Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/06/24
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]B.D, it makes sense. that's what is going any other business out there, but olumpus must be making money otherwise they would get out of camera business PS i ended up buying two E1 and E330. the E1 has been absolute joy to use; quite, compact, and with the right lenses very very sharp. i ended up with the 14-54, 7-14, 150/2 and 11-22 On 6/24/06, B. D. Colen <bd@bdcolenphoto.com> wrote: > Actually, Don and Mehrdad, this has little to do with film or digital, and > everything to do with the reality of modern business practices and > economics. In almost every field, where there used to be many 'little > guys," > there are now a handful of giants. > > Consider how many auto manufacturers there were forty years ago, and how > many there are now. Did the independents all disappear or get subsumed by > the giants because of battery worries, LCD suppliers, software engineers, > or > cost/quantity problems? I think not - they disappeared because business > today is all about the stock price, not the product; it's about selling > quantity, not quality. So the little guy who turns out a specialty item > will > be forever teetering on the brink of extinction. > > And by the way, the reason there is still an Olympus today has nothing to > do > with cameras - it has to do with the fact that Olympus is one of the > world's > leaders in the medical scope business, and in the manufacture of certain > other medical devices - something in excess of 70 percent of the > colonoscopy > scopes sold in the U.S. are manufactured by Olympus, and 90 percent of the > blood analyzers used by hospital and independent blood banks are made by > Olympus. The photo business is but the tip of the dog's tail.;-) > > > On 6/23/06 9:06 PM, "Don Dory" <don.dory@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Mehrdad, > > I think that the difference is that in years past, film was the great > > leveler. If the lens line was OK then load up some film and away you go. > > If you did not have a good lens line then you used the Zeiss/Pentax > > thread > > and no worries. > > > > Today, the camera does everything and you might be dependant on the RAW > > converter if the brand turns out to be too obscure. So, better safe than > > sorry and on the way to Nikon/Canon who not only have complete lens lines > > but are in no immediate danger of going out of busines like Minolta, > > Konica, > > Olympus in the film business(before B.D. chimes in there were a lot of > > POed > > folks that Olympus got out of the SLR business some time before the E-1 > > became reality). Another difference this time around is the technology > > is > > tough; last time around you could buy a copal shutter, hire some young > > girls > > to assemble your body and Bob's your uncle. Now, you have battery > > worries, > > LCD suppliers, software engineers, chip supplies and in what quantity and > > what price. > > > > Another factor is we are all much more informed than in years past. > > Forty > > years ago if your local trusted dealer told you to go with the Practica, > > Miranda, Exacta, Minolta, Pentacon, or whatever you might go with the > > dealer > > as you didn't know any better. > > > > Don > > don.dory@gmail.com > > > > > > On 6/23/06, mehrdad <msadat@gmail.com> wrote: > >> > >> don how is this different when it was only film? > >> > >> we had a lot more companies, they all thrived and prospered as we did > >> with choice > >> > >> On 6/23/06, Don Dory <don.dory@gmail.com> wrote: > >>> Gene, > >>> That is the story throughout most of the world. Conjecture on my part > >> is > >>> that Nikon and Canon especially have reached critical mass for DSLR's. > >>> Meaning that a true amateur might end up with a Pentax, Olympus, of > >> Minolta; > >>> but anyone who has done research and wants to fit in(notice the logical > >>> argument) would buy anything but Canon or Nikon. Exception to this rule > >>> would be the large number of Pentax lovers who will buy the brand > >> because of > >>> lens compatibility, price, size, and feature set. > >>> > >>> So, unless the Alpha and the Olympus new models truly walk on water and > >> take > >>> pictures of Aliens and Angeline J's new baby then they will suffer the > >> fate > >>> of the Olympus and Minolta SLR's which is abandonment and > >> discontinuation. > >>> Even the Japanese companies will no longer continue a line that loses > >> money > >>> in perpetuity. > >>> > >>> On the other hand Canon especially and Nikon as well can not build > >>> their > >>> models fast enough. > >>> > >>> Don > >>> don.dory@gmail.com > >>> > >>> > >>> On 6/23/06, Grduprey@aol.com <Grduprey@aol.com> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> In a message dated 6/21/2006 5:03:14 PM Central Daylight Time, > >>>> bdcolen@comcast.net writes: > >>>> Boy, is that the truth. The B mode is nice to have for macro work, or > >>>> perhaps for formal portraiture. But the A, real-time live view is what > >>>> makes the E330 special. So all the Panisonic really has is a truly > >> crappy > >>>> viewfinder, analogue controls, and a 'Leica' lens? No wonder Olympus > >> was > >>>> willing to license the technology to them. ;-) > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> The really sad thing is our local Oly dealer can't give them > >> away. But > >>>> the > >>>> D200's and 30D's are flying off the shelves. > >>>> > >>>> Gene > >>>> > >>>> _______________________________________________ > >>>> Leica Users Group. > >>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >>>> > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> Leica Users Group. > >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >>> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> ------------------------------------- > >> regards, mehrdad > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Leica Users Group. > >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >> > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > -- ------------------------------------- regards, mehrdad