walterh Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Sony's new (Minolta) Alpha camera must impact D200 prices. The question is when will it happen - not if it will happen. This is under the assumption that the speculations are true that the same sensor is used that we see in the D200. For example you could get a body plus Zeiss F1.4 85mm lens for 2250,-- Euro, 400 Euro above the price of a Nikon D200 body here in Germany. Together with anti-shake this would be a hard to beat portrait "solution". Do you see other "solutions" with appealing combinations of Zeiss lenses and D200 sensor+antishake? Anybody share my optimism that we will see a major pricedrop for the D200 once the new Sony line gets to the stores? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivek iyer Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Does the Sony Alpha come in a Nikon F mount? If it does, I am buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walterh Posted June 7, 2006 Author Share Posted June 7, 2006 Vivek yesterday I send an email to Sony suggesting this ^^. Ahh - here is the response. Says they want to buy Nikon and come up with one body with two lens adapters as a package^^. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom_matus1 Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 With all the D200 has on the plate and how close it is related to the other "HI-END" Models don't you think that it is worth the money? Aren't you getting a good amount of technology for the price? I can't share your optimism about that... Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bruce_rubenstein Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 "Sony's new (Minolta) Alpha camera must impact D200 prices." No impact at all. For a Nikon, at that price point, competitive market pressure only comes from Canon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vivek iyer Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Walter, You are the man! I am sending an email to Sony today! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david carver Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Bruce, All major competitors generally affect everyone. Sony can impact Canon, which impacts Nikon. For all we know, Sony might become a major player in DSLRS. They have the capital to do so. There is one constant and that is that new technology and competition will drive down prices. Competitive presures will bring down the price of the D200 (Whether it comes from Sony, Samsung or Canon). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_ Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 So if you are shooting a squirming kid (7-year or 8-year old) and expect the anti-shake system to keep the kid still, good luck! The system (anti-shake) will only help you keep the camera-lens steady in your hands....a moving subject will not be helped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Prices are determined by supply and demand. Earlier, I had thought that D200 supply shouldn't be a problem by April or so. It has taken longer although it is not hard to find one (unless you are in Australia). Nikon has clearly sold a lot of D200's as I see quite a few of them "on the street." I have seen some estimates/guesstimates on other web sites based on serial numbers. How accurate those estimates are I don't know, so take it with a grain of salt, but they are talking about the D200 is selling at the rate of 500K units per year so far. That rate is unlikely to sustain but that is very high. In comparison, at the peak, Nikon was selling like 1 million D70 per year, and the D70 was much cheaper. Prices will drop when D200's start accumulating on store shelfs and stock rooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 "D200 pricedrop - when?" Well, my store finally has a couple of D200 bodies in stock to sell; so its about time for Nikon to make some piddly-s&!# "improvements" to the D200, call it the "D200s" and leave dealers stuck with D200 stock to sell at a discount that will come out of slim dealer profits on the camera. I don't agree that Sony's Alpha "must" impact Nikon D200 prices. Serious photographers are unlikely to buy a Sony DSLR over a Nikon or Canon. To ametuers, Nikon is a prestige name in SLR/DSLR photography, while Sony has no track record or name in DSLRs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titospna Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Best Buy had a price drop on the D200 last week -- it was being offered at $1,613, but I see it's now back up to $1,699. If you want a steeper drop, you'll just have to wait longer. I agree that there will be price competition between the Nikon and Sony Alpha. With Sony's alliance with Zeiss and the built in Anti Shake, they will make people think twice before buying. It will be interesting to see the effect of a deep pocket sponsor (and their marketing muscle) on selling a rebadged Minolta 7D. I think it would be wrong to underestimate them. Wouldn't it be cool if someone could devise a lens adapter so we could mount Nikkors on the Alpha? The Anti Shake for every lens would be worth it to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mawz Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Eric: Sony may not be a prestige name in Cameras, but Carl Zeiss is, and the only way to get Carl Zeiss glass with AF and VR is to buy a Sony. And given the agressive pricing on the A100 ($900 body-only), it's going to make a splash, and likely a big one. The big question is what will Sony bring out next to fill in the line, as their lens line is oriented to a full system rather than just a consumer DSLR like the A100. They do make a 12.4MP DX sensor already, wonder if we'll see a true pro body from them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
szrimaging Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Ummm....minor thing to note, why would the Alpha impact the D200 price? If anything it is up agains the D50 or D70. Now assuming Sony does well in that segment they may start moving up into the pro areas, but that could take a long time. Yes Zeiss glass is nice, but not so nice as to make alot of people who have already adopted a system such as Nikon or Canon to switch. As for Sony's attempt to get up to 20% of the market, well, it will be tough. Sony has buying power, and a strong fan base in its digital cameras. They are attempting to get the new to dSLR customers, then get them to move up the line as they release them. Basically we just need to sit back and enjoy the ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg s Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 "Sony's new (Minolta) Alpha camera must impact D200 prices." A DLSR needs lenses, lenses, and more lenses. I am off the path a bit by using a Fuji body, but Sony's cam has little appeal to me no matter how excellent the image capability is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titospna Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Lenses, lenses, and more lenses: http://www.sony.net/Products/dslr/lenses.html How many does anyone need? Not to mention the old KM lenses that will probably fit... Squash might taste pretty good under the right light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eric friedemann Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 "Sony may not be a prestige name in Cameras, but Carl Zeiss is, and the only way to get Carl Zeiss glass with AF and VR is to buy a Sony." Contax cameras featured Zeiss glass, including autofocus Zeiss glass. Contax is functionally out of business. Hasselblad manual focus cameras featured Zeiss glass. Now, Hasselblad's manual focus line is dying a slow death and Hasselblad's money line- the H1 system- features Fuji AF glass. For several years, Minolta DSLRs were priced competitively, had in-body anti-shake, bigger LCDs and better viewfinders than comparable Nikon and Canon DSLRs. Minolta is out of business. I hope Sony DLSRs are successful. However, anti-shake bodies and Zeiss glass are no guarantee of success, let alone the kind of huge sales necessary to sustain the R&D and short lifespans of DSLRs that manufacturers now endure. Then too, I would be surprised to see Sony square off against Nikon and Canon in the pro DSLR market. Sony's presence is in big-box retailers like Best Buy, where you don't see D2x's or 1DsMII's on the shelves. Sony's customer service/repairs operation in the U.S. is attrocious; and I don't see any pro putting up with Sony-caliber service. Finally, to compete in the pro market, Sony would have to offer a full line of pro lenses and I don't see that happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg s Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 "How many does anyone need?" More choices than that collection indicates (tele primes for example). Plus, there is no way am I going to replace my existing lenses with new ones just to change bodies. Canon has Nikon beat with IS tele primes, but that still hasn't made me switch... though I have considered it a time or two. My main point is that it's an uphill battle to win DSLR market share, and lenses have a lot to do with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marshall Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 I would agree that it is much more likely to be a serious competitive issue in the first-time dSLR buyer market who would otherwise be looking at a D50, D70s, or a 350XT. 10MP, built-in anti-shake, and probably some of the buyers coming from using Sony all-in-ones. Given what many consumers look at spec-wise for comparison, that's a powerful offering at that price point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 There is no doubt that the competition in low-end DSLR will further intensify, and everybody's profit margain will go down. How deep Sony's pocket is will certainly be tested. For us consumers, more competition should mainly be good news, as that should mean better products and lower prices. However, if Sony is very aggressive, small players such as Olympus and Pentax could be squeezed out. Olympus has been losing money on cameras for a while. There has been a lot of consolidations in the entire photo industry in the past few years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilkka_nissila Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 The D200 is a bargain - no need to reduce price on an item that basically redefines what value should be in a DSLR. Others have to catch up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert_potts1 Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 Right now Sony is ahead of everyone in that they offer important new features that nobody else has. To me this camera looks like a D200 but a lot better for half the price. This is revolutionary. Seems like lots of folks are in denial though. I expect Canon to fight back soon with something revolutionary of their own, but I fear for Nikon it will be peaceful co-existance from now on. As for the 20% mark, the difficulty will stemming the stampede at that point. I think the comment above about Sony buying Nikon may be near the mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam_kuan1 Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 "Right now Sony is ahead of everyone in that they offer important new features that nobody else has. To me this camera looks like a D200 but a lot better for half the price." What new features? Antishake & self sensor cleaning? Olympus and Minolta had them and look where they are now. Those two features are not guarantee for success. In what way is this camera "a lot better"? Not in body construction or AF speed or shutter realease delay or mirror blackout time or flash sync speed or metering accuracy or flash system feature and accuracy or fps, etc. You obviously never handled a D200 or any Nikon DSLR but apparently already familiar with this Sony DSLR camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew in Austin Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 The Nikon D200 is a semi-pro DSLR body. While the Sony A100 has a pair of automated features which will be a benefit to the masses, it is still nothing more than a high-end consumer DSLR. With regards to the CZ licensed glass, we'll see how that goes over in the consumer realm. I suspect a second DSLR platform is in the works. Nikon is not out of the woods, as the A100, if it is called that, will be competing against head-on with the D70s. Best Regards - Andrew in Austin, TX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nino Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 1: Why would they discount this camera when half the people who want one CANT get one? 2: I dont think that the mojority of purchasers of the d200 are 'first time nikon users' I think many would start with a lower price Nikon DSLR if thats the brand they wanted. So i dont think that the alpha is competition for the d200. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zenzanon Posted June 7, 2006 Share Posted June 7, 2006 They will begin lowering the price as soon as the sales numbers drop just below their sweet spot for the current price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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