Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/07/17
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Shame on you Nathan ;-) You are hereby sentenced to be pilloried and pelted with 120 reels and empty 35mm cassettes. Then dunked in hot D-76. Regarding expensive paper weights, with DSLRs initially being so expensive then the prices falling since, the retained value and desirability falls even more rapidly. Especially given the very short model lives. Comapare those retained values to a good Rollei TLR or an M3. Also worth thinking about the manufacturers all using their own proprietary RAW standards. Want to bet on all of those being available/supported in a few years? Seriously, we all understand that 120 (and larger) is very much a niche market. 35mm really is just a larger niche. But there is still even 4x5 sheet film in the bigger dealers here and a good range of choices for 120. Those niches must be still worth servicing. YOU GO VICK 8-) Cheers Hoppy of the Niche -----Original Message----- ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Mon, 17 Jul 2006 06:21:36 +0200 From: Nathan Wajsman <nathan@nathanfoto.com> Subject: Re: [Leica] I have saved a soul To: Leica Users Group <lug@leica-users.org> Message-ID: <44BB1050.8050505@nathanfoto.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Sorry to sound harsh, but you are living in a dream world, Vick. The prices of medium format gear HAVE already crashed, and they are NOT going to go back up. This is why I picked up a Hasselblad outfit earlier this year--the price was simply irresistible. For the price of a 50mm Summicron, I picked up a Hasselblad body with 3 lenses, 2 magazines and various odds and ends. The only MF gear still being sold new are the Rollei 6008 and similar outfits that can take digital backs--and even that market is being severely diminished by the competition from Canon 1Ds Mark II. I have sometimes been tempted by the M3's being offered for sale here--for example, one of the UK members is selling one for 500 GBP; or my friend in Belgium who had a bunch of equipment he was selling for a widow. Or indeed one of the Ted's M7s, as it would be an honor to have a camera used by Ted. But what has kept me from jumping on one of those deals is that I see that the film market is going down much faster than anyone expected even 3 years ago. Oh, I am sure film will continue to be available, just as you can still buy supplies to do platinum or palladium processing, but I am not prepared to do my own processing, and I believe that commercial processing is what is going to disappear first. An example: the best pro lab in Amsterdam, s-Color, used to be open 24 hours a day until a few years ago; when I moved to the Netherlands in 2003, it was still open until late (10 p.m. or midnight), and on weekends as well. Now it is open only M-F during normal business hours, and I predict that within the next 5 years they will drop film processing altogether and focus exclusively on digital work. From what people write here on the list, this is a development that is happening in every major city (minor cities lost their pro labs long ago) around the world. So while you may have saved your friend's soul, you may also have pointed him in a direction of buying what in a few short years will be expensive paperweights... Nathan Vick Ko wrote: > That might be the topic of our next meeting. > > I was going to show him my new Focomat V35. > > I think the classical lenses will go back up in price/value as digital backs > become more prevalent. > > And classical techniques will re-emerge as users discover the limitations of > the digital gear and processes. > > regards > Vick > > -----Original Message----- > From: lug-bounces+vick.ko=sympatico.ca@leica-users.org > [mailto:lug-bounces+vick.ko=sympatico.ca@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of > Jeffery Smith > Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2006 7:27 PM > To: 'Leica Users Group' > Subject: RE: [Leica] I have saved a soul > > Well, I HOPE you told him that he has to shoot B&W and develop it himself!! > > I keep thinking that, with all of the popularity of dSLRs and digicams, the > price of film cameras, especially medium format, will crash. That doesn't > seem to be happening yet. I put up an e*** search for "new medium format" > cameras, thinking that dealers will be dumping their Bronicas, Mamiyas, > Pentaxes, etc. The only new medium format hits that come up each day are for > Holgas! > > Jeffery Smith > New Orleans, LA > http://www.400tx.com > http://400tx.blogspot.com/ > > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > -- Nathan Wajsman Almere, The Netherlands SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUY DANISH PRODUCTS! General photography: http://www.nathanfoto.com Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Seville photography: http://www.fotosevilla.com Stock photography: http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman http://myloupe.com/home/found_photographer.php?photographer=507 Prints for sale: http://www.photodeluge.com Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog