There have been a few articles recently musing on the demise of the Nikon F6 35mm film camera to mark the fact that Nikon has withdrawn it from sale after a 16-year run. In writing this, I wanted to put a product spin on it (I’m a product manager, natch) that I hope is unemotional.
I’ve never owned, seen or been drawn the Nikon F6. I once dreamed of, and then bought (and then sold) an F3 (it drained batteries so was a pain). I own an FM2 that I love and is always with me, though. There, full disclosure. We have an F6 review article right here on 35MMC.
Why the F6 existed
It’s never the role of the customer to further the fortunes of a company by buying its products. The customer might choose to do this for all sorts of altruistic or loyalty reasons, but it’s not their role in life. It’s the role of the company to build products that the customer wants to buy. The customer may not know that it needs them, but it is the role of the company to understand market needs and meet them. Yes, I know, Apple’s customers buy their products not necessarily because they need them, or knowing that a competitors product is more suitable to their needs, but that’s a whole different story. That story is about lifestyle choices and brand loyalty and so on (I’m writing this on a MacBook Air BTW…).
For the sake of this article, I’m going to assume that there was a sound commercial reason, a validated product value proposition, for the Nikon F5 to evolve into the F6. Through this value proposition (who it’s aimed at, what functionality it has, why customers should buy it and so on), Nikon will have identified that there was a market need for a camera with the F6’s capabilities; that the benefits to the group of cameras buyers customers in the target market were tangible; that it was better or in someway differentiated from its predecessor; and that the target customers were willing to pay for it. This is what companies do before defining and developing new products.
Does the market still want it (and is it willing to pay for it)?
In the 16-year period the F6 has been on the market, Nikon will have frequently re-validated the assumptions and market hypotheses that underpinned their reasons for developing it in the first place: to ‘check’ that there was still a market for their flagship 35mm film camera.
The Nikon F6’s value proposition, however, is not just about whether there is a market for the product: that the market wants the capabilities; and the benefits of them are over and above those they can get from other products from other sources – there is also the huge element of “and the market is willing to pay for it“ which very specifically applies to the £3,000 F6 film camera. It may be that the market for (any) new 35mm camera is so small that the market (that’s us photographers of course) is quite happy to use alternative solutions to its needs that are far, far cheaper (secondhand on eBay for example).
Having revisited all their assumptions about the market for new, high-end 35mm cameras (the who, what, how much, and why questions), Nikon will have decided that there is no longer a market for a camera with the attributes and cost of the F6.
A new Nikon 35mm camera?
If, and it’s a big if, their process of looking at the 35mm film camera market uncovered that there is indeed a market for some sort of new 35mm camera we may see a replacement for the F6 that has a completely different set of characteristics and cost. I personally think this is unlikely.
If they believe that there is a potential market out there for a new 35mm camera, they will have looked at our needs, the needs of the 35mm film community, and the cameras that we are buying. Yes, the ones we are buying secondhand on eBay. They will have analysed which cameras we buy, what their characteristics are, and the prices we are willing to pay. That analysis, in a relatively crude way, will define the market need, if any, for new 35mm cameras.
What are we buying?
They will have found, for example, that the Nikon FM2, the Leica M6, the Pentax K1000, the whatever, are the cameras that people are buying. With a lot more research, they would be able to form hypotheses around whether we would be willing to pay a premium for a new camera that had the characteristics of, say, the FM2. An unlikely, but exciting prospect.
This is how product development works. Companies develop the products that their research shows the market needs (and to a lesser degree, wants) and is willing to pay for. There is no altruism in it.
No market need
So, we did not kill it by not buying it. A lack of need killed it, or Nikon’s inability to understand the market need and to meet it. If we want there to be new 35mm cameras for us to buy, we need to let the manufacturers know what our needs are and what we are willing to pay to have those needs met. Granted, it’s not actually our job to go and tell manufacturers what we want, but if they came asking, having done the research, then we might get new film cameras. Cameras that met our needs that we’re willing to buy.
If companies like Nikon sees that sales of film are booming and that it’s a trend that is set to continue for the foreseeable future; and they determine that we want new cameras, not just lovely relics of a bygone age that we buy secondhand, then we may well get new 35mm cameras. If not, we won’t.
Footnote: Many thanks to Johnny Marty and Thomas Eisl for allowing me to use the images of the F6, and for inspiring this article.
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Billy Sanford on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
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Adam Singer on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
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Mani on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
Why on earth would anyone bother with the Nikon F6? I have never understood why Nikon still sold it and I’m flabbergasted by the fuss that’s been made about it’s disappearance.
If someone started making the Contax T3 again it would sell like hotcakes. But a standard SLR?
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
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Kevin Ortner on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
Best case scenario is a fully manual camera that can take the current lenses to increase the current supply of film cameras. But that might be another 5-10 years since there is still a healthy supply of 90s SLRs and older films cameras. Film would also have to remain in healthy demand.
Another possibility is that film and developing costs go down if the film market starts booming. This would prompt the need for cameras to replace the dwindling supply.
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
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James Evidon on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
I also went on a shopping spree, buying and selling various medium and large format film cameras until settled on the Rolleiflex 2.8 E ( essntially the same as the F but with a fixed focus hood and much less expensive) for 6x6, a Makina 67, a Cambo- Wide 470 with a 6x12 back and a Fuji G617 for ultimate panoramas. Now, all I hve to do is wait for the Covid-19 restrictions to lift so I can go travelling again and do some really interesting shooting.
I won't even get into the Zeiss Super Ikonta BX, Zeiss folding Contina and Rollei 35 S "shelf queens" I picked up as well. BTW, I will still shoot digital, but shooting, processing and scanning film gives a studied and deliberate satisfaction that can't be had with easy to do digital post processing applications which, after mastering the learning curve, become quite boring.
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
Johnny Martyr on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
Your article starts and ends with putting film photographers in our place, as it were. You say that it's simply not our role as consumers to tell manufacturers what we want, unless, apparently, we are asked. But you seem to be ignoring every historical example of unqualified but determined consumers bringing new products to market. Who would have predicted that Fuji Instax was Amazon's top selling electronics item last Christmas? Who would have thought that Kodak would bring back TMAX P3200?
Impossible revived Polaroid. The Brothers Wright gave us Cinestill. Canon built a cheaper but quality Leica copy and launched an empire around it! I know I'm leaving a lot out but you get my drift!
What I'm trying to say is that 21st century film photographers by nature, are a gang who don't do as we're told. Why would you think that you can just tell us "it's not your place to determine the market" and for any of us to accept that? We are doing what most people think is crazy or impossible every time we pull our images out of the fix.
While I understand that you wanted to present an unemotional, factual case for the discontinuation of the F6, I disagree with this being entire approach. If you think it's an unemotional matter, then frankly, you aren't investing enough of yourself in your work or, in my opinion, care enough about the state of the film community to understand how emotional a moment in time this is, or should be, for us. No more new 35mm SLR's. Let it sink in if has somehow failed to yet.
This isn't me expecting blood from a stone. I don't expect Nikon to give me what I want out of altruism. I expect film photographers to consider what is valuable to us as a community and to put our time and money where our hearts supposedly are.
And I do not find that you presented any facts specific to the F6 or context of Nikon's and other camera manufactures' products which might support your point regarding your assumptions as to why the F6 was discontinued. You didn't buy one. You didn't interview anyone who does. You didn't ask Nikon about their decisions and admitted out of the gate that you had to assume that this was a sound decision for the company. You didn't mention the numerous film-specific and film-centric products that Nikon continues to make, such as lenses. Interesting how both Nikon and Cosina stopped providing us with new film cameras but continue to sell us lenses. Might be an important point to consider when making a facts-based argument.
Where is the tangible support to your apparent belief that we should all just sit back like good little boys and girls and continue to line the pockets of eBay shareholders while our hobby and/or profession continues to degrade due to the lack of finances of those involved?
What impact or influence exactly are you looking to achieve by telling a passionate bunch of anachronists to just move along?
Why Did the F6 Die? It's not the F6's death that I'm as concerned with so much as the death of the serious film photographer. I mean look, here we have an article on a pro-film site, presumably by a pro-film photographer, telling us how incapable we are to affect change. Amazing...
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Chandler l. on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
And with the quality of older mechanical cameras that will outlast us all, there’s not a very big demand for brand new 35mm cameras. Personally I would be all over it.. I would LOVE to see new cameras.
I would love to see something like the year 2000 s3’s they did. But the cost would be enormous, and you could just go get some of those s3’s for much cheaper than what they sold for new.
If Nikon came out with another bells and whistles slr style of camera, I’m not sure I’d be interested. But maybe a re-issue of the original f? That would be incredible.
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Omer on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
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Michael Wellman on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
I suggest you contact John Crane. He is a photographer out of Colorado who is very knowledgeable on the F6 and film cameras. He has an excellent web page https://f6project.com I think he would provide a better review and insight into the future of film cameras than what was given here.
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jeremy north on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
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Marc Wick on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
I use the F6 in combination with a Leica M-A especially for portraits. And to be honest, if I need reliable perfect results , the F6 is my companion.
But we can not turn back time and for F6 lovers there are a lot of cameras on the second hand market which wait to be reanimated.
Comment posted: 16/12/2020
David Hume on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
I liked this article and it made sense to me - thanks. I'd have to say it did not surprise me that the F6 is no longer produced. I also cannot feel in any way emotional about it. Just thought I'd comment here because of a recent conversation I had with my daughter, who is a 20-something film shooter.
I bought her a Nikon FE for Christmas because she finally trashed my old FM by lugging it round the world a few times and using it to drive in tent pegs.
"Do they still make film cameras?" she asked me.
"No," I said. "Well. Leica make a couple for a squillion dollars I guess, and there are also disposables, but Nikon just dropped its last film model."
"Wow," she said, "Really? Everyone - I mean EVERYONE I know has a film camera."
"Yeah," I said, "But take your Nikon - The FE is sort of the perfect camera for you. Imagine they made them new. What would it cost? $1500? $2000? I really have no idea but why would you bother when I can just get you a perfect one for $250?"
I liked that Chandler L made a comment that mentioned the re-issued year 2000 s3. That crossed my mind too, and I'd be keen to hear your analysis of that project and how it went. He also mentions he'd buy a new F - to which I think The only reason I'd be glad if they reissued the F is that I could feel super smug that I bought a complete mint body/lens/case kit for round USD 350 just this year.
My layman observations, for what they are worth, is that I'm super-glad film cameras are so cheap (let's say useful ones and disregard a few like the Fuji 6x7 folder, compact Contaxes etc) because if there were not, the young hobbyists (my daughter's demographic - the growth area) would not be shooting film and the labs would close down, and when they closed the film would stop being made. I shoot film for fun and as a visual artist, but if it got too hard I'd stop, and make art some other way I guess.
Cameras are SO cheap. Well, I think so anyway because I can remember what they cost new. And I can remember when second-hand prices were tied to new prices. (Which I guess for the F6 is not too far back, actually.) Cameras are small, easy to store, and now I can just buy an F4 (say) for peanuts and admire it as an object then use it to take photos if I feel like it. I think I'd still feel the same way if prices doubled, which I guess they may well soon, but if that happened I'd just be thinking that astute camera buying was also a good place to park my money and not worry about it too much.
Thanks for the discussion!
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
Huss on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
Along with that they released the ES-2 film copier hardware to attach to corresponding lenses. This is an item I literally use daily.
As a user of the F6 (amongst other cameras) I can see why it has had its run ended . Quite frankly it is too complex. The majority of people coming back to film are coming back for the process, getting away from computational/digital photography. (Even though unless you have a wet darkroom, scanning etc involves computers.) They want simpler machines that still create beautiful images. Cameras that make them feel they are part of the craft.
With my F6 I pretty much get the exact same result as with my F2, or F3. Or SuperA. But it just makes it so much easier, and well, where is the fun in that? It's nice to think that it was you, not the camera, that did the heavy lifting. When I want solid results easily I reach for my F4 over my F6 because it is simpler to use, and while not as sophisticated has just the right amount of stuff to help without feeling like I'm using a digital camera that uses film. It also doesn't have menus (which in the F6 are sooooo dated now), but does have big glorious dials! You ever seen a dial on an iphone? Nope! But you have seen menus...
The current demand is for the simple, solid, stoic appeal of a more mechanical machine. Forget the F6 for a moment.. why is it that incredible AF 35mm slrs like the Nikon F75 or F80 can be bought for $30 while a so much more 'inferior' Pentax K1000 can cost $100? Because in this current market it is actually a liability to have such a competent camera. Give me something that I can mess things up with, and so create art!
Perfection in a $3000 F6 is overrated, especially seeing almost perfection can be achieved with a $30 F80. And that F80 is $30 because no-one wants one. Guess where that leaves the F6?
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Thomas Eisl on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
1) Using old lenses with a split focusing screen: check
2) High-end AF and tracking: check
3) Ultimate battery performance and highest reliability: check
4) Compatibility with one of the largest lens ecosystems on the market: check
5) Small form factor: check
6) 10 years of parts availability and service by the manufacturer: check
7) Compatibility with one of the most advanced flash metering systems in the world: check
8) A prestigious manufacturer and not some Kickstarter startup: check
9) Almost inaudible shutter sound for a SLR: check
10) ALL the features a photographer could ever want in a camera EVER: check
And now imagine it costs only 2.200 Euro brand new with full warranty - at your local camera store.
And then imagine going to the same store, buying a 2.800 mirrorless digital camera (lenses not included) that will only work on this digital camera. A camera that does the same thing that your previous 36mp digital already does but a little bit better. Imagine taking a few shots with the camera and finding out it just produces the same digital stuff - again. Imagine realizing that the lump of electronics you just bought will probably work in 5 years, but you won't be the guy with the new cool camera.
Also think about the missed opportunities regarding socializing with the shop owner when buying film and supporting a local business. Think about all the people you might meet at the camera store.
Then you realize you have to be different -you need a film camera. You go on an auction site and try finding a film camera. But you only have 200 Euro left for a camera with lens and some expired film.
This is the issue: Film shooters have the money, many do. But they are not serious enough about film photography. It is a novelty, a thing they like doing. A thing they pretend caring about but not willing to fully invest in. I've been like that before I've bought the F6 - and it was a mistake. The new F6 was the best thing that happened to me camera-wise. This is a tool to support professional applications and all hobbyist endavours.
Fast forward 15 years:
There are no parts for the Pentax 67 anymore; Many circuit boards are dead or need reworking costing way above 500 EUR for a specialist to sit down and attempt it - no guarantee it will work. Only a few film photographers will make this investment.
The others will just abandon the medium for another film simulation preset pack they just bought for 100 EUR.
There is only one way around it: Stop giving great products a bad name just because you can't afford it. Save for a newly produced film Leica - you'll only buy one in your life. Buy new film. Shoot film. Buy darkroom paper and print. Send Nikon an E-Mail that you would love a new film camera. Don't wait. Tell people about film. Don't compare it to digital in terms of image quality, but compare it in terms of electronic waste, waste of money and lack of emotional connection with your equipment.
And if there is a superior new product on the market, don't expect it to cost 500 Euro while being the do-it-all camera that will last a lifetime and gets brassy around the edges. Don't treat film photography as a novelty, but treat it as PHOTOGRAPHY
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Greg L on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
I own an F6. It is my favorite camera (digital or analog). It handles better than my D700. The grip is nicer. The viewfinder is better than any DSLR. I shoot mostly Nikon manual focus lenses and they work great on the F6. Full matrix metering, M an A modes for old manual lenses and PSAM for chipped lenses. You can buy manual focus screens for it from Nikon. It has a decent autofocus system also. It is compatible with Nikon’s i-TTL flash system. It can use modern Nikon G lenses as well. And it records EXIF data even for manual lenses.
It’s extremely versatile and I think the way it handles so well is what makes it stand out.
But even given all of the above, I bought mine used in mint condition for half the new price rather than buying it new.
Of course I grew up using a Nikon FE and later a FM3a (both which I still use) so I took a chance on the F6 and it exceeded my expectations. I may have to buy another refurbished one from Nikon now that all the new ones are gone.
Would I buy a new film camera, something along the lines of a FE/FM/FM3a? Yeah i would but i grew up with film so I’m not the guy one has to convince. Unless there is enough interest among the younger generation i don’t see a new high quality but affordable film camera being produced in the near future. I hope I’m wrong. I think something along the lines of an FM could possibly emerge someday.
Of course Leica will sell you a brand new M-A film camera but that makes the F6 look cheap!
We are indeed a niche market.
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
Hamish Gill on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
For what it's worth, it doesn't seem particularly disputable to me.
Some of the least popular cameras on the used market are the more modern feature-packed autofocus SLR Cameras. As incredible camera as the F6 is, it really is just a very expensive very niche version of a type of camera that isn't particularly buoyant on the used market.
Those out there who are analysing the marketplace will know the F6 doesn't fit the needs or desires of the majority who are shooting film these days. They will also have noted the huge used value or some point & shoot cameras and some of the more mechanical manual SLRs. Will anything come of that, I'm not sure, I'd like to think we will see one of the big brands dip a toe...
But as you say "There is no altruism in it", Fuji aren't going to spend all that R&D money without forecasting significant return. Do we represent the opportunity for significant return when so many people in our community continue to talk about there being no need for a new film camera when so many exist...? I dunno, I'm personally not analysing the market, and don't have the R&D and financial forecasts required to make a call.
But, the demise of the F6 seems something of a non-event to me - as you've said, and as I agree, it's just not what the market demands, nor is it at a price point that fits what demand there is, so why would Nikon continue to make it?!
Manuel on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
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Manuel on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
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Thomas Eisl on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
It is the last SLR going out of production. The F6 is not overly complex for the user and I bet it wasn't for Nikon as well. They built more complex cameras.
It is also designed to last a lifetime. Everything in it is machined to highest specifications, backed up by parts and service from the manufacturers.
And the price! Look how cheap it was. Do you think there is the possibility of a newly produced mechanical SLR being cheaper and offering service comparable support? I hope you know more than I do regarding this ????
Film photographers don't need a novelty item, but a reliable tool. With the end of the F6, film photography took a major hit and no matter whether you want to shoot with it or not, it is impacting the future of the medium.
Also, the knowledge that "I can always buy an F6 at some point" is now gone - wait for the second hand prices to go up
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Spyros on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
As a 35mm user what my main concern is the lack of support from the manufacturers but also from dealers and repair workshops in terms of spare parts and service, and mainly for the parts that affect my shooting experience irreversibly like inaccurate metering. For as long the prices for a second hand bodies remains relatively low and since there is no alternative I can always exchange my body without looking for support. The main problem usually comes from the fact that the second hand market fluctuates following trends not defined by the end users needs.
Probably a revival of the infrastructure network for support and repair of film cameras, which has been abandoned with the current marketing strategy of very short product cycles, is what we actually need as end users.
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
Don Ecsedy on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
Since I don't use slrs much, the anguish expressed here doesn't move me (and I thought slr sales had peaked way back in the 80s before digital).
I agree with Hamish that an F6 is not the kind of camera most film photographers want, at least that's what I gather from the www and from film photographers I've chatted with.
Looking back, it might be that David Burnett's photo from 2000 of Al Gore delivering a speech outdoors, taken with a Holga foreshadowed a revival of interest in film photography which had not yet been drowned out by digital.
I think the appeal of film these days is a sense that somehow or other film can produce something magical and you don't need three buit in light meters and more focus points than dots on a scatter-graph to do so.
I've been clearing out my GASsy camera collection. The top keepers are the Barnacks ,Trip35s and a GIII, and I'm as happy as a clam at high tide with them.
Rick on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
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Ben Garcia on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 17/12/2020
Looking at the few film cameras (non-luxury) now being manufactured, they are plastic, cheap, semi-disposable, basic and purely mechanical if one doesn't include the flash. I think it speaks to the idea that these producers are seeing a slot in the market for this kind of film experience. As others have said, there are plenty of "real" or "serious" camera bodies available; the newest film adopters are looking for a more whimsical experience, less studied, less professional. Lomography is doing great because those are the experiences they offer, though I wouldn't call them cheap. Honestly, they're a bit of a conundrum for me, but that's a different story.
On the topic of the future of camera repair, that's really the crux, isn't it? An FM2 or an OM-1 is fairly robust but will inevitably die when parts run out. Hopefully all the old camera repair persons are teaching younger folks the tricks of the trade. The Camera Rescue project out of Finland was started years ago to address this. Hopefully there will be more groups like them.
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J K LOCKWOOD on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
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Alan Chin on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 19/12/2020
Julian Love on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 20/12/2020
1) they cannot compete with the used market. There are still 1000s of relatively cheap used film cameras available, and a new camera will always be vastly more expensive.
2) we film shooters are a diverse bunch and all want something different - some of us want a P&S, others a fully mechanical manual focus camera, others an auto everything like the F6, and that's just 35mm! We haven't even started to talk about 120. If any company actually made a new film camera, half the film community would simply complain it's not the film camera THEY wanted.
So for the manufacturers it's lose lose.
Enjoy the used market and if you have any cameras you particularly love. then buy a spare one before prices get too much higher.
Comment posted: 20/12/2020
Rico Ramirez on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 20/12/2020
I think the F6 isn't compatible with the newer "E" type lenses like the Nikkor 105mm f/1.4. Perhaps I'm in the minority of film users who like to use new lenses (I use a Sigma Art 105mm f/1.4 and Tamron 17-35mm f/2.8-4.0 OSD with my Canon 35mm EOS cameras). But with Canon concentrating on their mirrorless R mount I don't think Tamron and Sigma will release new 35mm FF lenses for Canon in the future. Which now leaves Leica, Cosina and TTartisans as the only ones making modern lenses compatible with film cameras.
However I do not own any M mount 35mm bodies but the upcoming Cosina Voigtlander 50mm f/2.0 APO-Lanthar for M mount has me interested in finally getting one.
Michael Kay on Why the Nikon F6 died (and What the Prospects of a Replacement are) – By Nik Stanbridge
Comment posted: 16/01/2021
I own a slew of Nikon F's (F4s, F5 & F6, FE & FM2), and personally (& hypothecially, due to my last paragraph), I feel like any new SLR (were it to ever be made) would have to appeal to the younger shooters. To offer the simplicity of an FM2, X-700, K1000 etc. To offer the experience a lot of us now-middle aged and older ones went thru decades ago. The memories you never forget with that mechanical tool in your hands, the experience shooting whatever you wanted with the camera which didn't overburden you with too many options (other than the most necessary) & too many electrical ones also.
We can only hope & pray I guess. Or use social media for good to get these companies to hopefully listen & for at least one to take the risk. But who? I can't see it being Nikon. For years now they have shown to be utterly arrogant & to not listen to their customer base's wants & needs. It looks like they have taken some stupid risks in their last few digital cameras, and it has finally come and shot them in the foot heading into what looks like, a period of a global recession ahead. Bad timing indeed.
Comment posted: 16/01/2021