Digital BW, The Print

In a message dated 6/12/2003 10:30:17 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com writes:

> =
> => The prices on these digital backs are just completely out of line.
> => For example, the Canon 1Ds 11 megapix camera with a 35mm 
> =sized sensor 
> => costs an outrageous $7500 (street price)

Outrageous?  The early Kodak and N2000 with noise, low quality and the
> 
> weight of encyclopedia were outrageous at $15,000. And, that was $15,000
> when it less inflated.
> 
> Pro tools are pro tools. Sometimes amateurs complain because they can't
> afford the stuff; pros just grumble a little but buy what they need.
> 
> Seth
> 
> 
> I agree with your sentiments. When a single chip cost $6,000-10,000 to buy in 
the early days, iretrofitting backs to the MF cameras was the best/easiest 
way to go after the catalog market. This made the most sense since a $100,000 
system could be paid for in film and scanning (remember the $35 scan?) within 
about 6 months.

I got into the event business 7 years with dye sub printers, $5,000 software 
that didnt' work, $3,000 software that almost worked, and finally $5,000 
software that worked. The $11,000, 1.5 megapixel Kodak DCS 420, noisy and full of 
color artifacts (before they made anti-aliasing filters) didn't come with the 
2- $500 PCMCIA III cards or a lens.

But, I went after all the exising "Polaroid" markets and came up with a 
higher quality photo with custom logo/graphics for the corporate promotional/social 
market (golf outings, banquets, etc.). I kept using Hasselblads, Sinars and 
film for everything else.

Replace film with that digital setup? Never. That only became possible on a 
limited basis in 1998 with the Kodak DCS 520, and in 1999 (a banner year) with 
the PhaseOne Lightphase, the Kodak DCS 560, the Foveon (best file of the 
bunch), and the great price breaker, the Nikon D1 at less than $5,000.

Before that, its was $13,000 to $30,000 for the camera alone to get in the 
game. Paid $3,000 for a Canon D30 that just sold for $800 on Ebay about 2 1/2 
years later, but it paid for itself at 2 events in 2 weeks on film savings alone 
(10,000 images taken).

So, the point here is that the cost justification for anything has to do with 
any given photographer's business situation and price/performance ratio.

BTW, Sony just released an 8 Megapixel chip with a 2.7 Micron well site pitch 
(I hope they have a blue noise reduction chip also to go with it). So by 
Christmas this year, there should be some Prosumer cameras with corresponding 
optics available for less than $1,000 I suspect. I just wonder what Nikon will do 
next in the Pro SLR arena, since they are due for something soon. If they were 
smart, they would pay Foveon to develop a double wide X3 chip and take the 
lead.

Claude



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