coelacanth
Ride, dive, shoot.
Ha! Here you go. Mysterious countdown popped up on X-Pro1 product page.
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujifilm_x_pro1/
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujifilm_x_pro1/
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
I'm not familiar with Sony's support for firmware upgrades across their camera lines, but that is one thing that was a factor for me to go with Fuji X.
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
That puts it precisely on time with a launch date that I was given by someone in the know.
Huss
Veteran
You're right. We already know the Sony has much better AF abilities. Wonder if this Fuji will be able to match that. For $1000 more.
I too much prefer the feel and design of Fuji cameras (apart from their EVFs which make me sick), and I feel they are nicer designed. But for the regular customer looking for a camera, well, no way a salesdood will be able to convince them to spend over three times the price of the Sony for what looks to the avg person to be the same thing.
It's why Sony camera sales are capturing the lion's share of the mirrorless market.
GaryLH
Veteran
Far a few between..I'm afraid.. They would rather fix it in the next gen cam IMHO. It does happen, though rare, such as the raw update for the A7 mk2 family of cameras. Far cry from Fuji commitment that goes beyond not just the current models.
Gary
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
gavinlg
Veteran
Thats true, but you could look at it another way - in a recession sales of Ferraris and Lambos stay consistent, toyota and hyundai however really feel that slump. My view with business has always been keeping your customer base small, focussed and loyal makes for consistent business. Sony is just sony - they have amazing tech completely squandered by the time it comes out in a product. Committee design at its finest.
Huss
Veteran
Are you saying imaging giant Fujifilm is the Lambo of the camera world?
olakiril
Well-known
No way X-Pro2 at $1700 is sold at a loss.
If that was the case I can't imagine any camera other than Leicas that could be sold with profit
If that was the case I can't imagine any camera other than Leicas that could be sold with profit
olakiril
Well-known
I certainly agree that especially at the beginning of production the costs are much higher.
For example I believe that the X-Pro1 is sold at cost right now ~$500. My guess is that the initial cost could easily be double that.
Don't get me wrong I have neither a background in economics nor information of Fuji's costs. But my understanding is that most camera companies had adapted the same pricing model: high pricing at the beginning that more than covers costs, and it is targeted to enthusiasts and lower pricing later on for the general market. Finally sell the camera at cost at the end to gain from lenses etc... That is the only way I can explain how fast the prices drop on new cameras.
I could be very wrong of course
Filzkoeter
stray animal
It's basically the economies of scale. There are fixed costs (like for example the development/research/initial programming, moulds, etc.). They're the same, no matter how many units the company produces. So the more you produce, the less one unit costs.
At the end of the product life cycle all the initial fixed costs are already paid, so the per-unit price gets cheaper.
Yeah, that's sad for the camera business if true.
GaryLH
Veteran
Supposedly the screen shots of the menu lay out
Supposedly the screen shots of the menu lay out
Since this is from a rumor site..better to take it w/ grain of salt..but they have been pretty reliable in the past.
http://www.fujirumors.com/leaked-se...ints-more-trusted-japanese-source/#more-41279
Gary
Supposedly the screen shots of the menu lay out
Since this is from a rumor site..better to take it w/ grain of salt..but they have been pretty reliable in the past.
http://www.fujirumors.com/leaked-se...ints-more-trusted-japanese-source/#more-41279
Gary
Huss
Veteran
How can that possibly make sense seeing that only Kodak, Fuji and Ilford make film (and a couple of smaller players)?
Are you claiming that Canon, Nikon, Leica, Pentax, Olympus etc etc sold their film cameras at a loss? Why would they be in business for decades?
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
I don't think film cameras were big loss leaders for the manufacturers, but certainly to a big extent they were for the retailers. The manufacturers had much slimmer margins on the bodies than they did on many of their lenses, and a huge portion of the other accessories. Having the industry standardize on the 50mm (-ish) focal length as the kit lens went a long way to providing at least some margin.
Retailers sold bodies at zero to very little margin (unless it was temporarily a super hot item with short supply) and made up margin in film and other gear ... especially bags. Joe can attest to the latter.
I'd be willing to bet that all of the major manufacturers of film cameras made more on lenses and flash systems alone than all of their bodies. Adding other accessories, that was the gravy.
FrankS
Registered User
I think it was documented that certain camera bodies cost more to make than they sold for. The Leicaflex for one, and the Sonnar lensed Rollei 35.
back alley
IMAGES
I don't think film cameras were big loss leaders for the manufacturers, but certainly to a big extent they were for the retailers. The manufacturers had much slimmer margins on the bodies than they did on many of their lenses, and a huge portion of the other accessories. Having the industry standardize on the 50mm (-ish) focal length as the kit lens went a long way to providing at least some margin.
Retailers sold bodies at zero to very little margin (unless it was temporarily a super hot item with short supply) and made up margin in film and other gear ... especially bags. Joe can attest to the latter.
I'd be willing to bet that all of the major manufacturers of film cameras made more on lenses and flash systems alone than all of their bodies. Adding other accessories, that was the gravy.
as a former camera sales person (many many moons ago) i can attest to this. cameras were the least profitable item we sold...it was the lenses, bags, film etc that were the high profit items.
Huss
Veteran
sorta like the popcorn and soda at movie theatres..
Trius
Waiting on Maitani
Dante_Stella
Rex canum cattorumque
But you have to commit to buy thousands and thousands of them to get something that is not off the shelf (or you can do what Leica does and pay through the nose for smaller quantities). We've been stuck with X-Trans II forever, I suspect for this reason.
D