RoamingScott wrote:
You should see the Hasselblad subreddit. It's full of children dropping 10k on their first setup, posting blurry photos of their "broken" X2D2, not understanding how electronic shutter works.
Try not look into any Hasselblad groups, reviews, videos etc.
The X2D II just makes me itch, lol. ( I'm waiting for the X2D III , come on )
Yes, most of the youths just shoot at largest aperture with auto ISO and shutter ( lots of the Youtubers are doing the same thing as well )
"" Look at those bokehs and " Shallow depth of field "
zi464 wrote:
************I don't think I have ever met anyone who dropped 5k+ on their first camera and lens. **********
This has been changed for the young generation.
The young gen would overpaid for Fuji and also purchase Sony RX1 III or Leica Q without thinking because of the hype because of the look.
I know at least 5 people around me, they got their first camera last year was Leica Q or RX1 III.
Everything shoot at large aperture = good photo that is most of the youths learned from social media nowadays.
RoamingScott wrote:
You should see the Hasselblad subreddit. It's full of children dropping 10k on their first setup, posting blurry photos of their "broken" X2D2, not understanding how electronic shutter works.
Does anyone know what these people do to make a living 😮
DWOfPaul wrote:
Does anyone know what these people do to make a living 😮
They work in tech or are massively in debt. As an engineer who isn’t in a “tech” field I was originally jealous of some of my peers who were making more than I am now straight out of school 15 years ago. But I’m absolutely still blessed with where I am in life and can’t complain.
Wezre wrote:
They work in tech or are massively in debt. As an engineer who isn’t in a “tech” field I was originally jealous of some of my peers who were making more than I am now straight out of school 15 years ago. But I’m absolutely still blessed with where I am in life and can’t complain.
Everyone I know that works in tech IS massively in debt, because they are buying their lifestyles to keep up with their peers who are doing the same.
Meanwhile a kid that is interested in my X2D is working on securing financing. It's how they operate.
It does seem like the whole world is in debt at this point.... But I am to cheap to finance camera gear that is not going to make me money. It's expensive enough, why would I want to pay more for it?
It is amazing how the "non-users" of this lens are paying attention to this lens. If it is not for you, move on.
There are billions of people in the world with annual income well below 20k. For them, this lens will strike a cord. It is not for no reason that canon only caters to two photographer categories, top-end paying thousands per lens, and bottom end paying couple hundred or less. It is a successful strategy and their numbers show that,
Besides we need to understand the situation in Japan. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nikon had been strongly encouraged by the METI to come up with lenses able to compete in price with Chinese lenses.
Their influence on the camera companies is well known by those familiar with the matter.
It’s a tightly regulated market. The lack of high end fixed lens compact by Canon and Nikon and the high price point of the RX1 mkIII have been cited as the best example of the impact of such control (the objective being to ensure the profitability of Fuji of course).
Some would argue that Nikon got the a1 sensor quickly for the same reason.
I imagine selling gear to the US market is difficult now because of tariffs and since the US customers normally are a big part of the market for high-end gear, Nikon may have to focus on other markets in the current situation. This new lens could be an example of that kind of adjustment.
bernardl wrote:
Besides we need to understand the situation in Japan. I wouldn’t be surprised if Nikon had been strongly encouraged by the METI to come up with lenses able to compete in price with Chinese lenses.
Their influence on the camera companies is well known by those familiar with the matter.
It’s a tightly regulated market. The lack of high end fixed lens compact by Canon and Nikon and the high price point of the RX1 mkIII have been cited as the best example of the impact of such control (the objective being to ensure the profitability of Fuji of course).
Some would argue that Nikon got the a1 sensor quickly for the same reason.
mklass wrote:
Ok, that’s a couple. What about a fisheye, t/s lenses, small f2.8 primes (the Z primers are big!), a macro longer than 105mm, a decent DX macro, DC lenses?
To add insult to injury, there are few Z 3rd party lenses because of Nikon’s greedy restrictions on licensing and for those few licensed lenses, the cost is $100 higher than the non-Z version. Sigma and Tamron have a great selection of mirrorless lenses that Nikon has no equivalent. Why not let them sell a Z version?
I am a longtime Nikon user, and I will stick with it. (I tried going Sony 2 or 3 years ago, but could not get comfortable with it.) But that doesn’t mean I can’t wish for Nikon to do better. I am not blind.
I think that has kinda changed with the recent lens releases where the "Nikon Tax" is selectively applied. Like for example the Tamron 16-30 f2.8 was announced for both E and Z together, both at the same $930. The 70-180 G2 does have the Nikon Tax. The 18-300 E is $699 MSRP now $600, the Z and RF versions are $630. So that inconsistency kinda suggests it's not up to some Nikon policy that Tamron has to follow, but rather it's something they decide how much to slap on.
A lot of the third party lens makers have to determine market realities before deciding what lenses to release. The E mount is still king and naturally that's where you want to make the most money. The Z mount is still in third place, the potential universe of buyers is not only significantly smaller with it's later start, but also not growing as fast as the E mount.
With Sigma especially, they've made known they don't want to scale too fast and out of their factory in Japan and expand production to places like China. Even within the E mount they are barely catching up production of their E mount lenses. There's a dance of spreadsheets to determine what to sell, where to sell them.
Masque wrote:
Forgive my ignorance — if you don't like having to extend the lens prior to shooting, why retract if after you're finished the first time?
You could extend it once, and then just ... never retract it?
Its against my OCD
Being half-retracted it looked sooo weird.
Definitely not for me either.
Probably ruined by too many prime lenses, especially since I learned photography with primes and had my first 85mm f/1.2 back in the '80s.
If I need something particularly light and compact, I'd rather sacrifice focal length flexibility.
I already struggle with f/4 zooms, but beyond that...
But needs and usage patterns vary.
The main thing is that Nikon finally ramps up its lens lineup in 2026.
2024 and 2025 felt a bit thin, so it would be nice if the pace picked up again.
DWOfPaul wrote:
Does anyone know what these people do to make a living 😮
Most of the young gen doesn't want a kid and doesn't even want to buy the house nowadays.
They buy what makes them happy ( in debt )
They also buy what their super idols , Youtubers , streamers.......have
E.g Labubu, they pay double or even triple of retail price because how many public figures have it
RoamingScott wrote:
Everyone I know that works in tech IS massively in debt, because they are buying their lifestyles to keep up with their peers who are doing the same.
Meanwhile a kid that is interested in my X2D is working on securing financing. It's how they operate.
Jennie ( Blackpink ) was interviewed by GQ.
Leica Q is one of the thing she can't live without 10 essentials.
Guess how many fanboysfangirls would get the Leica Q because of the interview.
Masque wrote:
Forgive my ignorance — if you don't like having to extend the lens prior to shooting, why retract if after you're finished the first time?
You could extend it once, and then just ... never retract it?
'That's what she said.'' Sorry . . . It's a slow day. Couldn't resist.
RoamingScott wrote:
Everyone I know that works in tech IS massively in debt, because they are buying their lifestyles to keep up with their peers who are doing the same.
Meanwhile a kid that is interested in my X2D is working on securing financing. It's how they operate.
I was going to deride this but I've known a lot of folks who have financed Harleys, bass boats, lake cabins and even small planes. I've only ever used disposable income to underwrite my hobbies, but that's me.
When our daughter got her first real job out of school, we sat down and had a long talk about retirement accounts, taxes, budgeting, how mortgages work, how investment accounts work, taxes (again), health savings accounts - just all the nuts and bolts of managing income. She sat there and asked how come in 21 years of schooling none of this was ever discussed?
glassartist wrote:
She sat there and asked how come in 21 years of schooling none of this was ever discussed?
This is America, that is why.
My wife is an investment advisor, she was invited to a college couple years ago to talk about how to manage money.
Those teens said the same thing
Recent close up picks with my new Z-24-105mm f/4-7.1. Not bad! I like the way it draws. Much better than the 24-120. 1st close up 24-105 by Michael Spinelli, on Flickr
