Taking the medium format camera market by storm, the news that the German manufacturer Franke & Heidecke was to close before September could spell the end of the Leaf AFi camera system developed in Israel.

BJP can now confirm that the system is now on hold. Ziv Argov, the head of sales and marketing for Leaf Imaging - a company created by Phase One and former managers at Leaf - tells BJP that while it has the rights for the Leaf AFi, it 'is not planning to manufacture it. With the complex situation in Germany, the Leaf AFi is currently on hold.'

He adds: 'Leaf Imaging will not be selling the AFi on day one of operations. We have to determine its viability. We are seriously interested in participating with others in making the system commercially available. Obviously, this will require one more partner with production capabilities, including lenses, shutters, etc.'

Last week, in a wide-ranging interview with BJP, Henrik O Hakonsson, president and CEO at Phase One confirmed the AFi system was being reevaluated after Phase One agreed to form Leaf Imaging to buy Leaf's assets. He had warned that the system's fate would be determined by Franke & Heidecke's financial situation.