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D800 impact - Hasselblad cuts prices 22,9 %

Stefan Steib

Active member
Guy - this is only the beginning. If- what I nearly take any bet- Canon releases an around 40 MPix DSLR on Photokina, this will become even worse !

I still think there are several things that can be done by MF to succeed- but time is running low !

Stefan
 

pophoto

New member
But why only 22.9%. It will be a matter of time before Canon and Sony follows with their high MP camera, will Hasselblad then bring it down further to 50% ?

I think if Hasselblad and MF in general and the like can hit more mainstream pricing, it will be better for everyone. Leica being the exception of course!

Oh wait, did what I just say really not make any sense?

In seriousness though, I hope Fuji can bring into the market a first mainstream MF camera. Even if they were to price it upwards of $6K, but well below the current norm. I think their sensor technology is at the forefront, great R&D team and experienced in MF, unlike Canon and Nikon. It will add a whole dynamics into photography in general and of course be hated by many manufacturers and photographers alike! ***ABSOLUTELY DREAMING OF COURSE!***
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
pophoto

did you ever think that the pricing is NOT just totally overblown, but based on real calculations ? Then a cut of 22 % is about as far as anyone can go without completely breaking the chain.

There is also a relationship between cost on item as well as on total cost over turnaround and needed volume !

Right now Ventizz will not be very happy with their shopping.

Regards
Stefan
 

dougpeterson

Workshop Member
Jimmidy Christmas folks, Hassy hasn't released any new flagships* in a while and it's pretty normal for there to be some form of price cuts at a certain stage of product cycle. The sky is not falling.

Team Phase One, in a way recently effected a small price cut by releasing the Credo which provides much of the capability of an IQ.

Does the D800 factor into their pricing decisions? I'm sure it does. So does the IQ, the Credo, the Pentax 645, the S2, the overall economy, internal estimates for when their next generation widget will ship, currency fluctuations, inventory levels, cashflow and investor returns, traditionally slow summer sales, anticipated profit on accessory items like lenses which usually experience a boost following a price drop on the main products, Photokina later this year, etc etc.

To attribute any company's pricing changes to any one news-event or product is really just silly.

*this is not meant as an inflammatory comment; every company operates on product cycles. I don't know exactly where Hasselblad is in theirs, but it is clearly well past the start of the product cycle.
 

EH21

Member
Actually, I thought the H price reductions were a direct response to Jack and Guy selling or threatening to sell off their MF gear since getting their D800's.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Shook the whole market. Now how can I make some cash from that one is the question. Lol

Seriously I planned my moves months ago . Get out if the DF replace my Sonys with the Nikons. And stay tech only in MF . That was my plan all along. I did not count on dropping down to the IQ 140 though. That was a money thing. Readjustment bureau hit. Lol

Nothing has changed in MF still the best file around. To get the most from it though I went tech cam. Just can't beat the Rodies and Schneiders no matter what back you have.
 

Chris Giles

New member
I think the D800 has fulfilled the needs of a lot of MF users.
If that's affected sales at Hassy HQ then it seems reasonable to assume they are doing something about it. Common sense and business logic really.

To be fair to both parties, Hassy has far and away the best IQ, but most don't need that level of IQ when most stuff these days ends up on the web.
I think it's affecting all parties, Hasselblad, Phase/Mamiya and 25k for a credo? Please.

Hasselblad just blinked and it wouldn't surprise me if Phase follows. But that's just my 2 cents.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
In my mind lots of things impact these sales and Doug hit on a lot of them. Honestly Hassy did this before and will do it again. Phase has there promo's as well. It's really pretty common. We always get a end of the year sale for instance. Tax break sale, summer sale , new product introduction sale the list goes on.
 

Oren Grad

Active member
They didn't cut prices by 22.9% across the board, they cut prices by "up to" 22.9%.

The current entry point for Hasselblad, the H4D-31, costs $12,000 for body-and-back after its price reduction of $1000, or still four times as much as a D800. Price the various lenses on top of that to understand the comparative system cost. Beats me whether they are competing for the same buyers. But if they are, how much difference is a marginal adjustment like this going to make?
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
:rolleyes: come on, you´re even meaner than I am..............

:chug:

I just used this Icon the first time..........love it !

Stefan
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Stefan is like one of the villagers rushing the castle with torches and pitchforks :ROTFL:

Tabloid like headlines and any wild speculation stated as if fact. Tisk, tisk. Do we really believe Hasselblad's new owners bought a pig in a poke? That they never saw what was in the works, and a competitive study of market directions and potentials? If not, it would be a first in their history.

D800 or not, the economy hasn't recovered and it is high time MFD prices be adjusted ... especially adjusted for older technologies that have recouped much of their R&D. So, it is reasonable to see Hasselblad take the route they have ... the H camera, as good as it is, and as refined as it has become, is the same basic idea as launched in 2002. IMO, the H4D/31 should have been priced even lower. Now there are rumors of a smaller Hasselblad camera on the horizon. Makes sense.

I also believe, (and said this well before the D800 was known), that the day of selling sophisticated MFD cameras to a wider 35mm DSLR crowd would come to an end. This market direction was accomplished by hard selling comparative specifications to a number hungry mob ... as opposed to the true aesthetic differences, and very specific applications abilities between the two mediums ... now that is coming back to bite the MFD makers who concentrated on attracting new converts rather than probing deeper into specialists equipment that would warrant higher pricing due to unique attributes.

-Marc
 

Stefan Steib

Active member
Marc

the problem is only I live inside this castle and rely on my landlords being healthy. I really care for the future of this special medium , but sometimes it seems I´m the only one who has realized the south wing of the castle is already burning ! And everytime I shout fire the other inhabitants just say : calm down - who cares......... ???

The secret weapons, yes we had a sad history on these in Germany, maybe this is the reason why I´don´t believe in these anymore.

Regards
Stefan
 

FredBGG

Not Available
They didn't cut prices by 22.9% across the board, they cut prices by "up to" 22.9%.

The current entry point for Hasselblad, the H4D-31, costs $12,000 for body-and-back after its price reduction of $1000, or still four times as much as a D800. Price the various lenses on top of that to understand the comparative system cost. Beats me whether they are competing for the same buyers. But if they are, how much difference is a marginal adjustment like this going to make?
Too little too late.

It's hard for Hasselblad to make large changes, because they don't make the most expensive parts of the system themselves. The largest costs being sensors and lenses. The sensors being made by companies that mainly supply military and and aerospace come from expensive manufacturers. Nikon/Sony, Canon and Fuji on the other hand can be far more competitive especially with lenses as they make their own.

The real problem facing MF manufacturers is that 99% of the work out there can be done with current DSLR or MF cameras. Resolution and quality increases from this point on are not that important. It's mainly adding functionality and robustness. The MF manufacturers just don't come from that type of culture or have the resources for this type of development.

22.9% discounts and 50% on a second lens for a company that has not been particularly profitable in a long time is most likely the result of unsold inventory.

Unsold inventory is in part due to the D800... and not just the 36MP but the better dynamic range, better shadows, for most purposes MF equivalent, but with so many more features.... such as very high quality video.

MF sales are definitely stalled while the D800 settles in. Sales may pick up again, but that remains to be seen. Another thing to consider is the amount of used MF available.
 
P

Paul66

Guest
No price change in what I could have got the HD-31 for last year
 
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