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Rollei F+H and Horseman Form Joint Venture to Offer Integrated Product Family for Professional Photographers
First Showing of Rollei 6008 AF, Rollei X-ACT 2, Horseman SW-D wide angle, Horseman LD “Movement” Camera, and Horseman 3D Stereo Camera
ORLANDO, FL, February 26, 2006 – Professional photographers can now save money, time and avoid product obsolescence, thanks to a joint venture between Rollei F+H and Horseman to provide a family of integrated products that allow photographers to easily interchange lenses, backs, and accessories without having to outsource.
The two companies will unveil at PMA (Booth 2624-1) a major part of their new product family. Among the products to be shown are the Rollei 6008 AF “Bundle,” the Rollei X-ACT 2, the Horseman SW-D Pro wide angle, and the Horseman LD “movement” camera for DSLRs. Horseman will also show a 3D stereo camera.
Rollei, manufacturer of the classic twin-lens Rollei medium format camera, and Horseman, a leading manufacturer of medium and large format cameras in Japan, last month announced their joint venture to distribute their medium and large format professional cameras in the U.S. through Direct Source Marketing Worldwide. DSMWW was created 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 products.
All of the products in the Rollei/Horseman family work together. No other manufacturer offers this level of integration. The following is a brief description of the products to be shown at PMA:
Rollei 6008 AF Bundle
The Rollei 6008 AF, the world’s first auto focus single lens reflex camera in a 6 x 6 medium format, is now available as a digital camera bundle for the professional photographer. The bundle includes a digital back, editing software, and an 80 mm F2.8 Planar lens.
The Rollei 6008AF bundle comes with a Phase One P20 back or a Sinarback eMotion22 (22 megapixels) digital back. These and other choices give the photographer film and digital picture taking capabilities in one package. The interchangeable film packs allow a photographer to shoot film, Polaroid-type shots as well as digital shots and to handle workflow without losing a single frame by exchanging the film magazine for a digital back.
This flagship of the Rollei line is also being bundled with C1 Pro editing software for precise workflow that supports all phases of image editing and intuitive operation. The bundle also includes top-of-the-line lens from Schneider-Kreuznach and Carl Zeiss, which retains full compatibility with the Rollei 6000 system. This makes the 6008AF compatible with more than 20 current 6000 system lenses. It is the first autofocus medium- format camera for precise high-speed automatic focusing with the new AF lenses by Schneider- Kreuznach.
The combination of a high performance back, superior lens, and medium-format camera is designed for photographers who need maximum flexibility and mobility on location or in the studio.
Horseman LD
There are a lot of DSLR cameras used in professional studios, but there’s something they can’t do -- shift and tilt. Horseman LD has a unique ability to take advantage of camera movements with a Canon or Nikon both on the front and rear DSLR. It provides a swing/tilt of up to 360 degrees, a rise/fall of 300 mm each and a lateral shift of 30 mm left and right.
You can control the “plane of focus” by tilting the lens. This tilt movement controls the plane of sharp image at wider aperture. You can also control distortion by tilting the back (focus plane) or, with a lateral shift; you can move the image and get larger image stitching. In addition, you can use both medium and large format lenses and, with the LD’s revolving back system, you can change format very quickly and smoothly.
[B}Rollei X-Act 2 System[/B]
The Rollei X-Act 2 bellows system is the first portable medium-format monorail camera with an optical bench. It provides an ideal workflow solution with its removable back. Features include front and rear standards, base tube, base block and systainer. In addition, the system has unlimited perspective and focus correction and is compatible with Rollei 6000 lenses and digital back or type 4560 magazine with motorized film transport. It is also compatible with large-format size 0 and 1 lenses via Rollei Electronic Shutter. The setting of aperture and shutter speed is through a unique lens control unit.
Horseman SW-D Pro
The Horseman SW-D Pro is a super wide angle digital camera that works with digital camera backs, including those with the recently developed 36 x 48MM CCDs. Maximum image sizes are 66 x 48mm in landscape orientation or 36 x 78mm in portrait format. Lens movements include neutral, rise and fall of 9 up to 17mm (either way) and lateral shift (up to 15mm left or right). The shortest useable focal length is 24 mm. When used with a 36x48mm digital back, this is equivalent to a 17mm wide angle lens. At the long end, a 135mm lens is available. Currently, seven focal lengths of 24-135 mm are available from Schneider and Rodenstock through DSMWW.
Horseman 3D Stereo Camera
The Horseman 3D camera is an innovative stereo solution, which will appeal not only to wedding and portrait photographers, but to the medical and industrial fields. This appeal is not only because of its 3D pictures, but because of its unique integration – it is one camera with two lenses mounted in a single shutter, not two lenses with two shutters. As most pros know, it’s not easy to synchronize two shutters, but with the new Horseman 35’s pair of sharp 38MM F2.8 lenses, you not only can get perfect sync, you can use a full range of electronic flash.
MSRP pricing for the new products (street price will likely be lower) starting at $1799. for the Rollei 6008AF bundle with the P20 digital back; $3,000 for the X-Act 2 system; $2,600 for the Horseman LD, $2,799 for the Horseman SW-D Pro and $5,000 for the Horseman 3D stereo camera.
www.rollei.de
www.horsemanusa.com
