Robert
Some great points, but worth mentioning that the intended buyers for the D1/2H and 1D really don't worry about depreciation. The cameras are aimed not at enthusiasts, but at magazines and daily newspapers. There they pay for themselves quickly, and are used until worn out.
For most enthusiasts, features like eight shots per second and a forty exposure buffer, wireless ftp to the press box and so on are of little value. Few enthusiasts would buy a 4MP camera now - at least for the price of a D2H - but it works fine for a news shot. Much of the noise is simply hidden in the half-tone dots. In news and sports shooting, content is really about the only factor that counts.
They are special purpose cameras aimed at a very narrow range of problems, and handle them superbly.
With the 1Ds, turn-around time for a commercial shooter is vastly reduced, meaning more shooting and less time spent running back and forth to the lab. With commercial photography, time is money. Dumping a used Hasselblad and a couple of lenses pays for the body, and clients are just as happy with the quality in most cases.
Again, a camera built for a specific market, where it pays for itself quickly.
larry!
ICQ 76620504
http://www.larry-bolch.com/
Some great points, but worth mentioning that the intended buyers for the D1/2H and 1D really don't worry about depreciation. The cameras are aimed not at enthusiasts, but at magazines and daily newspapers. There they pay for themselves quickly, and are used until worn out.
For most enthusiasts, features like eight shots per second and a forty exposure buffer, wireless ftp to the press box and so on are of little value. Few enthusiasts would buy a 4MP camera now - at least for the price of a D2H - but it works fine for a news shot. Much of the noise is simply hidden in the half-tone dots. In news and sports shooting, content is really about the only factor that counts.
They are special purpose cameras aimed at a very narrow range of problems, and handle them superbly.
With the 1Ds, turn-around time for a commercial shooter is vastly reduced, meaning more shooting and less time spent running back and forth to the lab. With commercial photography, time is money. Dumping a used Hasselblad and a couple of lenses pays for the body, and clients are just as happy with the quality in most cases.
Again, a camera built for a specific market, where it pays for itself quickly.
larry!
ICQ 76620504
http://www.larry-bolch.com/