DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS

Rolleiflex, Direct Source Marketing To Unveil Hy6 at PhotoPlus 

Advanced medium format film/digital camera with interchangeable back

New York, New York  – An advanced medium format camera for film and digital applications that features the ability to accept pro digital backs and an auto focus zoom lens will be unveiled at PhotoPlus Expo by Direct Source Marketing (D.S.M.).  PhotoPlus Expo takes place at the Javitz Center in New York from October 18-20th, 2007.

Called the Rolleiflex Hy6, the new camera is a film-digital breakthrough that features a unique open system for high-end digital backs, but also 6x4.5 and 6x6 format film.

Also to be unveiled are interchangeable lens for the Horseman SW617. One lens unit is equipped with Schneider’s Super Symmar XL 110mm, which will be between 90 and 180MM. The other is the longest focal length for 6x17 format, with a Fujinon T 400MM. The system will accept lenses from 72mm through 400mm; has rise and fall; and accepts a reducing 6x12 back.

The Hy6 (“Hy” for “hybrid) is an evolutionary extension of the 6008 AF, but with new features such as the open system user interface, a new focus detector, which is able to focus under difficult lighting conditions, and a Lithium-ion battery that can be recharged without having to worry about memory loss. The height of the Hy6 is lower than the 6008 AF since the motor-drive is removed from the body and the new battery is located in the hand grip. This makes the system both compact and light.

Other features of the Hy6 include leaf shutters with full flash sync up to 1/1000 sec; a 90 degree viewfinder, a new built-in quick release; mirror-blocked multi-exposure; and a large LCD on the hand grip, which reveals shutter speed, aperture settings, battery condition and other data.

There are five new interchangeable lenses, called the AFd series, available for the HY6. The optical specs are the same as the AF lenses, but the aperture setting is conveniently located on the electrical grip. The Hy6 works with all lenses that work on the 6008 series so the investment in lenses from one manufacturer will be protected and users won’t be forced into buying a particular lens.

The camera, lens and accessories are made in Germany. The lens are produced by Franke & Heidecke under a licensing agreement with Schneider and Carl Zeiss

Direct Source Marketing, the U.S distributor for medium and large format Horseman and Rolleiflex professional cameras and Rodenstock filters, will be the sole source for the new camera and all Rollei products in the U.S. ranging from prisms, lenses and monorail systems. The products are available at leading retailers.

D.S.M. Worldwide was created last year as a result of the joint venture between Komamura Corporation, a long time distributor of Rollei and Horseman products in Japan, and Franke & Heidecke, the Germany-based manufacturer of Rollei professional products and Horseman components. Together, they are the NEW Rollei.

D.S.M.’s integrated approach is designed to give professional and prosumer photographers a family of integrated products that allow photographers to easily interchange lenses, backs, and accessories without having to outsource. This saves time, money, and prevents product obsolescence.