digibacks for vintage bodies - when if ever?

What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera? I could think of a several vintage bodies
where a digital back could be fitted. Basically anyone where the back door
can come off. Maybe when the market is saturated one of the makers might
take this on?

wrote in message
news
What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for
Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera? I could think of a several vintage bodies
where a digital back could be fitted. Basically anyone where the back
door
can come off. Maybe when the market is saturated one of the makers might
take this on?



Or for that matter, a digital insert for the Mamiya M645? Bring back life
into a very good camera system.

~Robert C.

wrote in message
news
What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for
Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera? I could think of a several vintage bodies
where a digital back could be fitted. Basically anyone where the back
door
can come off. Maybe when the market is saturated one of the makers might
take this on?

There's no point. If you can afford a digital back, a new shiny MF system
will seem like a very small amount of spare change. One digital back used to
come with a free Mamiya 645AF, and Rollei was (recently, they may still be)
offering a 'deal' on a 6008 system in which the camera + back was about the
same as the list price of the back.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

"David J. Littleboy" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
news
What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for
Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera? I could think of a several vintage
bodies
where a digital back could be fitted. Basically anyone where the back
door
can come off. Maybe when the market is saturated one of the makers
might
take this on?

There's no point. If you can afford a digital back, a new shiny MF system
will seem like a very small amount of spare change. One digital back used
to
come with a free Mamiya 645AF, and Rollei was (recently, they may still
be)
offering a 'deal' on a 6008 system in which the camera + back was about
the
same as the list price of the back.

But we all know that the prices on these backs will continue to decline.
Just look at PCs. At some point the market will saturate and then (I hope)
some of these manufacturers will look into making backs for some of these
other systems.

wrote:

But we all know that the prices on these backs will continue to decline.
Just look at PCs. At some point the market will saturate and then (I
hope)
some of these manufacturers will look into making backs for some of these
other systems.

You're getting ahead of things by at least ten if not 15 years. For
starters, prices don't fall on things that aren't mass market, and there's
no indication that MF is ever going to become mass market again...

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

wrote in message
...

But we all know that the prices on these backs will continue to decline.
Just look at PCs. At some point the market will saturate and then (I
hope)
some of these manufacturers will look into making backs for some of these
other systems.

They don't make rollfilm backs today for the million Iota's that were made.
What makes you think they will make digital backs for later-made, obsolete
cameras?

wrote:

"David J. Littleboy" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
news
What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for
Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera? I could think of a several vintage

bodies

where a digital back could be fitted. Basically anyone where the back
door
can come off. Maybe when the market is saturated one of the makers

might

take this on?

There's no point. If you can afford a digital back, a new shiny MF system
will seem like a very small amount of spare change. One digital back used

to

come with a free Mamiya 645AF, and Rollei was (recently, they may still

be)

offering a 'deal' on a 6008 system in which the camera + back was about

the

same as the list price of the back.


But we all know that the prices on these backs will continue to decline.
Just look at PCs. At some point the market will saturate and then (I hope)
some of these manufacturers will look into making backs for some of these
other systems.



Assuming there are still any makers of MF equipment by then. Bronica's
no longer in production, so I doubt I'll ever see a digital back for an
ETRS.

David J. Littleboy wrote:
wrote in message
news
What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for
Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera? I could think of a several vintage bodies
where a digital back could be fitted. Basically anyone where the back
door
can come off. Maybe when the market is saturated one of the makers might
take this on?

There's no point. If you can afford a digital back, a new shiny MF system
will seem like a very small amount of spare change. One digital back used to
come with a free Mamiya 645AF, and Rollei was (recently, they may still be)
offering a 'deal' on a 6008 system in which the camera + back was about the
same as the list price of the back.

David J. Littleboy
Tokyo, Japan

"David J. Littleboy" wrote:

wrote in message
news
What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for
Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera? I could think of a several vintage bodies
where a digital back could be fitted. Basically anyone where the back
door
can come off. Maybe when the market is saturated one of the makers might
take this on?

There's no point. If you can afford a digital back, a new shiny MF system
will seem like a very small amount of spare change. One digital back used to
come with a free Mamiya 645AF, and Rollei was (recently, they may still be)
offering a 'deal' on a 6008 system in which the camera + back was about the
same as the list price of the back.

The 6008AF with PhaseOne back retails for around $US 15k, though I have seen
that Kurland Photo and a few others "discount" it to around $US 13k. That
really is like buying a digital back, and they nearly give you the camera and
lens for next to nothing. Mamiya now have another deal available, or at least
advertised. I have not heard of anyone actually getting one yet. I know several
people eagerly awaiting the Mamiya ZD.

Going back to the OP, it would be possible to put a digital back onto nearly
any camera, but getting it to work well would be tough. One issue is that on
mechanical cameras, you need a back that could fire from a single off the PC
(flash) sync, since there are no contacts on the camera to communicate with the
back. Another issue is making sure the imaging plane of the chip is aligned for
proper focus. Any good machinist could probably make an adapter, but I agree
with David that there not much point in even trying it.

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio
http://www.allgstudio.com

wrote:

What I want to know is when are we going to see digital backs for
Rolleiflex
TLRs and other vintage camera?

Never.
--

Stacey