Rolleiflex made by Horseman?

[Christopher Nisperos]

OK, I realize that this is like starting a fire and then dousing it immediately, but I heard a rumor that I've verified as untrue, and I'd like to kill it before it multiplies...

A photographer-friend of mine here in Paris —a responsible guy who doesn't usually go around spreading rumors— told me that he, in turn, had heard that Rolleiflex TLR's (specifically, the Tele-Rolleiflex) was now being manufactured by Horseman in Japan ... He'd heard that Franke & Heidecke could no longer —or didn't want to— manufacture the cameras themselves.

My source at Francke & Heidecke in Braunschweig assures me that the rumor is not true. Rolleiflex cameras are still fully made in Germany. As well, it is not planned to shift the assembly line to any other factory. He says that building this type of camera requires a lot of know how, special machines and special devices. He added that the most important argument for this camera is: "Made in Germany". He told me, "This is our traditional product - we come from these roots".

Hope this nips the rumor in the bud —and conveys a bit of the pride the manufacturer has in their excellent product!

Best,

Christopher
Paris


...

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

Franke & Heidecke do have a marketing agreement with Komuri (spelling?) who are responsible for Horseman. This co-operative agreement came about a few years ago. Perhaps this is causing some confusion?

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
Dead Link Removed

 

[Christopher Nisperos]

Franke & Heidecke do have a marketing agreement with Komuri (spelling?) who are responsible for Horseman. This co-operative agreement came about a few years ago. Perhaps this is causing some confusion?
Ciao!
Gordon MoatDead Link Removed

Maybe. (I think it's Komura).

Christopher

 

[Fotohuis]

http://www.aphog.de/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2356&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

Maybe not too late for subscribing and see yourself in the factory how they are build.

 

[toyotadesigner]

Rollei is the official distributor for Horseman cameras in Europe. That's about it and it is completely independent from Franke & Heideke manufacturing Rollei cameras in Germany.

 

[Henning Serger]

My source at Francke & Heidecke in Braunschweig assures me that the rumor is not true. Rolleiflex cameras are still fully made in Germany. As well, it is not planned to shift the assembly line to any other factory. He says that building this type of camera requires a lot of know how, special machines and special devices. He added that the most important argument for this camera is: "Made in Germany". He told me, "This is our traditional product - we come from these roots".

Christopher
Paris
...

That's right as far as I know. But in November I will probably participate in the factory tour at Franke & Heidecke in Braunschweig. Then I can tell you exactly . This tour is organized by the german aphog ( www.aphog.de ), it's the place for the german, austrian and swiss film enthusiasts. It's like apug, but still a little bit smaller .

Best regards,
Henning

 

[Ray Heath]

so what?

 

[Dinesh]

so what?

If the thread doesn't interest you, why bother to post?

 

[Ray Heath]

If the thread doesn't interest you, why bother to post?

g'day Dinesh

so, is there no one who can explain the significance of the information presented in the OP?

 

[Dinesh]

...so, is there no one who can explain the significance of the information presented in the OP?

You didn't ask someone to "explain the significance of the information presented in the OP". You asked "so what?" in a rather dismissive tone. So, I will repeat my question to you, if the thread doesn't interest you, why bother to post?

 

[Ray Heath]

You didn't ask someone to "explain the significance of the information presented in the OP". You asked "so what?" in a rather dismissive tone. So, I will repeat my question to you, if the thread doesn't interest you, why bother to post?

dismissive? by what measure?

i was responding to the OP, my question stands, so what?

my second response was to your 'dismissive' post

 

[Henning Serger]

That's right as far as I know. But in November I will probably participate in the factory tour at Franke & Heidecke in Braunschweig. Then I can tell you exactly . This tour is organized by the german aphog ( www.aphog.de ), it's the place for the german, austrian and swiss film enthusiasts. It's like apug, but still a little bit smaller .

Best regards,
Henning

Hallo,

just an update: We've been there at Franke&Heidecke in Braunschweig. A very interesting factory tour.
The cameras, slide projectors and lenses are completely made at the factory in Braunschweig. Only some parts are made by specialised subcontracting firms. Most of the parts are made by F&H, the factory is very flexible and has modern machinery to manufacture even extremely sophisticated parts.
Every camera gets a very detailed final inspection and testing (full MTF test, colimator and centering test, light leak test etc.).

From what I have seen, I can highly recommend to buy a new Rolleiflex from Franke&Heidecke.

By the way, the demand for the TLR camera line is stable. The demand for the medium format slide projector, too. Most of the TLRs are sold to Russia, China and Japan. Most of the 66 P are shipped to China, this projector is very popular among chinese professional photographers for presenting their work.
Currently they are running two shifts a day at the factory to manufacture the new Hy 6 model.

Best regards,
Henning