Opteka lenses

[robbins.photo]

There's no such thing as a free lunch... You get what you pay for... There's a reason that many lenses cost thousands of dollars.

And the major one is gross profit.

Isn't that true for every product from every company?

Wait, you mean these companies aren't in business solely to cater to my individual desires? They actually expect to get something in return for efforts?

I'm shocked at the absolute temerity of it all. Lol

 

[table1349]

There's no such thing as a free lunch... You get what you pay for... There's a reason that many lenses cost thousands of dollars.

And the major one is gross profit.

Isn't that true for every product from every company?

Wait, you mean these companies aren't in business solely to cater to my individual desires? They actually expect to get something in return for efforts?

I'm shocked at the absolute temerity of it all. Lol

 

[tirediron]

Of course. But it is a matter of degree. The cost to produce a $3000 lens is certainly greater than the cost to produce a $500 lens but nowhere near what the market prices would lead you to believe. The high end camera lens business reminds me of the high end audio industry where margins are astronomic.

Yes, but don't forget the company needs to recoup their R&D costs. It might only cost $500 to build a $7000 300mm f2.8 (I have NO idea, just grabbing numbers for illustrative purposes), but before unit one rolled off the line, they could have spent $50,000,000.00 on R&D to get that lens as good as it is, so a LOT of the cost goes back to pay for that, as well, they have to balance that against the number of units they will sell... it's not as cut and dried as many think.

 

[KC1]

That's why we let the early adopters pay through the nose, so we don't have to and can buy after the rd costs are paid off.

 

[KC1]

It sounds like it might be worth a try, the price is good. Like someone said here before the only way to know a lens is to use it for a year.
Worst case its only a small cost for a lesson.

I can think of a lot better thing to spend $100 on. Cool Things To Buy With 100 Dollars | Qertop

I can't. But I like taking pictures for entertainment.

 

[fmw]

Of course. But it is a matter of degree. The cost to produce a $3000 lens is certainly greater than the cost to produce a $500 lens but nowhere near what the market prices would lead you to believe. The high end camera lens business reminds me of the high end audio industry where margins are astronomic.

Yes, but don't forget the company needs to recoup their R&D costs. It might only cost $500 to build a $7000 300mm f2.8 (I have NO idea, just grabbing numbers for illustrative purposes), but before unit one rolled off the line, they could have spent $50,000,000.00 on R&D to get that lens as good as it is, so a LOT of the cost goes back to pay for that, as well, they have to balance that against the number of units they will sell... it's not as cut and dried as many think.

One major issue, of course, is economies of scale and high end lenses certainly don't benefit from any of that. You're right there. The R&D c0sts should be in the low thousands, not the mid millions. Lens design is computer aided now. They let the computer provide numbers, they grind some glass, assemble a prototype and test it. If it meets the specs they go on to tooling which is production, just like low end lenses, not R&D. Trust me, the margins in high end lenses is substantial.

 

[fmw]

It's not like the factory makes one $3000 lens for every $300 lens produced.

Low-end gear, regardless of being photographic or audio, benefits from the economy of long production runs. This is because entry-level stuff is marketed as low-$, therefor appeals to a much larger target market. Top-end gear does not sell as much (numerically). So it does not have the advantage of 'cheaper by the dozen'.

No question about it. But it doesn't change what I said. The margins for the manufacturers are substantial at the high end.

 

[480sparky]

........ Trust me, the margins in high end lenses is substantial.

Well, there ya go. You've obviously identified an untapped niche market. Start cranking out your own $3000 lens clones for a paltry $750 and you'll be filthy rich within a month or so.

 

[fmw]

........ Trust me, the margins in high end lenses is substantial.

Well, there ya go. You've obviously identified an untapped niche market. Start cranking out your own $3000 lens clones for a paltry $750 and you'll be filthy rich within a month or so.

Sounds like a terrible idea. Too small a market.

 

[table1349]

Simple solution: Build your own.

What's that you say, you can't build your own at a reasonable cost. Solution? Pay their price or find another hobby.

 

[KC1]

........ Trust me, the margins in high end lenses is substantial.

Well, there ya go. You've obviously identified an untapped niche market. Start cranking out your own $3000 lens clones for a paltry $750 and you'll be filthy rich within a month or so.

Its already been tapped, by opteka.

 

[table1349]

That's why we let the early adopters pay through the nose, so we don't have to and can buy after the rd costs are paid off.

I see you bought into that whole CD Kool-aid story when it came out. They were supposed to come down in cost. Oops didn't happen.

 

[480sparky]

Sounds like a terrible idea. Too small a market.

So making and selling a lens for $750 retail that performs just as well as someone else's $3000 lens is 'a terrible idea'?

I hope your chosen profession isn't being a business advisor.

 

[fmw]

Sounds like a terrible idea. Too small a market.

So making and selling a lens for $750 retail that performs just as well as someone else's $3000 lens is 'a terrible idea'?

I hope your chosen profession isn't being a business advisor.

No. I hire business advisors.

 

[pip_dog]

I had an Opteka branded fisheye lens for a while. It was a real fun toy to whip out on occasion and was pretty sharp in the center but quite soft on the edges and was prone to pretty bad flaring. Not bad for $130 though. Ended up selling it when the novelty wore off.

Sent from my LG-H900 using Tapatalk