Things are so simple in DSLR land.  There’s the Big Two, and the others…  occasionally you have some cross-fertilization, oh, maybe some lenses or software bridging between two players, but rarely do you see the complexity and intrigue of the medium format segment.  We, here at H2H, even have trouble keeping it all straight, and then Phase One goes and buys Leaf, right?  We thought it may help to look at the landscape before the bit Phase deal to understand where this is all coming from.  

Here goes, alphabetically.  

Hasselblad

First we have Hasselblad.  Hasseblad is the easiest, actually, because as of around 2005 or so, Hasselblad made the bold move of dedicating it’s H series cameras to only the Hasselblad (known in the US as Hasselblad, actually, Imacon in the rest of the world…) digital backs.

You cannot use a non-Hassy back on a current H series camera body.   You can, however, use many of the Hasselblad/Imacon backs on a vast array of bodies.  In doing so, Hassleblad/Imacon set out a path that, arguably, was simply unavoidable.  The opinions out there are that the mergers and such that we’re seeing were a direct result of this “closing” of the Hasselblad/Imacon platform.  

The H System lenses are made by Fuji, by the way.
 

Jenoptik AG

Jenoptik AG is a German company created in 1991 out of JENOPTIK Carl Zeiss Jena GmbH.  They’re huge, and work with five major areas: Optical Systems, Lasers & Material Processing, Industrial Metrology, Traffic Solutions and Defense & Civil Systems.  They continue to make cameras, and are working with Leaf and Sinar making dedicated medium format camera systems for each manufacturer.  Lens mounts remain the same, regardless of the parent digital back company.

Dalsa

Based in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, they bought the CCD part of Phillips in around 2002.  Phillips made the legendary 6mp CCD designed for satellite applications and then adapted for use in digital cameras.  That’s all they do, that we’re interested in, anyway.

Eastman Kodak Company

Kodak currently owns Leaf (through owning Creo, see below), and is deeply involved in prepress equipment and processes.  They maintain a very active CCD division, supplying a few of the digital back companies with sensors, as well as many manufacturing and scientific imaging clients.  They retired the ProBack line of digital backs way back in 2003 or thereabouts, then stepped out of the retail professional digital market altogether with the pulling of the 14N DSLR soon after.

The only way they really affect what we’re interested in is that they sell big CCDs to the digital back guys.  

Leaf , Leaf America  

First, you have Leaf, the main company, based in Israel.  Leaf is owned by Kodak, by virtue of it being previously under the Creo, of Vancouver, (pre-press industry) umbrella, and that was bought by Eastman Kodak Co. in 2005.  Interestingly, this did not lead to the use of Kodak CCDs in the Leaf backs, the Leafs use Dalsa sensors.  Go figure.  Leaf has a nice big array of digital backs.  They also have a nice arrangement with Jenoptic for an integrated camera body for the Leaf backs, the Leaf AFi-II medium-format digital camera system.  
 

Then there’s Leaf America.  Leaf America is owned by Jan Lederman, the same guy  who owns the MAC group- Mamiya America Corporation.   (They sell Eizo, Induro, PocketWizard, Profoto, Sekonic, Tenba, Toyo-View and X-Rite, in addition to Mamiya.)  There is no legal relationship between the two companies, however.  Leaf America is a distribution, marketing and service company for Leaf digital back products.   

Mamiya, Mamiya USA

Well, again, there’s Mamiya- they make cameras and lenses, and Mamiya USA (part of the MAC Group, owned by Jan Lederman).  The interesting thing here is that Mamiya does not sell but one digital camera, the ZD, which Mamiya USA was unwilling (apparently) to bring to the US due to the bad reviews.  Mamiya USA did, however, negotiate a relationship with Leaf to bundle a digital back product based on the Mamiya 645AFd medium format platform. Not technically Mamiya, not technically Leaf- but MAC.  
 

Based on the Aptus, they’re the DL28 and the DL33, 28 and 33mp respectively, and interestingly, right at the moment, they represent the best deal out there for bang-for-buck demo pricing: DL28 Demo MAP $9,995, and DL33 Demo MAP $12,995.  See your local dealer for details.
 

Phase One

Phase One offers a complete line of digital backs, and integrated camera systems based on the Mamiya system.  They also offer what is arguably the bench standard for capture software, which they adapted from their digital back package to support DSLRs- Phase One C1Pro.   
Phase One owns a “significant” share of Mamiya, as of somewhere this first Quarter, ’09.  This week, (6/24) Phase One announced it’s intention to purchase Leaf (Israel) from Eastman Kodak.
 

Sinar Bron

Sinar offers an interesting line of digital backs, and has a strong history of digital imaging based in the world of 4x5 cameras.  A notable device they offered was the SinarCam, an integrated camera/back designed for use on the Sinar 4x5 system. They are also one of the companies working with Jenoptik offering an integrated camera system for their digital backs.  
 

Lemmee see.  What have I left out?  Phase owns a big part of Mamiya (not USA), and just bought Leaf (not USA) and maybe, just maybe, we’ll see some cool version of Capture One running the Leaf.  You saw that here first, remember.  Phase works with Jenoptik for the camera platform end.  Mamiya should have bagged the ZD, but still makes cameras.  Mamiya USA partnered with Leaf to sell integrated capture systems, and Leaf works with Jenoptik too, along with Sinar Bron.   Leaf USA will still distribute, service and sell Leaf in the US, but now is going to be working with Phase instead of the Kodak prepress guys.  Hasselblad is out there on their own, well, except for the Fujinon lenses, Dalsa’s making sensors, Kodak’s making sensors and no more cameras anymore.  

So, Phase is poised to control Leaf, and thus drive (if not control) Leaf America, influence Mamiya (and thus Mamiya USA) heavily, and become one of two customers, and the bigger of the two, for Jenoptik.  Interesting.
 

Confused?  Give it 30 days.  It’ll all change.