Leaf/Mamiya has confirmed that the new Credo digital back will become available in AFi camera mount, in addition to Mamiya 645, Contax 645 AF, Hasselblad H, and Hasselblad V Series platforms. This was in doubt for some time, the presumption being that the Aptus-II 12 would be the last Leaf product designed for the AFi platform, and in fact, last year this was reinforced unoffically by Leaf.
It is likely that existing AFi owners have made their voices heard in enough numbers that it makes sense to continue the platform support with the new Credo product. Or perhaps some critical element – be it the availability of a hardware component, or the negotiation of a distribution/production arrangement – emerged at the last moment to allow the path to continue. Either way, this is a great thing for existing AFi/Hy6 owners, and potentially for those interested AFi/Hy6 platform prospects.
It remains to be seen what will emerge from Photokina in terms of new cameras/lenses for medium format, especially considering the very real possibility that technical capabilities similar to the AFi/Hy6 camera may indeed find their way into a future camera from under the umbrella of Phase One/Leaf/Mamiya.
As our perspective is always that photographers benefit by having more options, we’re please by the news.