Hi, ic-racer,
This thread has piqued my interest in this camera and now I'm seriously considering getting one. I'm in the same boat in terms of living frugally for decades.
Somewhere I got the impression that dhw was selling inventory that's from 2012 or 2014 and that, if they go under, there will be no warranty service and possibly no spare parts. You seem to be confident that the inventory is new and that the company is going to be around for a while. They seem to be out of stock on several lenses/accessories and don't have listings for others (645 back, prisms, etc) which makes me concerned about future availability of those items. Have you found out anything since your purchase that you wish you knew before buying?
I'm just trying to assess the level of risk there is in buying one of these. This seems like the only option there is for buying a new MF film camera and it looks like a great camera, but I'm worried about surprises...
I can speak from some experience here. I've ordered new accessories and have had a small repair job done at the factory. They're making new ones for sure, in fact the price just went up on them. I would guess they're making a very small number of these, essentially to order. My dealer has told me they're more popular in Russia and China.
No one can tell you the future of the Hy6 system. However I have found mine to be reliable and trustworthy. I have also found the factory to be fast with the repair I had done. (My 80 AFD was purchased used and the AF system needed to be worked on).
The last thing I'll say is that unless you absolutely need the fabulous AF of the Hy6, the 6008AF will give you the same metering and IQ performance for a much lower price.
Thanks for the info. I am mainly interested in buying new and was under the impression that the 6008 was no longer in production. I've looked at 6008 cameras on ebay, but have been discouraged from buying used cameras because the condition is often not nearly as good as the seller claims.
I agree Eric is great to work with, but sometimes the factory in Germany can be a bottleneck.One thing that pushed me to get the new Hy6 now was this old B&H ad for the same camera Eric sells new. It was more expensive in 2009 than today. Eric is great to work with, communicates great with e-mail.
Also, I don't know what is going on with the market. I like the Hy6 so much I wanted to upgrade my old early 90s 6008i version 1 to 6008AF. But no luck. Eric has a waiting list and e-bay listings are either suspicious or over priced. Sure the Hy6 is nice but the only item interchangeable with the 6000 series is the lenses. I have so many other 6000 series accessories, I still want a 6000 series camera.
For example all these items I have won't work on the Hy6:
120 backs
45 Prism
90 Prism
33’ Electric Release
Short Electric Release
Tripod Quick Mount
Below Camera Hand Grip
SLX S-Planar 120mm/5.6
SLX 40mm Distagon
Film Inserts
Batteries
Strap
View attachment 256537
Does the kit include a back and insert?Your replies gave me a lot of food for thought. Thanks, all.
I have to admit, this is a bit more agonizing than I thought it would be. Part of the problem with living frugally for decades is that you develop an innate psychological resistance to spending large amounts of money on things that aren't necessities.
I am not opposed to getting an 6008AF or possibly a 6008 Integral 2, but I was under the impression that they are no longer available new. I may pursue that a bit more. Do the newer 6008s (AF and Integral 2) use Li Ion batteries or NiCad?
I have asked for pricing on some Hy6 Mod 2 items from the Netherlands Leica store (FOTO HENNY HOOGEVEEN). In fact, I am also interested in a Leica MP but everyone is out of stock on them.
In any case, I'm almost ready to pull the trigger on the Hy6, but I think I will check into the availability of a 6008 from a reputable seller first. It sounds like the Hy6 is a better camera, but of the price is right...
Oddly, I noticed that buying the Hy6 Mod 2 body ($7495) and 80mm Apogon lens ($1996) separately is $500 cheaper on the Rollei USA site than buying the kit ($9995).
Your replies gave me a lot of food for thought.
I have to admit, this is a bit more agonizing than I thought it would be. Part of the problem with living frugally for decades is that you develop an innate psychological resistance to spending large amounts of money on things that aren't necessities.
Tried to get a 6008AF from Eric yesterday but all gone for now. There is a waiting list. At least I got my Hy6, as I see those were sold out but just looked an are back in stock as of today.I'm not sure if the 6008af "is available" new or mine was a one-of. It has a Li Ion battery and a 1 year factory warranty.
I would need just the body, no battery, lens or back.I do have a spare 6008i that I might consider letting go if you're interested.
Yes, you are right! Life can be abrupt. My 62-year-old neighbor across the street died suddenly. His wife returned from another town and found the gent dead on the floor.Life is short, you can't take it with you. Get the camera you want.
Yes, you are right! Life can be abrupt. My 62-year-old neighbor across the street died suddenly. His wife returned from another town and found the gent dead on the floor.
But as Mr. Krueger above wrote, having lived frugally for years, I always question if I "need" (i.e., want) a certain hobby item. "Need" is a dangerous word in American suburbia, a convenient excuse to purchase all sorts of excess, especially housing and internal combustion machinery. Here in USA, we learned the damage that these mythological needs can wreak when the 2008-2009 housing crash almost tanked the economy and millions of people said, "Ooops, where are my savings?" I don't worry about $30 Takumar lenses, but $500 or $1000 Hasselblad lenses are another matter.
For the Hy6, I would contact Eric first. There is also service contact information on the dhw website: http://www.dhw-fototechnik.deAnyone: When sending to "the factory" from USA do you just send it or contact them first to let them know it is coming?
I have only needed Rollei service in 1988 when I used Marflex. Have never sent anything to Germany for service.
Does the kit include a back and insert?
Life is short, you can't take it with you. Get the camera you want.
Yeah I'm not advocating for living on credit. Rather simply not living like Smaug the dragon. OTOH, I often think I should just get rid of the whole system and focus on large format, and my TLR for medium format. There isn't any inherant state of nirvana that comes with having 'that perfect piece of kit'.
I too have an old Rollei TLR and I have thought about just letting that be my only MF camera. One of the big issues that bothers me about buying the Hy6 is the possibility that it could stop working and there's no place to get it fixed. DHW could call it quits next year. It's one thing to buy an expensive camera, it's another for it to suddenly morph into an expensive paper weight.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?