JohnL said:
Surely no-one would ever buy a camera like this (or a special edition Leica) at a price like this to actually *use*.
Probably not many people. But, bizarre as it may seem to someone like myself who's concerned about paying the rent every month, there are a lot of people in the world to whom $7,000 is NOT a lot of money -- who routinely spend that much or more on watches, apparel, jewelry, home audio/video equipment, and other accessories for themselves and their lifestyles.
Many of them are decent, likable people, and some of them are genuinely serious photographers. If such a person wants to buy a camera to
use, and doesn't mind paying the extra for something with a bit more style to it, then why not?
After all, 99.9% of the people in the world who take pictures use a disposable camera or a phone, and undoubtedly they think the prices WE pay for camera equipment are ridiculous!
Let's also not exclude the professional arena -- I can easily imagine a professional in a style-conscious segment of the business buying this type of camera to use, and finding it to be a good investment.
When I was in the advertising business, I used to send some work to a local studio shooter who was aiming for a high-end clientele, and whose whole setup -- from cameras and lights to tables and chairs -- was very style-conscious and tastefully turned out.
Like a lot of studio professionals, on his own time he was a fine-art photographer, and knew I was, too, so sometimes we could talk on a different level; one day during a shoot, when I had commented on some lavish new furniture in his reception area, he said, "Let's face it, 80 percent of this job is show biz!"