Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/10/20
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]At 05:46 AM 10/22/97 -0600, roy wrote: > >Thomas Kachadurian wrote: > >>>A far better question is why would you want one? I have the GR-1 itself, >and while I like using the tiny camera, the lens isn't its strong suit.<< > >>> I don't get it.<< > >Tom, This is my question too. I have a GR-1 and it's a dandy little camera >and the lens is nice but not outstanding. > >... >Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me but then what do I know... > I think there's really only one possible reason for Ricoh's production of this lens, and it isn't that users will prefer it to the Elmarit. I think it's a show-off publicity item intended to demonstrate that Ricoh can make something as nice as the "retro" European lenses that Japanese users are so enthusiastic about. One might think that perhaps it will sell sufficiently to earn them a profit that is worth their notice -- after all, if the lens was already in use on the GR cameras, they didn't have to do any optical design. But they still have to defray the mount, barrel, hood, and finder design and tooling costs. Maybe not the finder -- perhaps they are simply OEM'ing someone else's finder. If the lens sells for $800, let's be generous and suppose they build it for about $300. That means they sell it to retailers for at most $600, probably less, and they make $300 on each lens. Suppose they sell 20,000 over a five-year lifespan of the product -- that's $6 million. Leaving aside the fact that $6 million is chump change for Ricoh, not even something they should divert a product group's attention for: if you consider the cost of capital (their investment for design and tooling is up front), I don't think that they realize any profit at all -- perhaps they even make a loss. So I think it's a publicity stunt, something to get written up in the trade rags about. It's a little like Digital doing AltaVista, which is not so much a money-making enterprise as it is intended to show that Digital makes the best Web servers around. Of course, it always makes sense for the consumer to take advantage of publicity stunts if they meet one's needs, and if you need a compact 28mm lens and are happy with the quality of this one, their publicity stunt is your opportunity. - -Patrick