I have to agree with that, except that I haven't seen a _cheap_ (under
$300 asking) OM1 or 2 for a while. The last body I got was a dented OM1
with a dodgy 3rd party hotshoe for $225. It turned out to have a shutter
problem, which the shop actually fixed after the official warranty
period (either they're just nice, or they recognise that I buy all my
film there!).
As for the premium on unusual gear, how about these items I saw this morning:
250 back with loading gadget $999
QA310 $249
QA 310 on bounce grip $550
Winder2 with nicad and charger $699
OM4 (not ti) with 50/1.8 $1199!!
55mm f1.2 $550
OM2 $399
T20 $149
Compared to third party stuff: eg Tokina II 100-300 5.6 $120
Note that these are all camera store prices with 12 month warranty, but
the prices are still outrageous!
There is the occasional bargain like the T20 I got from a pawn shop a
month ago for $25. It was in excellent condition, but I lost the guide
table the very next day at a friends wedding:-(
Dylan
> Date: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 21:15:36 +1100
> From: Frank Ernens <fgernens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: Re: [OM] the future of OM
>
> The market in Australia may preface what will happen in the US. As
> someone from Denmark pointed out, some pieces are *very* hard to
> come by in smaller markets protected by high tariff barriers on used
> gear. This forces people out of the system earlier than in
> the US. What has happened here is that
>
> - some common pieces are cheap: OM-1 and OM-2 bodies,
> 50mm f/1.8's etc.
>
> - some rarer pieces are relatively expensive compared with
> the equivalent Nikon e.g. 35mm shift ($800 Zuiko, $350 Nikkor -
> all prices are in AUD where 1 AUD = 0.64 US) and 300 f/4.5
> ($600 Zuiko, $400 for the non-ED non-IF Nikkor). This is
> because people with an existing Olympus system are prepared
> to pay a premium for these extra pieces, and, after all, they
> didn't pay $400 for a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4. For these pieces, be
> quick (like the *same day* they are nationally advertised)
> or miss out. In these cases, the price is set by the changeover
> cost to Nikon - $700 for a body - not by the supply/demand of
> Zuikos.
>
> - some pieces are practically unobtainable - can anyone
> sell me a 1.4x converter?
>
> - third-party lenses, except for Tamron, are almost
> worthless, as are OM-10s.
>
> - condition has a relatively greater effect on value.
>
> I think the discount for a "discontinued" system is already largely
> built in to the prices. We are a nation of early adopters and gadget
> lovers.<snip>e
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|