Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
I think as I have talked to several people in the industry is when the IQ came out the preorders where unheard of. In that timeframe from announcement to now many orders where filled with a lot of people jumping on the IQ. I heard numbers like over a years worth of orders from the past in only 1 quarter filled during that time frame. I'm not giving out any numbers but a load where sold. All my friends bought them and a huge chunk of the members here and on LuLu as well and that's what we sort of know about.
Now today all those orders are filled all the hobbyists and Pros filled there bags. This is a very tiny market segment and we need to understand it is a very slow upgrade rate from 35mm shooters to MF. Today it simply has slowed down as many have them now and many sales are on used, demos and private sellers. It's not like everyone's bailing it's just that we grew a lot during that time, not counting Hassy and Leaf sales during that period plus S2 and Pentax as well this all happened over about a years period sale for MF a huge. What we have today and looks funny as it seems a lot people outgrow things and want to try something else, it's a natural attrition cycle. Now with the Nikon coming out it also did put those fence sitters on hold no question. But to sit here and say its all Nikon is misleading. We had huge sales numbers in MF the last year or so and the growth rate of new buyers has slowed. What's Phase do the smart thing come out with a Leaf back for less money. Now will it generate more sales hard to say, the market is a little full right now and Hassy has taken there discounts like they have before in the past to move stock. What we really have here is we filled the bubble and some air is getting out but not much going back in the MF market. The S2 and Pentax never killed the MF back companies and Nikon won't either. It does make people think twice sure but there are still MF sales going on in pretty decent numbers just not nearly as good as it was last year. Again adjustment bureau strikes again. I been in the MF world for awhile now and it simply has cycles that it goes through. This is normal and yes the Nikon does give cause for pause and a lot of us added the system to our kits. Key word here added not replaced although some folks have replaced but again that's attrition too . People will and do fall out of the format. I just can't sit here and buy this Nikon killed MF stuff. I own the damn thing it's great but it ain't MF and MF is not Nikon. To me these are mostly added tools and MF shooters are not upgrading right now until they fill there kits with the Nikons. Does MF need to address pricing and such , of course it does it always did.
At least this is how I'm viewing it all.
Now today all those orders are filled all the hobbyists and Pros filled there bags. This is a very tiny market segment and we need to understand it is a very slow upgrade rate from 35mm shooters to MF. Today it simply has slowed down as many have them now and many sales are on used, demos and private sellers. It's not like everyone's bailing it's just that we grew a lot during that time, not counting Hassy and Leaf sales during that period plus S2 and Pentax as well this all happened over about a years period sale for MF a huge. What we have today and looks funny as it seems a lot people outgrow things and want to try something else, it's a natural attrition cycle. Now with the Nikon coming out it also did put those fence sitters on hold no question. But to sit here and say its all Nikon is misleading. We had huge sales numbers in MF the last year or so and the growth rate of new buyers has slowed. What's Phase do the smart thing come out with a Leaf back for less money. Now will it generate more sales hard to say, the market is a little full right now and Hassy has taken there discounts like they have before in the past to move stock. What we really have here is we filled the bubble and some air is getting out but not much going back in the MF market. The S2 and Pentax never killed the MF back companies and Nikon won't either. It does make people think twice sure but there are still MF sales going on in pretty decent numbers just not nearly as good as it was last year. Again adjustment bureau strikes again. I been in the MF world for awhile now and it simply has cycles that it goes through. This is normal and yes the Nikon does give cause for pause and a lot of us added the system to our kits. Key word here added not replaced although some folks have replaced but again that's attrition too . People will and do fall out of the format. I just can't sit here and buy this Nikon killed MF stuff. I own the damn thing it's great but it ain't MF and MF is not Nikon. To me these are mostly added tools and MF shooters are not upgrading right now until they fill there kits with the Nikons. Does MF need to address pricing and such , of course it does it always did.
At least this is how I'm viewing it all.