YESTERDAY,it was widely reported that the Canadian dollar hit a 12-year low (some sources say 11-year low)...that financial pinch is probably coloring the views of a certain member who has been vigorously complaining about the introductory price of new Nikon models for the last few years. The Canadian loonie dipped below 71 cents American yesterday for the first time since 2003.
Recall that this same member was very upset that Nikon's D7200 was just....too expensive....too many Canadian dollars being asked for the D7200. Fast forward...here he is again...lambasting the company that dare put a camera on the market at too high a price in Canadian dollars...
When it takes $1.41 Canadian to make one US dollar, it seems like that somehow makes things more expensive in Canada than it does in other places where the monetary unit has greater value.
Too many loonies, too many loonies! Too many loonies indeed.
Complaining about the price of any class-leading, brand-new camera model is sort of a fool's errand. Luckily, the interwebs can provide us with plenty of errand runners--people who think that manufacturers "owe them" some kind of friends-and-family-like, super-discounted pricing....you know, kinda like there are a lot of people who expect a $350 wedding shoot with, "All the pit'chers on DVD's!" People who whine about paying what a service or good is "worth"...we alllll know the type.
I sure would like a nice $39,599 car...for $15 grand--which is what I CAN buy a 4-year-old version for.
Pricing on all manufactured goods is designed to sell product, and to keep the manufacturer in business, while making a decent profit. If one cannot afford a brand new camera,, there are some options, like:1)STFU and just make due without 2)buy a used model 3)wait for refurbished models to go on sale 4)buy one-generation out of date 5)get a better-paying job.
The Nikon D2x was $4999 when I bought a brand-new one on May 3, 2005. Want one today? They can easily be bought for $500. The D500 is probably EIGHT f/stops better in terms of High ISO than the D2x was...and costs $3k less at introduction.
It makes very little sense to look at what the D500 offers and scream that it is over-priced at $1999...10 fps, new AF system that dPreview expects will elevate the D5 and D500 to the absolute pinnacle of AF capability in focusing and focus tracking, 200 frame buffer,etc.etc.. and it is markedly better in specification than the Canon 7D-II, which Canon has recently been discounting to under E$1,100 (that's United States Dollar units...not Canadian...) in an effort to clear out inventory that becomes immediately outdated/lesser in value/less-desirable as soon as the D500 becomes available for pre-order.