if you like to see the best camera ever build to fit this format (and actually the camera built by the most dedicated person I ever met, no offence to all the other buiders Like Keith Canham or Mike Walker whom dedication is also gigantic). Take a look at:

http://www.gilde-kamera.de

you have to see it to believe it and especially listen to Dr.Gilde, he knows that you are never gonna buy because it will seriously damage your bank account but he carries on regardless. Great guy!

-- Andrea Milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), February 11, 2001

Answers

In addition to being a multiformat camera that can change format on any given shot...it also offers gg focusing or rangefinder and is also the only new MF stereo camera on the market! If the price droped by 50% I would be interested in one! Obviosly someone is buying them or he still would not be charging the same high prices for over 2 years now! I know one guy who ordered one and he waited a year and gave up waiting.... business must be good... It seems the Germans, Swiss and the Japanese are the true innovators of camera equipment.

-- Bill Glickman (bglick@pclv.com), February 11, 2001.

You'll be surprised on how many cameras( made in in the countries which you mentioned and elsewhere) never make it to the production and stay to prototype stage. The real problem is that shrinkage of the market makes products more expensive and in so doing becomes such a small part of this small segment that it is difficult to produce it at all. However in times of plenty, although shrinking in numbers the market allows for luxurious cameras but numbers are limited because the volumes do not allow for expansion, pretty much like for hand made cars! Prices go up, models get better and waiting time rises exponentially!

-- Andrea Milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), February 12, 2001.

Same with high-end telescopes, too...one can wait for years.

-- James Chow (dr_jchow@yahoo.com), February 12, 2001.

Well, for Euro 6.415,- I can get a lot of cameras which to me are more interesting than this one. But I am impressed as to what can be achieved with inspiration and perseverance.

-- Jimi Axelsson (jimi@earthling.net), February 12, 2001.

Jimi, I am very curious, which cameras can you buy that are more interesting (within the same sort....) , I can figure a number of nice camersa for that amount of money too but they aren't panorama/stereo 6x17(multiformat) cameras, come to think of it , this is the only such camera in the world! And I don't even work for Mr. Gilde! Just love as you said what can be achieved with lots of love for what one does!

-- Andrea Milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), February 13, 2001.

Andrea: There is the V-Pan 6x17cm, which is no longer being made but can be found used. You can use any view camera lens from 72mm to 1200mm (providing you have extra long bellows and extention rails), you have shift, swing, rise/fall on the front standard etc. It isn't as beautiful as the Glide 617 or as elegant as the simpler Fuji or Linhof 617 cameras. Keith Canham's 6x17 back for the metal MQC camera will have full movements plus rear shift, swings and tilts.

Is the Glide another camera manufacturer you are representing? That is not a hostile question and I really appreciate you posting the contact info for Glide.

-- Ellis Vener (evphoto@insync.net), February 13, 2001.

Ellis (I am sure it wasn't a hostile comment, but at any rate....) and any other person who might have had the doubt that I posted this to score on selling anything. Gilde is a product which I happened to come across two years ago at the Kina in Cologne. I had already back then loved it and loved it even more this year again at the Kina. I don't have the money to buy a Gilde , just as much as I don't have the money to buy an Aston Martin, I just love them both and if winning one super-lottery prize I would certanly considering buying both. Dr. Gilde doesn't know(I think ) that I am promoting his camera and I doubt that he would part from one of his jewels in return of my postings here!!!!!! If you have followed, as I am sure you did my postings throughout this last 4 years or so, you should have realized that from time to time I engage myself into promoting some products (like Bosscreen, which I do not represent!) and in which I am a firm beliver. Internet is a powerful method to make peoople aware of what's going on around the world. This forum is made for discussing and promoting is a way of discussing. This was also the spirit of my posting about inventors and inventions (pretty stimulating don't you think?) I already have given the address of GILDE (not Glide!!!) in fact it appear in the original question, but anyway, here it is. http://www.gilde-kamera.de Again I am in no possible way connected with this company. All the other people from many countries who wrote me privately and in public on the forum about Shen Hao, can witness that I've never made any mistery of the address of the company making anybody able to buy cameras directly at the source. I like the camera had to buy 4 asa minimum order and I doubt that I am going to get rich at the price I am selling them. I also don't think that you want any of the detalis of all the fuss that this camera have costed me up until now. I like nice large format products. However. Comparing the Gilde to a view camera is unfair because this is a different camera , with all due respect, the technical complication of this camera has nothing to do with the 6x17 film back (stilla t prototype stage) which spledid Keith Canham is about to introduce. Suffice to say that a multiformat back that can shoot between 6x6 and 6x17 caculating the lenght of the film at each shot is simply fantastic. What good is it? I don't know! What good is a Rolls, a Rolex, a Ferrary, Valentino's fashion, the Hope diamond, and so forth. If you compare the Gilde to a Linhof or a Fuji the comparison is fair but they will not be able to compare to this spendid camera. Wiew cameras cannot be used in the same way(you can shoot without tripod!) so the comparison doesn't stand. Point taken but I disagree, kindly look at the camera in details avoiding hasty comments.

-- Andrea Milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), February 14, 2001.

OOPS! I spelled Ferrari as Ferrary, better correct this otherwise I might loose the car they promised me if I mentioned their name!

-- Andrea Milano (milandro@multiweb.nl), February 14, 2001.