You\'re discussing price increases in dollar when Canon sells wholesale in yen.
You\'re also forgetting supply and demand. Initially, Canon will only be able to make a limited amount of 5DIII, for example. They will fly off the shelves. Over time, supply will increase, people who were willing to pay top whack will already have a camera, and the price will fall accordingly.
A lot more people have DSLRs than when the 5DII was released. High-end photography isn\'t a niche market any more. Let\'s say your potential market was one million people in 2008 but two million people in 2008. If your initial production run is (plucking figures out of nowhere for the sake of argument) 50,000 cameras because that\'s the most you can make regardless of market size, then of course you\'re going to jack up the price. It\'s not repositioning, it\'s just maximising profit.
Same with the lenses. You\'ve quoted the prices of new releases only. Prices will fall when Canon can no longer sell existing stock.
You\'re also dealing with what is effectively a duopoly. They can do whatever they want and if they make a mistake, worry about it later. People have too much money invested in lenses to switch at the drop of a hat.
Mar 01, 2012 at 07:19 PM
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