Last week, the Franke & Heidecke announced that it is going into administration after being unable to pay its bills. The Germany-based company develops products for the legendary Rolleiflex twin-lens camera system, plus it produces a 6x6 camera for both Sinar and Leaf, which respectively market it under the Hy6 and AFi product names.

Now, Hasselblad, which also produces medium format camera systems, has reacted to the news. 'It is extremely unfortunate, when a company with the heritage of Franke and Heideke, falls upon hard times,' says Chris Russell-Fish, managing director of Hasselblad UK. 'Hasselblad has always welcomed competition, as it reminds us constantly that our customers have a choice, and that we should always earn their custom and loyalty by delivering the very best.

'Franke & Heideke produced some remarkable cameras, with good feature sets, and it will be very sad, if they are unable to carry on.'

For a full report of the situation, read our previous article Medium format camera market monitors Franke & Heidecke's health.