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Are prices of photo equipment ridiculously high?

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Orcio14

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I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
 
Price is related to the state of earnings and the economy.

If you have to scratch in the ground to earn a dollar a day, of course a $700 camera is a silly thing to buy.

If it's a week or two's disposable income, it's not such a big deal.

You pays your money and you takes your choice.

Nobody's making you pay for it if you can't or won't.
 
As said above, it depends on your financial position. Artists and enthusiasts on a budget buy their gear two or three generations old and secondhand. I literally save up quarters in a coffee can to buy used lenses.
 
In the entry-level APS-C category, there are some excellent values. A Nikon D3500 with kit lens goes for less than $450. A Canon SL3 with lens goes for $650. If a person can't take good photos with those cameras, they are probably crappy photographers.

"Why I Swapped My ‘Pro’ DSLR for the Cheapest One Available"

https://petapixel.com/2017/07/03/swapped-pro-dslr-cheapest-one-available/
 
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No
 
Orcio14 said:
I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
Click to expand...
Nope!

I'd consider the Nikon D3500 with its kit zoom to be a typical modern entry level camera. Amazon.com shows that you could buy two of them for $700. That $700 is roughly one week of average earnings for a US worker.

My first 35mm camera cost the equivalent of two weeks take home pay for the average worker. It was fairly up-market for an amateur camera having match needle 'semi-automatic' exposure metering, a fixed f:1.8 lens and a coupled rangefinder.

Entry level SLRs from Praktica with a 50mm f:2.8 screw mount lens cost similar money, but you needed to buy a separate light meter that added significantly to the cost.

Ignoring the vastly increased capabilities of modern cameras, entry level equipment is cheaper in real terms than ever.
 
The market decides the prices. The sellers have one view, and the buyer another.

When they agree, a transaction happens.

To say anything beyond that, it is like asking if 20 feet in the air is « high ».

Planes fly at 30 000 feet, but I wouldn’t want to fall 20 feet.
 
As has been noted, there is plenty of choices to be had at all price points and the used, and refurbished, markets are awash is good deals.

But if you are dead set on the "latest and greatest" technology you will have to be prepared to pay the freight.
 
Orcio14 said:
I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
Click to expand...
Nope. At least not in one sense -- you get more for your money that ever before in the history of photography. In my professional days we would have traded parts of our body for the capabilities you get today in a $700 DSLR. And you can buy a very competent body and kit lens for $350 new, as others point out.

In another sense, though, here in the US a lot of people are struggling to get by in low-income jobs and for them it's a reach to keep food on the table. But even most of them have a pretty decent camera built into their cell phone.

Back around 1970 my first 35mm SLR cost about $275 for a basic model with 50mm lens. That's about equivalent to $1,800 in today's money, according to an online inflation calculator. You can buy a damn nice camera for $1,800 today.

Or, in 1970 minimum wage in the US was $1.60 per hour -- so about 172 hours to buy that $275 camera. At today's minimum wage, $7.25, it takes 96.5 hours to buy a $700 camera. Or just a hair over 48 hours to buy the $350 entry level DSLR. Either way you get a lot more camera than back in the day, plus you don't have to buy film for it.

Gato
 
Orcio14 said:
I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
Click to expand...
Not really, for 400$ you can get a better kit than anything used by famous dead 35mm film photographer of your choice during their lifetime.

Factor in the lack of expenses on film and development and pictures are practically free today.

The only things that are overpriced are the ones that cater to lifestyle and image - bags, straps, leicas etc.
 
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Orcio14 said:
I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
Click to expand...
Thank God for the used equipment market and 3rd party suppliers. Basically all my equipment is used except my two Godox ad200's or 3rd party light stands and bags. My Nikon camera and Nikon speed lights are used. Its all working like it was a decade ago. I have no plans of buying new equipment which comes to my desire of spending the money on other things like gas, food, and probably tipping a model since I do portraits. Its all good now.
 
Orcio14 said:
I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
Click to expand...
No.
 
If you want to pay the price that existed five years ago, you must do it with the income you made then as well. Everyone has to deal with inflation and other variables (unstable raw materials prices, component shortages, such as after the Japan earthquake). I happen to enjoy the annual increases I get from the US Social Security system, Medicare increases, etc. Others benefit from increases in unemployment benefits to offset a difficult time. Years ago I had a part-time job to pay for hobbies and travel.

All of this is just basic economics, which should be covered better (in US) in early education, such as high school.
 
Orcio14 said:
I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
Click to expand...
Can you cite a specific example of something you think is priced too high rather than throwing out a random price with nothing attached to it?
 
Likewise, a just retired model, the upper entry to mid range class mirrorless GX85 of Panasonic, a 4K ready and packed with features camera together with 2 kit lenses have a combined AoV of 24mm~200mm of good IQ of their class, is currently sold at US$500 only.

Of course, if I am looking for a premium class specific lens for the same system, US$500 will be too little...
 
I can get an amazing camera for less than 1/2 the price of a flagship smartphone. I definitely think smartphones are overpriced!
 
Orcio14 said:
I watch the prices of photographic equipment form many years and come to the conclusion that manufacturers have probably now lost contact with the reality their clients live. They probably think, for example, that 700 USD is so small amount that they can offer "toy" class equipment and do not worry about what the client expects.

Do you think so too?
Click to expand...
While $700 USD is nothing to sneeze at, you need to keep inflation in mind when making comparisons between today's cameras and cameras of the past.

B&H – Classic Cameras: the Canon AE-1 35mm SLR Film Camera describes it as having "high-end-for-the-time functionality and versatility along with an affordable price tag." Fstoppers Analog Reviews: Canon AE-1 Program tells us that the "price for a new AE-1 Program in 1981 was around $700, roughly $2,000 in today’s market."

$2000 will buy a pretty good enthusiast DSLR or Micro Four Thirds kit in today's market. Or you could go with one of the $500 budget DSLR kits, which probably did not have any $175 film SLR kit counterparts back in 1980. I'm thinking that $175 back then might have bought you a compact 35mm point-and-shoot camera.
 
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