To V system OR not to V system

[thalmees]

Hi all
I noticed alot of old Hasselblad V system equipments was released recently in the show rooms of the Hasselblad dealer in my country.That was including the 2X Mutar teleconverter(Zeiss made)& the variable Extension Tube(64 - 85 mm)& alot of other old Accessories, Filters & Focusing Screens.This is UNUSUAL for a small dealer.
I read that as Hasselblad will(may be) discontinue the V system Soon or later.
Do you feel(or may be know) what I feel toward this issue??? I'm I correct or near correct???
I already(since 7 years) have invested in a big Hasselblad V system that include two camera bodies & four lenses with a lot of accessories. I'm afraid of this thought.
Thanks in advanse for any contripution.

 

[Colin645]

Coincidentally, I was talking with the Hasselblad representative yesterday. He confirmed in an "unofficial" manner that we should expect to see the demise of the V system very soon. They are concentrating on the H2 (the H1 soon to be discontinued) and the Imacon backs. In other words, the digital arena.
With the recent demise of the 200 series, I think we all knew that the rest of the V system would keel over soon.
Zeiss will really have to find body manufacturers for their lenses!

 

[jotloob]

If this is true , it is very , very bad news. No good start into the week .

 

[simonpg]

Ouch!

 

[wbulte]

Zeiss does a whole lot more than camera lenses, so I would not worry too much about their business. Had it been Hasselblad they depended on for their business they would have never grown to the size they are now. A short tour of http://www.zeiss.de will be enlightening in this context.

The fact that Hasselblad could not think of anything better than leave the V owners back in the dust when they did the H I can only think of as plain stupid.

 

[jotloob]

There has been a big fire this night in the galvanic department of ZEISS in Oberkochen causing a damage of many million €uro's

 

[thalmees]

colin elliott (Colin) wrote:With the recent demise of the 200 series, I think we all knew that the rest of the V system would keel over soon.
colin
is it true that the 200 series is already stopped???

 

[thalmees]

Thanks all. Colin, Jotloob, Simonpg, Wbulte, Jotloob, thank you all. Appreciate your input.
I think my worries was not free of valid reason.
But I(we) hope & prey for the continuation of the system that created & carried the concept of Medium Format.

 

[floridarich]

thalmees salsa (Thalmees)and all

It is no secret that digital cameras are being used heavily and photo finishing has diminished with the advent of digital cameras and printers.

Film cameras within a few years will moderate and slack off, try to find a film camera in retail stores.

Yet the quality of negative and large prints from Hasselblad is beyond reproach.

Let everyone sell their equipment, and let those who enjoy photography purchase all the used equipment, Hasselblad V's will never be out of style for use. They are classic.

In the short run prices will fall, but eventually used Hasselblad Vs will rise, as they are once again discovered.

If Hasselblad is dumping all their production into the market, with the intent of going out of the 'V's business, then so be it. Perhaps producing 'V's is a business loss leader

Look for lens and body bargains, enjoy

Richard

 

[ellie]

I'd agree Richard. Perhaps the 500 series cameras will acquire the cachet of the screw mount and older M series Leica cameras, i.e., a magnificent ex&le of a well made machine which does exactly what it was intended to do.