p.2 #1 · Is there ever going to be a ZFII and a small DX body?
Pete_R wrote:
But it’s hard to buy a compromise when Leica is right there showing me the exact concept I want, charging a luxury good tax for it because that’s how strong the demand apparently is.
Of course there is also the question of how much the demand is actually for that particular niche product, and how much is label-obsessed fashion victims who will pay huge markups for anything with a Leica badge on it.
You know, the sort of people who seem more interested in instagramming iphone snaps of their Leica carefully posed on a cafe table than they are in actually using it... Nikon or Canon could make something almost identical for half the price and that part of the market would still buy the Leica! (and to think some people call me cynical...)
p.2 #2 · Is there ever going to be a ZFII and a small DX body?
If Leica can make money out of ‘fashion obsessed’ and status anxious, why couldn’t Nikon? It would take some spend on ‘brand activation’ (vomit) but they have a rich historic base to draw on for it, if they wanted to.
But I think that’s just a partly true simplifcation of Leica’s appeal. If all they made was SL3s and Q3s and the logo was the only difference to mainstream brands that might be so but I think they would be out of business.
The fact is they do make a purist core product that is unlike any other FF product on the market, and to think that only appeals because of status anxiety and bling factor is missing a whole demo of photography nerds who would buy a product like that all the more if they could avoid the ‘prestige’ baggage at a more practical price point.
A nikon logo is perfectly AOK for a lot of people, hell a lot of people including myself are fine with the logo of a faceless consumer electronics company on their camera like Sony.
Anyway, Fujifilm have taken some of that market longing for a simpler retro camera. They’re having trouble shipping enough of them. Nikon is better placed to take the segment that’s interested in a FF retro stills focused body made by a company with decades of legacy lenses and credibility than any other major manufacturer I can think of.
It might be a niche interest but imagine if Fujifilm came out tomorrow with a FF rangefinder-ish body that’s easily adaptable to M mount manual lenses. I think that would be a five alarm fire at Leica despite the lack of their luxury good bling factor. Can’t imagine how happy they are that Fuji is limiting themselves to small and medium format sensors. And that Nikon can’t bring themselves to produce a purer product than a committee compromise in that segment.
Imagine if Nikon made a version of the high end FF Sony fixed lens 35mm camera - whatever it’s called again - they could make it mirrorless, put a great 35mm on it and style it drawing on their own legacy of excellent rangefinders.
p.2 #3 · Is there ever going to be a ZFII and a small DX body?
GravelBen wrote:
Of course there is also the question of how much the demand is actually for that particular niche product, and how much is label-obsessed fashion victims who will pay huge markups for anything with a Leica badge on it.
I just tried finding the interview with a Nikon exec which I saw a few weeks ago but couldn't... Answering one of those softball questions there, he said that Nikon is pleased with the sales of Z8 and Z f.
I found it interesting that he picked these two models to highlight. After reading the interview I felt confident that we'll see the Mk2. I wish I could find it...
Pete_R wrote:
If Leica can make money out of ‘fashion obsessed’ and status anxious, why couldn’t Nikon? It would take some spend on ‘brand activation’ (vomit) but they have a rich historic base to draw on for it, if they wanted to.
It is not entirely fair to Leica to characterize their M-line as a product solely for fashion and status obsessed. It is a true rangefinder, after all. People who love the optical rangefinder experience have nowhere else to go. The Zf, on the other hand, only differentiates on styling. Let's not pretend it's not a commodity MILC under the nostalgic skin. Moreover, even on styling, it must compete with a much more polished X-T line from Fuji and similarly styled bodies from OM systems. Therefore comparing it to the M is a stretch.
p.2 #4 · Is there ever going to be a ZFII and a small DX body?
Disclaimer: I haven’t tried a Z30, but I have tried Canon’s R100 because our school got some for teaching photography. I think there’s a definite market for cheap, small, competent, stylish APSC cameras that just do the basics. Bonus points if it has a screen that can be used to take selfies.
I see Nikon has a DX 24/1.7, which looks like a nice lens and is faster than (as an example) the Fuji 23/2 that I have. Is it just a marketing problem that causes people to look past Nikon’s APSC cameras? Certainly, speaking as someone who has shot Fuji X for a decade, Fuji does well in this regard.
Nikon has done a great job creating a value proposition with the Z5II, which is why I purchased one, so I’m sure they can do the same with DX.
