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Future of the Contax N

Looks like slightly used N1s are now available between $500-600 on eBay. The price has come down quite a bit from that of last year. Well, for me pros ditching N1 and moving to Canon DSLR (or whatever strikes their fancy) is a boon, but I hope Contax will stay with the N system. I want to see at least D35/1.4 for N.
 
I think he must have thought you meant a like new Model 1 http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/agfabilly.html

"Today I asked a sale person at KEH for an estimate of used N1 (their price buying from me). For a Like New N1, he quoted $371! That's $371 for a LN camera retailing for $1100. Man, I don't know what to make of this, but it doesn't seem too good for the N system.
sad.gif
"
 
> "Today I asked a sale person at KEH for an estimate of used N1 (their > price buying from me). For a Like New N1, he quoted $371! That's $371 > for a LN camera retailing for $1100. Man, I don't know what to make of > this, but it doesn't seem too good for the N system.
sad.gif
"

Check eBay. How do you think KEH is in business? They (and any of that type of business) take advantage of people who either don't know the value of what they're selling, or who are despirate. Their product is typically correctly graded, and their service is good...but they are in business, and want to maximize profits.

Regards,

Austin
 
I agree, but the lagging sales numbers and the slow economy does not help the wholesale price,
but Contax is a nitch market,most people like myself just had to see and feel the quality to make up their minds, I feel if they do
expand with new improved bodies and lens, the sales will just stay flat,and if the sales stay flat why invest in R&D, kind of catch 22

Rick
 
Correction,
Should read if they do not Expand and broaden their Line up

Sorry
 
Contax can leech money off Kyocera, I suppose. It can go only so far, but at least there is some money available outside the revenue stream of Contax. That's one good thing to be part of a much bigger business entity. But Contax needs to come up with a hit soon.

It seems that a lot of pros are leaving Contax N because of the failure of ND. Digital has now become a necessity rather than a choice for many pros (wedding photographers for instance). Their job demands a DSLR, but ND failed to live up to their requirement. So a lot of them are moving to Canon while they perfectly liked their N1.

So it seems that Contax needs to release a decent DSLR soon to stem the exodus of pros. They probably won't need super-fast AF, but would like to have noise-free high ISO that can bring out the quality of their Zeiss glass. If Contax could bring out a 1.3x factor DSLR around 6MP that can go up to ISO 800 with relatively low noise, coupled with a decent battery and power management, that would surely become a hit.

Well, just my two cents.
 
Taylor,

Yeah, it will be a hit. On one condition - that hypothetical DSLR would have to be in manual-focus mount, not the new N-mount. Not a whole lot of pros have been using N1 anyway, but even bigger problem for them is limited number of lenses and what's even worse - practically no fast lenses (P85 and P50 being the exceptions). No way you can do wedding portraits or studio work using f/4.0 or f/5.6 (unless it's a group photo). And another problem is slower AF than competition, higher power drain (camera+lens combo, not just the camera).

And also, honestly, I don't think that "many" pros left N-mount line only because there is no DSLR. There are many pros that have more than one system and when they switch, it's usually not because one single thing has been missing. It's usually more than one thing. So, if pros are switching, it means they're not happy with that line in GENERAL. Of course it depends, but then, there are plenty landscape photographers that use 35mm and there are plenty landscape photographers that use medium format. To each his own. But of course, judging from the number of people trying to sell their N-systems - a lot of people aren't happy.

Most of lenses in manual focus line have kept their prices steady for years now, and used market is more or less stable. For N-system prices for used equipment are outrageously low! I wish that was true for Leica, because then I could afford to try it out
happy.gif


Mike.
 
Well guys,

Following from my post last week about the rumour that Contax pulled their latest DSLR launch because of Canon's new sub £1000 DSLR; I spoke to a Kyocera chap yesterday. He tells me that a "budget" DSLR is due to be announced at an American show next Febraury (I can't remember what the name of the show is, but perhaps you guys in the States may know of it). I prompted him by asking if it was based on the NX - to which his answer was "probably". The other part of their strategy appears to be concentrating on digital backs for the "top end" of the market - but I wasn't sure if he was refering to digital backs for the 645 or a digital back for the N1.

So, I'm not sure whether to wait and see or take the plunge with a prosumer digital camera like the Fuji s7000 at £370. Any thoughts?

Cheers, Saras
 
Mike,

What, f/2.8 ain't fast enough for you? ;) There are three fast lenses in a budding system (1.4/50, 1.4/85, 2.8/100), and I don't think that's too bad. It just needs couple wide primes like 28, 25 or 35 at reasonably fast speed (f/2.8 max) to balance out. So five fast primes under 100mm would just do fine (at least for me).

The problem is that those wide primes are long overdue.

I don't believe DSLR is "one single thing." It's the whole thing. It's the future and hope for many, and an eventuality, pleasing or otherwise, for some. If those pros who had bought into N didn't think a full-frame DSLR was in the future, I don't believe there have been as many people who got into N as they have. ND was announced at the launch of N1, and the prospect of a full-frame DSLR undoubtedly played a crucial role in selling the system.

Heck, I'm one of those people who chose N over Y/C "just because" I thought a decent DSLR was in the near future for N. A lot of people aren't happy because that promise hasn't been realized and there is no hope...just a vague, unfounded expectation that Contax must release a DSLR sooner or later if it wants to survive as a camera maker in the 21st century.

Well, does Contax want to survive as a camera maker in the 21st century?
 
NO, F/2.8 isn't fast enough! Not for most pros anyway...especially considering that digital cameras suffer from faster ISOs. Consider the Canon pro line up: 24/1.4L, 35,1.4L, 50.1,4, 85/1.2L, 100/2, 135/2L, 200/1.8, 300/2.8 IS, etc. Leica M: 28/2, 35/1.4, 50/1.0, 75/1.4, 90.2. Nikon: 28/1.4, 35/2, 50/1.4, 80/1.4, 100/2 DC, 135/2 DC, 180/2, ect. These lenses don't exist for nothing...they are essential to certain styles of shootiing
making use of available light...even when using flash.

In my opinion not having a 35/1.4 in an N mount is criminal. The manual version is a steller performer, so why it isn't available in a N mount escapes me. Instead we get a 400mm which is nice, but a limited use lens for a working pro.
 
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