Kang Rinpoche S 600 F11.5 (Chinese Fujinon C 600mm )

[Pfsor]

Nice shutters!

In fact it can be done with a NEC555 a transistor and some passive componets, but today a microcontroller is cheaper to use...

I have no doubt it can be done. If NASA needed it, it would be there with no problem. In the real world, however, where even en official (Copal) manufacturer leaves the field, what chances are that there will be another one who will miniaturize shutters, making them electronic ones for industry that is on the way out? It's nice to dream but look at the reality and see that all paraphernalia for LF photography are beasts in danger of extinction. That puts a different light on it, doesn't it? The Norwegian wood is good but so far there are new lenses without shutters - and even that is a phenomenon out of this world.

[Dan Fromm]

But as I said, much more intriguing is to make lenses without shutters when they need one. Do they really think people will buy another lens with a Copal 3 to scavenge it in order to buy a lens they want to have? That way of doing business is most intriguing to me!

On the one hand, making lens cells or lens cells mounted in barrels for LF cameras doesn't seem to have good long term prospects. On the other hand, there are quite a few lenses in shutters and some of us have been scavenging shutters from them for years. Probably can't go on forever, but neither will we.

[Pfsor]

On the one hand, making lens cells or lens cells mounted in barrels for LF cameras doesn't seem to have good long term prospects. On the other hand, there are quite a few lenses in shutters and some of us have been scavenging shutters from them for years. Probably can't go on forever, but neither will we.

Dan, that doesn't solve the intrigue. What you can do with a good reason as an individual amateur, you cannot do as a viable business firm. I would love to know what are the production numbers for this lens. The quality seems to be there but who can afford the production of a few dozens of them? And who can make them in thousands without the proper shutter? Something simply doesn't add up.

[Pere Casals]

Pfsor, I would never said that I would see a chinese copy (perhaps good) of the Fujinon C 600, would you ?

It's hard to predict future, in theory film photography should be extinct by now, but there is a 7% yearly growth. The Arri Alexa camera had to be "the last nail in the coffin of film cinematography" 9 years ago, but (2019) Star Wars IX is being shot with film... and the Alexa may make the pre-shots to prepare for the real Kodak Vision 3 shootings.

Vynil records had to disapear decades ago, but see UK sales, for example:



Vynil new LP sells reached 16 million units and $395 million in revenue last year...

So... who knows ?

At the end IMHO there is a need for new shutters, if someone finds the way to make a cost effective product in small scale production conditions...

[Pfsor]

Pere, if they found a viable way of producing the extinct Fujinon 600C, then there would be hope, that with the same business model they can produce whatever else falls into the extinction pit. But something tells me, they don't have the secret yet. There must be another reason why they think it can be viable. Only future will tell us, that's for sure.

[Pfsor]

In fact, thinking of it, I suspect that some firm produces the lens as a side dish to their normal production (industrial lenses for ex.) And they hope, the numbers will pay in the end. But how many can they sell without the shutter and how many will sell with a scavenged shutter I would not like to predict. Most probably we will not see a second run of these...

[Pere Casals]

Pfsor, we don't know it...

IMHO we are not well aware about LF activity in China, many forums cannot be even reached, and google translate from chinese it's hard to understand... but I'd say that LF has a significative growth there, and poulation is 1400 million people there...

[Pfsor]

Growth you say. In phone cameras surely. In the hand of everybody and growing...

[Corran]

Regarding LF in China - this came across my feed recently, from a friend in HK (no Facebook needed to view):
https://www.facebook.com/icablenews/...02961587250726

[Pere Casals]

In phones, see Antutu benchmark, now best scores are for chinese brands...

but who else makes now C 600 glass ? also see the ShenHao offer... I've you can find chinese forums you will see that there is an internal demand, and strongs local societies.