p.1 #1 · Tariff costs are showing up in photo gear now.
I was helping a friend look at Sigma lenses for an XT-5 the other day and was steering him to two that I have and like. I then noticed that the prices had gone up by at least 20%, including one I bought only last year. I then checked prices for memory cards at B&H, they had jumped significantly. For example, a Sony 128 GB SF-G tough went from $158 to $208, other brands, like Kingston, Sandisk and PNY all jumped around 20% or more.
For those who work professionally, this is hard hit on the bottom line. For those identified as enthusiasts, higher prices may sap some of that enthusiasm. Most camera gear hasn't been made in the USA for over 40 years, a tariff is not going to change that. If it did, Leica cameras would look cheap by comparison.
p.1 #2 · Tariff costs are showing up in photo gear now.
I liked the original Amazon plan, if real, to explicitly show the tariff add-on as a separate line item. I wonder if the prices will go down if the tariffs are reduced or eliminated, or will the prices will stay high because we all have gotten used to them. Competition will likely rein them in some, but I imagine some will stay with us.
p.1 #3 · Tariff costs are showing up in photo gear now.
Go down? Anytime in the next year or two? Doubtful. Companies are going to take a hit too, in most cases they won't pass on the full cost of the tariffs now, but they will want to recover as much as they can later.
Not to worry, all of our incomes will rise to cover it, Bwahahahaha!
p.1 #4 · Tariff costs are showing up in photo gear now.
aboudd wrote:
I was helping a friend look at Sigma lenses for an XT-5 the other day and was steering him to two that I have and like. I then noticed that the prices had gone up by at least 20%, including one I bought only last year. I then checked prices for memory cards at B&H, they had jumped significantly. For example, a Sony 128 GB SF-G tough went from $158 to $208, other brands, like Kingston, Sandisk and PNY all jumped around 20% or more.
For those who work professionally, this is hard hit on the bottom line. For those identified as enthusiasts, higher prices may sap some of that enthusiasm. Most camera gear hasn't been made in the USA for over 40 years, a tariff is not going to change that. If it did, Leica cameras would look cheap by comparison....Show more →
I find professionals use their older gear much longer than enthusiasts. I know many professionals still using their DSLR systems…worked for them before…still work today.
p.1 #5 · Tariff costs are showing up in photo gear now.
aboudd wrote:
Go down? Anytime in the next year or two? Doubtful. Companies are going to take a hit too, in most cases they won't pass on the full cost of the tariffs now, but they will want to recover as much as they can later.
Not to worry, all of our incomes will rise to cover it, Bwahahahaha!
They’ll also take a hit with selling fewer items at the exaggerated prices.
p.1 #6 · Tariff costs are showing up in photo gear now.
aboudd wrote:
I was helping a friend look at Sigma lenses for an XT-5 the other day and was steering him to two that I have and like. I then noticed that the prices had gone up by at least 20%, including one I bought only last year. I then checked prices for memory cards at B&H, they had jumped significantly. For example, a Sony 128 GB SF-G tough went from $158 to $208, other brands, like Kingston, Sandisk and PNY all jumped around 20% or more.
For those who work professionally, this is hard hit on the bottom line. For those identified as enthusiasts, higher prices may sap some of that enthusiasm. Most camera gear hasn't been made in the USA for over 40 years, a tariff is not going to change that. If it did, Leica cameras would look cheap by comparison....Show more →
For professionals it's cost of doing business and can be written off. Of course it's not free - any increase in operating costs affects profit margins and likely are at least somewhat passed on to the customer.
In any case, there is also indication of tariff effects with some recent Voigtlander releases: VM 35/1.2 v4, VM 40/1.2 v2 and VM 50/1.2 v2. B&H has them listed at USD 1150. A Canadian dealer has them listed at CAD 1200 (USD 875) for the 40 and CAD 1300 (USD 950) for the 35 and 50. Previously, the Canadian dealer would usually be priced very close to the US market, or slightly higher.
The previous version of the 40 and 50 are still available at B&H for $700 and $900 respectively. Interestingly, the new lenses are available in Japan for around $700-750, which suggests in that market they're priced similarly to the previous version models.
The US market price increase is certainly more than the current 10% tariff on Japanese imports. It's possible the US importer is adding buffer due to the uncertainty of what the future tariff rate will be (which was originally threatened to be in the 25% range).
p.1 #8 · Tariff costs are showing up in photo gear now.
Sure, it's possible. The US Voigtlander importer has always priced at a premium compared to the Japanese market. They may have certain costs of doing business that necessitate higher prices. But I think they also know that the vast majority will never buy from Japan directly. Travel there isn't cost effective unless it's a large enough volume to justify a flight and buying online from Japan isn't that straightforward. Typically you need to use a forwarding service because many shops only sell domestically, which adds complexity, friction and additional handling costs that diminish the potential savings. And some (like Map Camera) that offer an in-house forwarding service have now curtailed it for all new camera and lens inventory (perhaps due to pressure from manufacturers to protect their international distributors).
If the US distributor is hedging in case tariffs actually do increase to ~25%, they're definitely benefitting now while it's only 10%. But a risk is that the significant price increase compared to the previous versions of these lenses may leave some people on the sidelines who otherwise would have bought them, potentially resulting in lost sales and lower volume. Voigtlander doesn't benefit the same way Leica does from a significant group of loyal, relatively price insensitive customers.
