Hello,
When Nikon raised lens prices earlier this year I believe many stated that it was because the value of the dollar had gone up quite a bit relative to the value of the yen. Based on what I see in the news it appears that of late the dollar has been dropping in value fairly significantly. Any hopes for a price drop on lenses as a result of this? Any thoughts?
Jack
With the price raises and the economy the way it is. It has left me out of buying any new lens let alone camera bodies.
I worked in heavy construction and our union contract just came up and we are losing $8 an hour in wages and are losing all employer paid pension. I am retired and there is a big possibility I will lose my pension.
This not an isolated situation, it is world wide. Wages are going down, yet groceries and utilitys and most products are going up in price.
I think product goods will have to eventually come down, but I think that is a few years out.
As Steve Perry said, it's the other way around.
In 2007, the dollar bought 120 Yen. Today it buys only 95 yen. Nikon's fiscal 2009 (ending March 2009) came in at 101 Yen. Nikon expects fiscal 2010 to come in at 95 yen, but if the dollar keeps dropping, it's going to be less. If it starts to drop, you're going to see more price increases. There was a period about a month or two ago when the dollars was steadily increasing against the Yen, Euro and British Pound, but it has since fallen back. I thought I was going to get a bargain going to Europe later this summer, but that is not to be.
Don't blame Nikon, blame the U.S. Government, both Republicans and Democrats, for thinking they can keep printing money and keep selling debt to China. The only thing that might help the situation is that China is starting to get really pissed off that the U.S. debt that they own is worth less and they want the U.S. to take steps to boost the dollar. That can only happen if we reduce the deficit. But while still fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and with all the bailouts, that isn't going to happen anytime soon.
But don't worry. If the U.S. becomes a third-world country, maybe everyone will start outsourcing to the U.S.
i blame the voters as well. the (proverbially) fat, complacent, undereducated, mustard-and-ketchup-splotched voters that don't do any research into who's representing them in government, or into what laws are being passed. the power is ultimately in the hands of the people of the united states (or any democracy), and with voter turnouts of 45% being hailed as immense, it's only a matter of time until congress and executives realize that there's no one manning the watchtowers anymore, and start lining their pockets (more so than usual).
