Earthquake price increases...

[M38A1]

A day or so before the Japan earthquake, the Nikon D700 (body only) was $2399 at B&H. A week after, it's now $2699. Hmmmm..... I wonder if it's a supply thing or something else????

[ed29]

Calls to mind the thread on gasoline... You are not paying for what that camera costs, but rather for the one the store will replace it with????

See my post on tires from a few minutes ago in another thread. I think there is some profiteering going on.

[wanabeguru]

Originally Posted by ed29

Calls to mind the thread on gasoline... You are not paying for what that camera costs, but rather for the one the store will replace it with????

See my post on tires from a few minutes ago in another thread. I think there is some profiteering going on.

AGREE ON BOTH POINTS!

[M38A1]

I had pretty much put the full-frame upgrade on the back burner, but now I can't get it out of my head. It's not like I NEED it. I just WANT it.

But sheesh, that's a LOT of coin and from a realistic view, I'm not a professional, I try not to take my stuff out in crappy environments, pixel increase is only marginal, fps slight increase. But there's considerably better improvement in higher ISO, focus points and what I perceive to be full-frame goodness in that sensor.

[Duke]

I hear you Scott. I have been struggling with this myself for a year or so. I am going to stay with my crop frame (D90) for at least another year now. Not because of the price increase, but more so because I am finally getting comfortable using my current camera. My images (I feel anyway) are getting better, and I want to invest in better glass.

the 70-200 VR II has been "out of stock" @ B&H for a while now, (even before the quake).

[igo-wfo]

Yep, there are a lot of things that we all like to play with gadget wise that I bet are going to go up in the near future.

Ha.... wait till they open the markets tomorrow and see what the price of oil does now that shooting has started in Lybia.

That's why I took my 14 gallon roll around that I use for lawn mowers and such and filled it last night.

The speculators are gonna have a ball tomorrow.

I prognosticate a 20 cent/gallon jump in gas by Wednesday.

[M38A1]

Interesting article by Adorama:

http://www.adorama.com/alc/news/UPDA...ke-and-Tsunami


Content:
UPDATED: Japan Photo Industry Affected by Earthquake and Tsunami
Back to Adorama News Desk page
Average of 50 ratings: 4.9 stars

Adorama News Desk Special Report: Crisis in Japan

By Mason Resnick

March 16, 2011
With scores of factories and corporate headquarters around the country, the Japanese photo industry has been severely disrupted by Friday's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.

As of this writing, it looks like there were no serious injuries or fatalities among employees of Japanese camera and consumer electronics companies. We will continue to monitor the situation and update this report as needed.


While most companies report that they are still assessing the damage caused by the most powerful quake in Japanese history, it seems that there have been no deaths, and injuries to camera company employees. Structural damage to company facilities vary. Most companies are subject to rolling blackouts that are being imposed by the Japanese power authorities due to the evolving crisis at the nuclear power plants.


The following is an updated run-down of how the quake has effected manufacturers of photographic and other related products.


Epson announced that the Color Imaging Exhibition trade show, which was planned for March 19-21 in Tokyo, has been cancelled due to the crisis. Epson reports that while no casualties were reported at its facilities, one of its factories was hit by a one-meter tsunami, while three other facilities have been temporarily shut due to rolling blackouts as a result of the quake. Two buildings that are within 16km from the Fukushima nuclear plant have sustained some damage and are being shut for now.


Sony was hardest hit. Japan's biggest exporter of consumer electronics, and a growing player in the still photography world, was forced to stop operations at ten factories and two research centers due to quake-related damage and power outages caused by emergencies at nuclear power plants. 1,000 Sony employees reportedly took shelter on the second floor of a nearby chemical products factory.


Nikon has confirmed light injuries to some of its employees but no serious or fatal injuries. Nikon's Sendai factory, which manufactures the D3S, D3X, D700 and F6, has been forced to close due to damage to equipment and buildings. Work at at least three other facilities has been temporarily suspended so the company can assess damage.


Canon has suspended operations at eight factories located in Northern Japan, and reports at least 15 employees were injured. The company said it may move some production to other factories that weren't damaged.



Olympus's photographic division was not affected by the quake, but some emplyees at other locations sustained minor injuries, possibly in the company's endoscopy-related business. Japanese-language press releases indicate that a repair facility is expected to resume operations in 2-4 weeks.



A Sigma employee tweeted that there has been some damage to machinery and the building at Sigma's Aizu factory, but no injuries. Due to the rolling blackouts, Sigma has decided to suspend operations in two of its facilities.


Ricoh reports no injuries. Five of its facilities have stopped operations and four have no set plan to reopen.



Fujifilm reports that its Taiwa-Cho factory, which is located 20 miles from Sendai, was damaged by the quake, but fortunately none of the workers were reported injured. Production of the FinePix X100, which was being done at that factory, has been temporarily stopped and delays can be expected for this highly-anticipated camera. The company says the rest of its operation is not affected.


Hoya Corporation, which owns Pentax, reports that several employees were slightly injured but none seriously. Some production facilities were damaged, although the company is still trying to assess. It isn't known how the camera and lens facilities have been effeccted but due to traffic problems and blackouts, production has been disrupted.


Casio reports no major injuries, and the company is currently trying to ascertain the condition of its facilities. In the meantime, business activities are expected to be disrupted due to rolling blackouts.


In a statement, Tamron reports no structural damage or injuries, but the rolling blackouts and severely curtailed train service have caused the company to close its facilities for at least the next few days.


Panasonic reports minor injuries in one of its northern Japan factories, in Fukushima, where production of Lumix digital cameras has been suspended. The company is evaluating damage and says the long-term effect is still being determined.


Sandisk, whose facilities are 500 miles from the epicenter, appears to have escaped unharmed. The factories were shut immediately after the quake, but resumed opearations by Friday morning.


However, due to possible meltdowns at several of Japan's nuclear reactors, the Japanese government has instituted rolling blackouts, which are disrupting companies even if they were not otherwise affected by the quake or tzunami.



The tsunami has also destroyed many freighter ships, some of which may have been preparing to ship photographic equipment to destinations around the world. This situation is currently being assessed by the companies, but it is likely there will be shortages of some gear as a result.


Epson, Canon, Panasonic, Sony, Ricoh and Nikon have all reported that they have donated hundreds of millions of Yen to the relief effort and are contributing in other tactical ways to help survivors.

This report was based on information published by TIPA, Amateur Photographer, Reuters, and statements from several manufacturers.

[Duke]

wow

[M38A1]

Whew! Looks like I'm saved for a while....

From the B&H site today:

D700 Body
* Temporarily out of stock

[M38A1]

Well that didn't take long....

From the B&H site today:

D700 Body
* In Stock

[M38A1]

Whew! Less than five hours have passed and it looks like I'm safe again.

Temporarily unavailable

[Fiddyone]

I've been waiting on some Honda parts for over a month now.

[_RG_]

Currency fluctuations...strengthening yen - weakening dollar. Wait until the end of June when the fmoc turns off their printing press. Should see the price start to come down after that.

[achesley]

Originally Posted by B.Wade

I've been waiting on some Honda parts for over a month now.

Where did you order these parts?
Per exsample. Wanted a side cover gasket just in case on a DR650 Suzuki I owned awhile back. Stopped in at the dealer and ordered one. They guess an 8 to 12 business day delivery. Got home, went online to Bike Bandit. Ordered same gasket. At my door step in 3 days. 3 weeks later, I get a call from my dealer that my gasket had come in. Go figure!
Turned up that I didn't need the gasket just because I had one sitting here. Sold them both for same money as paid on ebay. Lucked out.

[Fiddyone]

Originally Posted by achesley

Where did you order these parts?
Per exsample. Wanted a side cover gasket just in case on a DR650 Suzuki I owned awhile back. Stopped in at the dealer and ordered one. They guess an 8 to 12 business day delivery. Got home, went online to Bike Bandit. Ordered same gasket. At my door step in 3 days. 3 weeks later, I get a call from my dealer that my gasket had come in. Go figure!
Turned up that I didn't need the gasket just because I had one sitting here. Sold them both for same money as paid on ebay. Lucked out.

I ordered them from Motosport half of it they had in stock but the motor gaskets were on backorder? Email confirmed today that everything is on its way.

[M38A1]

So it was available this afternoon, and in my shopping cart tonight.... I went back one last time to read and received a pop-up notification it was no longer available.

You snooze - You lose. I suppose they got like 10, and 10 folks had it in their cart and hit "purchase" before me. Bummer. Now I'm on the notification list for when (if) they get more.

[Gravel Guy]

I just wanted to share this, although it may be in the wrong place....
http://www.naturalnews.com/037556_Fu..._collapse.html

It MAY be bad news in Japan at the nuclear site....

[Gravel Guy]

Further googling produced this:
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/conte...2/s3587259.htm

I had never heard of "Monju"......

[Gravel Guy]

And more:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/i...pan/index.html

I guess NYtimes is MSM.....but I missed this..

[M38A1]

Interesting find Mark.... Interesting indeed.