes. Are they doing it? Hmm.

Just one opinion.

Well Mark,

I can tell you that the statement you make above is utterly ridiculous. I worked for Sinar Bron for 4 years, until this past July.

The main and ONLY office is in Edison, NJ and currently has 4 repair technicians. Parts are fully stocked and available.

There are independent authorized repair facilities around the country. Due to the age of digital many of these repairmen of mechanical cameras have disappeared or are much smaller operations. I can say it is possible that one of these repair facilities does not have a given part at a given time. But they are NOT the factory repair facilities in the US.

Matt LaPointe

Yes, the market decides, you are right. So I don't understand why some people are such bothered and bash a product or a person standing for it.

I thank you for the "moot" and "dentist camera" words.

Respect is all.

Best regards,
Thierry

Mark,

I can assure that you can buy a car in 1/2 a day in Switzerland, with a test drive and even drive home with it the very same half day (and even without paying one cent that same day!). I did it with the 3 cars I owed there. And I guess this is the same in Germany.

Best regards,
Thierry

Thanks Matt to put this right!

This is the problem with "I've heard ....".

Best regards,
Thierry

I can say that all of the view camera manufacturers that we sell have varying degrees of infrastructure. I won't name the lower ends of the rung. We are authorized for nearly all of them. Sinar is and has been by far our most sold view camera brand for decades. The biggest reason - outside of the excellence of the product - is that the infrastructure that Sinar possesses in terms of staff, repair facilities and available inventories dwarfs their competitors.

The Hy6 is certainly a venture in a different direction for Sinar, and it will be a challenge. As dealers, we have tried to help make them aware of the challenges that exist in the medium format world, and we are hopefull they are up to it. Regardless, while inventory on the shelf isn't necessarily 100% guaranteed, whatever we can't get immediately is typically shipped within 1 to 2 weeks, and these instances are relatively rare.

The fact that Sinar has already launched a promotional Hy6/eMotionLV special bundle that includes a Free 5 YEAR Hot Swap Warranty (good through December 31, 2007) bodes well for their committment and capability in supporting the product.

Steve Hendrix
www.ppratlanta.com/digital.php

I just realized that Mark might have mixed up Sinar with Arca Swiss.

Arca Swiss is imported by a woman out of Chicago, who is a relation of someone at the Swiss Consulate here. She has been an importer for 10+ years now and yes she is very hard to get a hold of. She inventoried the US stock out of her garage on the North Side of the City.

However their repair is done by Precision Camera Works here in the Chicago area and they are reputable and stock parts.

The problem with Arca Swiss at one time was getting accesories. I don't know how consistent their distribution is in the US currently.

mark....you should know better then that...sinar is and was the most respected 4x5 and 8x10 studio camera for the last ? forever? so i would not worry....
and that sinar announcement beats anything and everything by a mile...5 years with 24 replacement? that is insane! tha is what i want! btw: does that include the camera as well? that would be the real killer!

but all that does not solve the problem we are really talking about....how confusing is that to begin with: ONE camera with (for now) 3 different names on it, from (for now 3) different distributers....again just do a search here and let your jaw drop by reading all the confusion and misinformation going around...and neiter sinar, leaf nor F&H or jenoptic really does anythng about it...honestly it is not good for a product to come with a 3 page explaination on who, where, how and when designs, builds, distributes, owns and in the end takes care of it.....this does not go over well with consumers.....
consumers want all in one packages with "mega focus" and "worlds first and best" labels.....which is why dentists these days have H3Ds....they don't even know what the Hy6 is and even less where to get it.....call a distributer? i want ot walk into a store and buy the toy!

yes..i still want the Hy6 and the deal: Hy6/emotion75/lens/90finder+5years/24 hour at 32000 should make everybody looking into a system right now seriously consider this.....but somehow i don't know.....what does leaf say about this? how come they don't offer that? will they? will the rolleiflex Hy6 partner with phase? bth thierry and yaya have been putting their hands in the fire, saying it won't happen.....turns out now, this could totally be on the table....which would totally undermine all "marketing" that was done up to now on sinar and leaf's part.....

i guess just having the best quality does not work anymore...listening sinar?

Paul,

I did not say that exactly, but that Sinar will not do an adapter for Phase backs, neither for Hasselblad, and that they are not part of the Hy6 project.However, I said also that nobody can stop them to make their own adapter.

Best regards,
Thierry

But we still can discus where are built the better cars ..... and who`s selling more, more so in proportion to the size of the countries.

but i did not understood all the hysteria about the HY6 some months ago , as it would be the first and only medium format camera for digital , and now, one time more, i dont understand all the spaculacions in this post, nor before the long discussions how bad it might be that there is no 28mm. probably the camera will be a success with so much attention given to it .

I am speaking for Sinar, not for F&H or else.

Best regards,
Thierry

Thank goodness that there are amateur [from wikipedia: The word comes from French, and can be translated as "lover of", reflecting the amateur's motivation to work as a result of a love or passion for a particular activity.] photographers that appreciate the efforts made by manufacturers like Sinar, Leaf, Phase One, Hasselblad, Rollei, Mamiya and many others. Manufacturers that have many people in their operations that also love the art and science of photography. Manufacturers that have struggled to stay in business, to deliver a higher quality product for a small market, in an age where digital technology has made "economy of scale" in production costs vastly greater than they ever were before. Yes, bless those amateurs that can afford to appreciate the unique esoteric tools that others rely on to make their living. Without them, some of those tools would be even more expensive than they are now–if they could exist in the market at all.

Those amateurs, that some condescendingly think of as sheep being lead around by clever marketing, make it possible for the small volume manufacturers to stay alive. And by keeping them alive, provide additional opportunity to make sneering remarks about the efforts of these manufacturers to develop and market new technologies and products.

You have questions about technology, features, marketing, business decisions–ask them. You have criticisms or praises–make them. But the amount of disrespect and cynicism that I sometimes see directed at manufacturers, their products or the people that enjoy using them is disheartening at times, to say the least.

Just my little rant for the day.

I think this is a dream situation for a salesman, and why some people get "screwed over"


Thankfully we have a great customer/consumer protective legislation where I live, when you purchase something as a consumer you get at lest 2 years (most ofthen 5 years) of protection from faulty fabrication or other product faults/defects.

The salesman has two tries to repair or replace the defective product, if not you can demand your money back. If the salesman is not able to repair within reasonable time (counted in weeks, not months) you are entitled to a loaner of the same type product/quality. If the salesman can not provide such a loaner, you have the right to get your money back.

This basically means if the answer is "you have to wait eight to twelve weeks..." on a reasonably new product you have a dealer in a lot of trouble standing in front of you

To me what is certain, is that Sinar/Leaf/F&H/Jenoptik have released information about their product too early, maybe in some hope to cut sales from HB and make people "wait for the better product".

-axel

Hello,

last week at a photo fair here in Barcelona I handled the Leaf AFi and a full functional Sinar Hy6.

What a hell of a camera.

The shutter sound is distinct but rather on the quieter side, like a damped down rollei. The handling is good, the grip will make holding the camera great.
Changing orientation of the back will take only second, but a MamiyaRZ style revolving adapter would be useful. Control layout is simple and easy to understand. Good combination of digital and analog controls.

And boy what fun to look down on a screen and to compose an image...

Regards
Heinrich

... and the same full functional Sinar Hy6 was demonstrated at the "Salon de la Photo" in Paris, as well as at a exhibition in St. Petersburg.

Best regards,
Thierry

The 5-year "hot swap" warranty promotion on camera, back and system components is also impressive service and added value.

Apologies, I didn't really express myself very well.

What I meant to say was F&H are in the position of being an OEM manufacturer for Leaf and Sinar.

Therefore I think the situation would be clearer if they remained autonomous.

Deciding to try and sell themsleves in a large market like the US then puts them in competition with their partnered companies of Leaf and Sinar.

F&H have more to play with on profit margains so will they then be putting pressure on Leaf and Sinar to cut their prices to unfair levels?

That's what I meant to say. Not saying I am correct at all - I just think it might be a interesting discussion.

Jo S.x

Actually, many thoughtful professionals have made well reasoned and considered decisions to purchase the H3D. Some see value and advantage in the technologies that Hasselblad has developed and in the integrated system approach. Hasselblad seems to be proud of their products, but I've never seen them show any sign of dismissive contempt for other products.

Mark, your anti-Hy6 attacks are factually incorrect and bordering on libelous. Be careful.

You have already been corrected regarding your parts dealer story. Besides, the time taken for an out-of-stock part to come in is moot when you get a loaner unit.

Sinar's 5yr/24hour offer sounds very interesting to any working professional.

Btw, I bought a car in Germany once, and it was all done on the spot.

You got to laugh at/with Mark - see the humor

my next door neighbor has a D200 and there will be three at any wedding and one for sale every airport in the world

That is better than any service backup agreement IF you shoot D200 and yours pops theres always one you can borrow

IMO sinar is not adressing becoming a thinking dentists camera, just a bit cooler than a regular dentist (who has the H3d)

It is critical for dentists to use the kit - means turnover - stock - rental - S/H - price pressue - market - and funding for future developments

Some one mentioned sinar having been the top guys in viewcams for 50 years - where is the top guy in typewriters now - what does heritage mean

The most critiacal thing is sinar need to get into the rental network

Who can affrod two and who can afford 24 hours of downtime in the middle of a shoot?

SMM

The story about the running out of her garage is for Arca Swiss.

Take it from someone who owns an Arca Monolith and will most likely not buy another Arca product again.

Precision does a great job at repair, but if Bob doesn't have the part, it takes for ever. It took two to three months to get a repair done this past spring. For a part that could have fit in a padded fedex envelope and shipped over. But they had to wait for a shipment to come over.

On the Rollei front. The 6008 was my first complete pro system with two bodies and six lenses in the early and mid 90's. Back then there was a small repair shop in Jersey that did all the repair and getting any kind of accs or part was a pain to say the least. Rollei always produced the most amazing catalogs and well made products. Battery technology was not all that great when the 6008 came out and this is why I left Rollei back then. You had to use those damn rechargeables and they lasted between 100 and 300 shots depending on the battery and there was no consistency.

I think the concern for most of the people here are the Phase users that may want to use the Rollei. For the Leaf and Sinar user they are covered and both companies will offer a solid support. SinarBron in the US has always been there for parts and service.

The main problem is Rollei and what they will do to support the Rollei branded version of the Hy6. I hope that Rollei will sell a raw stripped down body as a back up. From the looks of the Rolei it will be the perfect camera for me. A cross between the RZ and the H1/2. With the ability to use the older Rollei Schneider lenses and then get a X-Act. It is a great all around camera.

With all the confusion on the Rollei brand with this new DSM company it will be tough. I though i had read somewhere that SinarBron would be the exclusive distributer for Rollei products in the US. If they decide not to promote the Rollei Hy6 to push their own agenda of the Sinar Hy6, then they are shooting themselves in the foot. If Sinarbron takes the helm to offer service, parts and support for the Hy6 all around then we have a winner. If not then the Sinar customer will be covered. MAC Group does a stellar job at service and support for their products.

If Briese, Rollei, Arca and Alpa got together and started a US distributor we would be set. With the kind of Service ans support that SinarBron and Mac Group provide.

Rick,

Please take this with the complete humor that it is meant. Saying Briese, Rollei, Arca and Alba getting together would be great is kind of like a photographic manufacturer fantasy pool, or arguing whether Superman or Batman would win in a fight. You have to remember that they are all individual companies and on some levels compete for the same market elsewhere.

DSM is owned by Tosh Komamura, who also owns Horseman. Which is why DSM is the mechanism to distribute horseman and and try and move more Rollei in the US. I am sure DSM's efforts also have a bit more urgency in trying to go toe to toe with Sinar, because of their long standing competition in the view camera market.

All 4 of those companies have suffered from weak distribution in the US. Many reasons including marketing, quality control problems, and just plain not understanding the US market. It is much harder than you expect to create a distributor that does it "RIGHT". If it was there would be a few hundred more brands in the US than there currently are. Many quality products have come and gone just because the importer could not get it together.

F&H did put out a press release last year that Sinar would be the worldwide distributor of all Rollei products with the exception of the UK and Japan due to previous distribution agreements. Obviously that has been muddled now and I am pretty certain there is more legal wrangling going on behind the scenes than we know. I don't think you can expect Sinar Bron to become the warranty center and repair center for all Hy6 variants. They are just an importer of goods into this country. They are owned by 3 individual manufacturers (Broncolor, Sinar and Foba) but are independent as a business entity. They have to buy parts and eat the cost of service just like any other importer.

For the record, my comments are well-intentioned. My intention too is to flush out some more cold truth about the past performance of the companies involved in this venture, so I can know whether to completely write them off or not. My initial gut feeling is not good at all.

From afar, when I read about the three companies who are cutting up the Hype6 pie, I get this mental image of a very well-dressed, three-headed technician, with his white lab coat, and his engineering degree. Like some mythological character from a Greek tragedy, (except he's much better dressed). This giant figure is lumbering towards the marketplace, but as he approaches, one of the three heads begin to make snide comments to the other heads. Before long, all three heads are in full battle with each other, and they haven't even reached the Town Square yet. Just before it enters Main Street, the three heads are spewing arrows at the other heads, and the giant figure falls head-first into the Hardware Store window and dies a quick death. It killed itself, before it ever got to the party.

As a guy who's had a MF camera go down on him, in the middle of an advertising job, Fear is my middle name sometimes, with these cameras and backs. It's not a happy thing to admit, but when there's money on the table, and your neck is on the line, you need something you can count on. I keep two bodies and two Phase backs, and multiple lenses in my kit at all times. The thought of a "24 hour loaner" is a total joke. What happens when the thing goes down at 9:15am on Day One of a two day shoot? Do I eat the expenses for that Day One? No, I pull out my second body/back, and keep working.

The "24 hour loaner" is fine for the Dentist, because his goes down on a Saturday morning, and tomorrow's sunrise also calls for sunshine, so he's fine with the 24 hour loaner.

Many people have made good points in this thread. You think I'm being alarmist/libelous? Read the other comments. I stand by every word, (except the Arca craziness).

Read this: NO ONE WANTS CONFUSION. This Hype6 came out of the gate way too early, hoping that everyone would keep their money in their pockets. Now, they are paying the price. Months of contradictions; no real information or reliable pricing anywhere. They should have kept their mouths shut, just like Canon does. Do you see confusion in the Canon camp? Or, for that matter, even Phase?

When there's a fifty to sixty thousand dollar investment to make, and your reputation's on the line, Confusion should not be the Appetizer. That's all I'm saying. Not when there's a 1ds3 right around the corner, and Hasselblad is kicking ass. These are very expensive, competitive times, and no one wants to write a check for the wrong system. (Trust me, I've done it). It's way too much trouble, and way too expensive, to switch, later on, especially at the price of the Rollei lenses alone.

That's all I'm saying. Don't blame the messenger.

Dear Mark,

I do not want to argue with you. I'm just thinking that it is too difficult a job. But I am very much asking myself what kind of experience make you say all this about Sinar and the Hy6. We are going our way, we don't need to be the second or the third head on a 2-feeted giant. We have our own legs for this. I personnaly wish and am convinced of the success of this camera, and not only as a "dentist" one.

Now it all depends what is meant with "success", and you seem to link it exclusively with its success in the US. May I simply remind that the US is one market from many others, and not necessarily smaller ones. This does by no means suggest that the US are not important for us, but simply that there is another part of the world existing and as well important.

As for the US market, we (understand Sinar) will give it the necessary attention and support the product like we have always done it and which has made our reputation as a leading and trustful company.

Best regards,
Thierry