April 21, 2006 – Engadget is reporting today that Mamiya won’t be manufacturing cameras any more. Mamiya is known for its professional medium format cameras, most recently the 22-megapixel Mamiya ZD and Digital Back. The site reports the company’s sales aren’t booming and that its assets will be sold to Japanese IT company Cosmos Scientific on Sept. 1.
The Mamiya ZD was released in Japan in December and in Europe in March and is available in the United States as well. The ZD is the world’s first integrated medium format camera and was geared to professional audiences. It sells for about $12,300.
Mamiya has a long history of producing fine cameras that dates back to 1940, when the company was founded by Seichi Mamiya. The company’s first camera was called the Mamiya 6.
This alleged move comes just a few months after Konica-Minolta folded and sold its patents and technology to Sony Corporation. Contax and Kyocera have also shut their doors within the last few months.
