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Another MF maker died today - DHW bankrupt.

pedro39photo

New member
Another RIP, so sad, amazing optics.
great times for me 20 years ago with a rolleiflex 6x6, i like very much of the square format. I love to see in future a digital MF 6x6 monochrome camera, 6000x6000px resolution...
 
Very bad news indeed. I hope somebody will support the hy6 and 600x lines. I keep the 6008AF with the 55 mm Ts and 110mm.PQ.
 

Mammy645

New member
They did a terrible job marketing the Hy6, you almost never heard anything about it, and seeing one in the flesh was as rare as hen's teeth. Also, they should have designed it with different mount adapters, so it could take the latest PhaseOne backs. It's truly sad though because it had a lot of potential, let's hope it gets picked up somehow.
 

EH21

Member
The news of the insolvency was a bit of a surprise to me as my sales as their US dealer were steadily rising, however I wouldn't say they are over - I just got a shipment with 3 cameras and a number of other items today from them.

I'm hoping that they will resurface as they have before or that a larger company will pick them up.
 

Geoff

Well-known member
There may be some life in the animal yet. These smaller European companies sometimes drift in and out of solvency for reasons that have to do more with debt management than anything else. One can only hope.
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Very sad news indeed, but not unexpected. The Hy6 is my favourite MF camera by far, and the only one currently in production that can do 6x6 as well as take digital backs. As has been mentioned before, their marketing sucked, which may have something to do with their limited financial resources. I really, really hope somebody will pick it up and get them going again.
 

Rollei6008i

Member
Feeling badly , Hy6mod2 really good amongs present MFs with digiback, works excellent , no hanging. comptiable with digiback without interrupt during operations.

Is it a rule, good things always die firstly ?? :eek::eek::cry:
 

torger

Active member
As Geoff said, it's not totally game over yet. Small companies can run out of money, even if the prognosis and sales trends are good. If there is positive trends that can be shown they may be able to raise money and save the company. Their very limited marketing indicates that they were not a financially strong company.

If they ran out of money because there was simply too few sales and there is no trends of selling more, it probably is game over as no venture capital can then be attracted. We don't know that yet though.

If it dies and noone buys the remains it it's sad indeed. Not only the Hy6 is lost (the only 6x6-capable digital MF system), but also their interesting new electronic shutter for tech cameras, the HS-1000. With Copal shutters discontinued (albeit with probably quite some stock left) I've followed all developments in tech camera shutters with great interest.

Imagine if they had the financial strength to make their own 56x56mm digital back (also available in V-mount for wider sales) so they could provide a complete system in-house, and afford some marketing. Maybe they then could compete with the others.
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Hi,

Sad about DHW going into insolvency,as I am under the impression that it was rescued by it's employees after the Rollei went into insolvency, probably at high cost.

I would guess that some company would take over parts and offer repairs in case the company cannot be refinanced. But, let us hope for the best. German investors have a tradition of keeping brands alive.

A sad truth may be that digital backs are where the money is, that is the reason that Hasselblad once closed the H-system, they didn't want to make the hard work of building a system and let Phase One earn the money. At least that is what than time CEO said in a swedish interview.

Hy 6 would have had a great future would Phase One joined the group, but Phase choose to work on the Mamiya platform.

Best regards
Erik


As Geoff said, it's not totally game over yet. Small companies can run out of money, even if the prognosis and sales trends are good. If there is positive trends that can be shown they may be able to raise money and save the company. Their very limited marketing indicates that they were not a financially strong company.

If they ran out of money because there was simply too few sales and there is no trends of selling more, it probably is game over as no venture capital can then be attracted. We don't know that yet though.

If it dies and noone buys the remains it it's sad indeed. Not only the Hy6 is lost (the only 6x6-capable digital MF system), but also their interesting new electronic shutter for tech cameras, the HS-1000. With Copal shutters discontinued (albeit with probably quite some stock left) I've followed all developments in tech camera shutters with great interest.

Imagine if they had the financial strength to make their own 56x56mm digital back (also available in V-mount for wider sales) so they could provide a complete system in-house, and afford some marketing. Maybe they then could compete with the others.
 
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DHW-Jhartje

New member
Hi everyone,

my English is not the best especially concerning any legal terms but I think it is necessary to give some comments on the ongoing situation. Due to different reasons we had to file insolvency. In Germany you have to announce when the cash flow situation isn’t sufficient anymore, so we had to act. In the last month we recognized that our sales didn’t go the right directions which is of course as many of you know reasoned in the lack of marketing and advertising. We know that many people out there like our cameras but we weren’t able to sell this fact good enough. This is a problem we have since the beginning in 2009 because we started as a small company that had to finance itself completely.

BUT ! as Geoff mentioned correctly, insolvency doesn’t mean game over. We can still act and do business, but we have to talk about how we do business with the trustee that was called by court. We have many ideas about the future and are currently working hard to find a solution really soon.

I think there are two things that will be important to talk about, first: we will fulfil the orders and the service request we’ll get directly or through our different partners.

Second: I’m sure that we will find a solution so that nobody needs to be afraid about getting accessories or service for their equipment.

As you can imagine, we will not be able to attend photokina with an own booth, but I will be there from Wednesday to Friday and will be happy to meet with anyone interested in person in cologne during my stay.

Best regards,

Johannes
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Hi everyone,

my English is not the best especially concerning any legal terms but I think it is necessary to give some comments on the ongoing situation. Due to different reasons we had to file insolvency. In Germany you have to announce when the cash flow situation isn’t sufficient anymore, so we had to act. In the last month we recognized that our sales didn’t go the right directions which is of course as many of you know reasoned in the lack of marketing and advertising. We know that many people out there like our cameras but we weren’t able to sell this fact good enough. This is a problem we have since the beginning in 2009 because we started as a small company that had to finance itself completely.

BUT ! as Geoff mentioned correctly, insolvency doesn’t mean game over. We can still act and do business, but we have to talk about how we do business with the trustee that was called by court. We have many ideas about the future and are currently working hard to find a solution really soon.

I think there are two things that will be important to talk about, first: we will fulfil the orders and the service request we’ll get directly or through our different partners.

Second: I’m sure that we will find a solution so that nobody needs to be afraid about getting accessories or service for their equipment.

As you can imagine, we will not be able to attend photokina with an own booth, but I will be there from Wednesday to Friday and will be happy to meet with anyone interested in person in cologne during my stay.

Best regards,

Johannes
We all here at GetDPI wish you guys the best. Last thing we need is less people in the industry
 

tjv

Active member
The HY6 is the coolest MF SLR on the market, I just wish Phase and Sinar had of adopted it as their SLR platform.
 

Uaiomex

Member
This is the right time for Sony to acquire the platform. SONYYYYY!!!!
If you are going to dream, you better do it all the way up to heaven!
Eduardo
 

ErikKaffehr

Well-known member
Sinar actually did…

Jenoptik, Frank & Heidecke, Leaf and Sinar were the original actors behind the Hy 6. Jenoptik seems to do other things, Frank & Heidecke ceased to exist, but was reborn as DHW, Leaf was acquired by Phase One and Leica bought Sinar.

A quick search on Google come up with this link:
Rollei HY6 MOD1,& MOD2 W/Sinar/Leaf Backs - Photo.net Medium Format Forum

Once the Hy6 was introduced I felt that it was not an optimal choice for MF digital. The main reason was that it is a 6x6 design, while sensor development was more oriented to sub 645. Today, the most modern sensor for MF is 44x33. Hell will freeze to ice before larger sensors arrive, as the two major vendors of MFD backs (Phase and Hasselblad) and both MF DSLR vendors (Pentax and Leica) are comitted to 645 or sub 645 frame sensors.

Now, using a Hasselblad 555 I realize that 6x6 is not a bad thing, but I still lack a real ultra wide. The widest I have is 40 mm, that is something like 24 mm on a DSLR. But, shorter lenses can be made. Pentax has a 25 mm lens.


On the Hasselblad I can turn the back 90 degrees for vertical. Nice because it works with a 45 degree viewfinder. With a normal prism view finder the camera can be used with an L-plate, much easier than messing with a 10-35k digital back.

Leaf had a nice digital back with internal rotation of the sensor, really neat.

Best regards
Erik

The HY6 is the coolest MF SLR on the market, I just wish Phase and Sinar had of adopted it as their SLR platform.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I recall when the HY6 was introduced. At the time I was shooting with a Leaf Aptus 7s back with a Mamiya interface (RZ with rotating back, and Mamiya 645). So, I demoed the Leaf AFi version of the HY6 in my studio with a Leaf rep. I invited a photographer pal of mine who shot with Rollie gear to help me evaluate it.

The camera was pretty nifty but could not take my existing Aptus back, and no accommodation could be made to do so. The trade value of my Leaf gear was beyond insulting, perhaps even arrogantly dismissive.

Basically, it was an all or nothing proposition.

I chose nothing.

I recall that afterwards my pal and I mused that this whole HY6 deal was eventually doomed for lack of making such a transition more accommodating.

Besides, experience with 6X7 and 6X6 cameras with digital backs was okay when I also shot film, once that went bye-bye, it was far less attractive then native 645 systems and digital backs.

Exit Leaf/Mamiya, enter Hasselblad H system. If it was all or nothing it might as well be a 645 system that matched the sensors available and provided the high sync speeds necessary for my work … I was NEVER one who believed a 6X6 sensor would ever be made.

- Marc
 

tjv

Active member
You gotta admit though, it'd be nice to have auto focus, a full frame 645 sensor, a waist level finder AND a rotating back...
There may not be any full frame 6x6 sensors ever built, but some us also like to shoot film too.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
This is the right time for Sony to acquire the platform. SONYYYYY!!!!
If you are going to dream, you better do it all the way up to heaven!
Eduardo
Wouldn't that be a hoot:)

But Sony seems to be quickly traveling in the opposite direction … tiny cameras with big sensors.

- Marc
 
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