Update: Price Cut Not to Herald GRDIII?

This is an update on a previous observation on Ricoh's price cut in Hong Kong. Cristi, a Ricoh user from Britain, met people of HK's distributor (Laikok) for Ricoh cameras recently. The Laikok people commented that their recent price cut for some of Ricoh's cameras, including the deepest cut of 30% for GRDII's, was rather a strategic move for economic consideration than a prelude to the coming of any new Ricoh's model. A new release would be in 2-3 months but rather later. There is certainly credence in the comment. But let's reason further for a fuller picture: 1) Around nine months before the release of GX200, HSBC offered its local VISA card customers an approximately 30% off the price of GX100. 2) So, shedding a reasonable amount of the old stock requires a period of, say, nine months. 3) The price cut this time for GRDII is the deepest; coincidentally, for 30% (making it at the same price level of a GX200!). 4) Some informed GRDII users commented that the release cycle of GRD model was two years. GRDII was released in October 2007. The cycle for GRDII will come to an end in ten months. 5) Would strategic move be based more heavily on strategic market factors, less on routines?

6) The niche market of serious compact grows crowder, and more competitive with the emergence of similar cameras of other brands.

7) If there is a need to re-conquer the niche market, the tactics is either cutting the price or working out a more advanced model to stay on top.

The conclusion is yours to make. Whatever the conclusion is, price cuts are always welcomed. And keep taking more photos, do less guessing. Note: The above guess is not materially founded in any way.

Comments

A Real Hero

(Grip On Reality: This photo was taken on my way to work. I was walking past trucks parking on a cul-de-sac when the ropes caught my attention. The light was right, the colour was right and the criss-crossing pattern was perfect and I held up my GX200. People passing by checked me out and wondered what could be made out of such a boring scene. To me, the fun in photography is that the photographer makes something interesting out of what is not obvious to most at the scene. The ropes tied in knots somehow reminded people I know who are in the grip of the recession) You must have also known a friend or two, or even yourself, being baffled by the spiral downturn of the economy. Bank went bankrupt and the rich was faced with a shrinking wealth. A friend of mine has just had his salary cut by over 10% and some of his colleagues started to be shed. But, wait. Was this done really for the sake of continuing the business? Or is there a factor or greed in it? I wonder whether the

New Low Prices

The window shopping some hours ago has almost provoked my AgIDS illness. Just in case you’re in Hong Kong or are coming here, and have the money to burn (All in HK$/ body only): GX200 = $3,280 GRD2 = $3,380 LX3 = $3,180 G10 = $3,280 Prices are available form a gear shop on the 1st floor of the Mongkok Computer Centre. Besides these new low prices, I found that Wing Shing Photo (55-57Sai Yeung Choi St., MK Tel: 2396 6886/ 91-95 Fa Yuen St., MK Tel: 2396 6885) is offering a Sony A700 + Carl Zeiss Lens package for HK$9,980 (hopefully, a bargain will make it some hundreds cheaper).

Eye Contact

(Leica D-lux 5) The digital era may make it easier to end up with fave shots. Even lousy photos may be turned likable after a few clicks in the post-processing workflow. But if digital advancement or amendments have any bearing on the cultivation of personal style, no photographers will need to discover his or her own photographer’s eye. Undoutedly, this is out of the question. Only with a trained photographer’s eye can we give a thinking gaze and capture an eternal moment, in our unique style. Style is the soul of a great photo. A few posts have been written in GXG to touch on the topic of photographer’s eye. Instead of finding an answer, which would require academic discussions, the posts are intended to give my general reflections and spark interests in moving towards further exploration of the topic. The posts can be viewed after the links: 1) Photographer's Eye: Storytelling 2) Photographer's Eye: Little Show of Observing 3) Photographer's Eye: Sight-Worthy 4

GX GARNERINGS

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