Denton Taylor wrote:
[snip]
>Still, Leica and Contax do the same thing (produce exquisite, low-volume,
>manual focus cameras) and seem to make money while doing it. In fact, they
>have both been aggressively _reducing_ prices. The M6 has had a $500 rebate
>for some time; the R8 has had at least one substantial price reduction, and
>the G2 has also just had a $500 price reduction, along with a $50 rebate
>for each lens.
>I am seriously thinking of dumping all my Oly gear and moving to R8 or
>Contax, after this slap in the face...
Denton,
First off, congrats on your web site. I took an opportunity to check it out.
I really enjoyed some of the photos. Do you really think you could have
produced such great pictures with anything BUT Olympus gear? :-)
The comparison between Leica and Olympus is a little skewed at this point.
I've owned and enjoyed using Leicaflex equipment many years ago. Leica
optics produce SHARP images. No ifs, ands or buts. The main reason I moved
from Leica to Olympus was I couldn't afford to buy Leica lenses and
accessories for the darn Leicaflex. I never regretted the move however. That
original Leicaflex was the size and weight of a tank. Built like one too.
:-)
The current selling price on both the Leica M6 and R8 bodies is about $2500
US dollars. Just about twice the price of the OM-4Ti body even with the 20%
price increase. Leica can afford to give a few discounts and still be way
over priced compared to the OM-4Ti. What occurs to me and is a really scary
thought is that Olympus has observed Leica's pricing structure and is
heading toward matching it. I really don't think they're going to sell too
many of the new $1200 OM-4Ti bodies, much less think about jacking the price
up anywhere close to Leica.
There's no doubt in my mind that the Leica gear is tops, and if you can
afford to make the switch, by all means go for it! I'm jealous!!! I don't
know what the rest of us that are almost priced out of new Olympus gear now
are going to do. And somehow I get the feeling that Olympus Corporation
doesn't really care either.
Regards,
John Austin
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