CDs are completely dead though... so not surprising. Vinyl accounted for 12% of album sales in 2018 (depending on the source 10 to 16 million units). Add streaming and downloads... it accounted for 3%. 10-16 million seems like a lot, but before streaming, some artists sold close to 10 million units on one album. One artist. Film is already kind of in the same boat. A resurgence, but still not a mainstream resurgence.
D
Deleted member 65559
Guest
Thank You. Absolutely!!
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I think a lot of this is to do with the discovery that CDs die eventually. I was never aware of that when I started buying them all those years ago but I have many in my collection that will no longer play. Meanwhile my collection of vinyl sits there looking at me wondering when I might get a record player to play them again some day. It's an interesting world.
sooner
Well-known
Exactly! I took a darkroom class a few years ago and there were four young women in the class with me--hardly what I expected. I'm just thinking that people buying used Zi's for that kind of money, when they could just stop working and aren't repairable, begs for new models. Seriously, how much can it cost to make one of those? Not $800, I'd guess.
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Deleted member 65559
Guest
"It would probably be easier to get Cosina to reintroduce the Bessa III 667 than to start fresh. What is the minimum order? I’ll buy one if it is priced around US$2k."
Small runs will never be bargain priced....
Small runs will never be bargain priced....
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Many good points here. An error on my part, however. I've just found the invoice on the Rollei repair and realised I was initially quoted $A450, not A$350 for a BASIC repair, without cams or speed adjustments. In short, cleaning and oiling, full stop!
I negotiated a lower price and after much kitkit and heavy bargaining, and finally paid A$290 for the Rollei CLA plus slow speed adjustment. The cams did not require any attention. That A$350 included a minor repair on one of my cherished Nikkormats which wasn't firing. I rather suspect the repair person did a fast and cheap repair for me as a favor (the 'mat works perfectly now). So as you wrote, the deal wasn't quite as horrific as it may have seemed when I got the quote...
All in Ozzy dollahs (aka South Pacific pesos) which currently rate US$0.67 and a fraction cents to the Yankee equivalent. So compared to USA prices, I paid just under US$200 for the two repair jobs. Not so bad.
I sam thankful to not having to buy anything photographic or paying for camera repairs with New Zealand dollars which nowadays seem to be as valuable (and valued) as Indonesian rupiahs.
Indeed, we Down Under colonials live in hard (and often harsh) times...
nickthetasmaniac
Veteran
I wonder how small the run would be though (compared to its original release)? I feel like Cosina discontinued the Bessa models immediately prior to the upsurge in the film market, and if they reintroduced it now they would potentially sell more than they were selling 10yrs ago.
aizan
Veteran
If we ignore discontinued classic cameras, the best way forward in the new film photography era is to make simple, open source cameras. No proprietary technology! All intellectual property, if there is any, should be put under a Creative Commons 0 license. We have to make it as easy to repair and upgrade as possible.
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Deleted member 65559
Guest
nickthetasmaniac, I'm not so sure. I was really keen on the Bessa/Fuji 670, but i've heard stories about their reliability & the availability of repairs. A photog friend of mine, who is very careful w/ his gear had to send his to Fuji USA twice and it didn't come back repaired.
The idea of a folding MF camera appeals to me, as i've lugged Fuji GS/GSW 680/90 around the mountains a lot with no issues. I'd be keen on an upgraded Plaubel.... had good results with those.... But i have to admit i think the market is tiny.... & i have to agree Luddites & Hipsters...
The idea of a folding MF camera appeals to me, as i've lugged Fuji GS/GSW 680/90 around the mountains a lot with no issues. I'd be keen on an upgraded Plaubel.... had good results with those.... But i have to admit i think the market is tiny.... & i have to agree Luddites & Hipsters...
ruby.monkey
Veteran
By hand? Or are you going to add the cost of production machinery?
Unless there's a still-viable production facility, or you come up with a design that can be 3D-printed, any new camera's going to cost a bloody fortune.
Ted Striker
Well-known
Ridiculous. Film, aside from E6, is not even remotely expensive. The cost of film is so minor on my outings that I dont even consider it. Yeah, if you are an E6 shooter, you pay a lot, but hardly anyone relies exclusively on E6. That's why it is so expensive.
Film, expensive? LOL!
Ted Striker
Well-known
Odd. My GF670 has been all over the world, and has shot over 1,000 rolls of film without so much as a problem. I never take special precautions with the camera, just toss it into the bag and grab as needed. Not fragile at all.
nickthetasmaniac
Veteran
I don’t know if you’re out of touch or just trolling, but in my hometown a roll of Portra400, shot and developed, will set you back about $25aud. If film is your primary medium, that’s going to rack up pretty quick.
chipgreenberg
Well-known
Same here, but depends on how much you shoot. I'm in at about $35/roll developed and premium scans. But MAYBE I shoot 6 rooms a year. When I got something I like and want to get it matted/framed with museum glass it costs as much as a years worth of film if not more
css9450
Veteran
They could probably sell out a new run pretty quickly but to repeat those sales year after year would be the trick. The pent-up demand would be gone after the first run. That's the hard part about entering a niche market.
Complicating the issue would be, which format to make? The 6x6 guy would be disappointed if the new camera is a 6x9, for example.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
If there was money in it, all the brands would be churning them out. And they are not. Draw your own conclusions.
retinax
Well-known
I'm not so sure about having just someone doing it under license. Apart from the cost and difficulty there's also the issue of trust. I'd need a lot of confidence in the maker do make it right and to support it for a while before I'd consider buying a new, expensive camera. So I think if something like that ever happened, it would have to come from someone like Hasselblad, Phase One or Fuji. Fuji at least still have the tech around making light meters, leaf shutters and optical viewfinders, plus they make film, so the incentive of selling a bit more thereof and demonstrating commitment to it.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
There is not enough audience for such things to be created new. I have three or four excellent 35mm "advanced P&S" cameras. All in perfect working order, and will be for years of use to come. There aren't enough buyers ... I can't even sell the used ones at a reasonable price. New ones would be double to triple the price I'd take for these.
G
zuiko85
Veteran
So, it appears the only demand strong enough for continued production of a new medium format is.....(small and quiet drumroll)
The Holga 120n.
Oh well, that’s something, I guess.
Edit; Forgot, Lomography still sells the Diana+, so maybe two medium format still made new.
The Holga 120n.
Oh well, that’s something, I guess.
Edit; Forgot, Lomography still sells the Diana+, so maybe two medium format still made new.
Peter_S
Peter_S
The price for a used Fuji GFX50R with lens is not far from the price of a used Bessa III 667W anymore (prices for those gone nuts). Go figure...