> Date: Thu, 21 Feb 2002 17:44:08 -0500 > From: "T Rittenhouse" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: Re: New Manual, All Mechanical, Retro-Rangefinder
> Those tiny minox film copies of old cameras are essentially very expensive > nik-naks. They are in local camera stores, they are selling. Not in Sweden... It was a very long time since I saw a Minox here. I don't believe they're importing them any longer. > How many of you have seen an MZ-S on your dealers shelves. When they do show > up they are gone in two weeks. The problem with expensive cameras is not > salability it is availability. One marketing expert said, "you can sell > 50,000 of anything in the US market". How many cameras sell in the 50,0000 > piece range? You can't sell them if no one knows they exist, or can get > their hand on one is they do know. The dealers say there is no profit in the > low end cameras because Wal-Mart, K-Mart, etc sell them at cost; but do they > stock the high end cameras? No they don't (the few that do seem to have no > trouble selling them). I believe that the U.S is a very special market. Here in Sweden, it's another story. Few here buys the MZ-S, because it's far too expensive. In fact, few even buys SLR cameras at all because they feel that a tiny zoomcompact is better value for money. When I look at a photo store, I see mostly the budget SLR's, and perhaps an EOS 30 or Nikon F80. Very seldom an EOS 1 or F100, they're to be found at professional and special dealers. Not the average photo store. Contax is hardly existing here, sure the N1 can be bought - if one begs. The expensive cameras that do sell, are digitals. Because people find them fun to play with. Those with money are interested in gadgets, and they buy digital compacts instead of SLR's. It's the same customers that buys MP3 players or the latest GPRS mobile phones with internet, a little built-in camera and radio tuner. They don't care about quality, they care about being first with new technology. Most photo-enthusiast and beginners are using 20 old SLR's... we have quite a good 2nd hand market here. "If it's working, then no need to buying a new one". I can buy two MZ-30 for the price of one Cosina/Voigtl�nder rangefinder, and I get autofocus, TTL flash, winder, more advanced light metering, several auto-exposure modes, a larger range lenses and accessories (such as a battery pack/handgrip). And the MZ-30 is very compact and stylish too, with much better ergonomics than the hard-edge Cosina/Voigtl�nders. Best regards, Roland - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
