Leaf is offering this since who knows how long. The fact that they immediately address customer concerns with regards to the upgrade to the AFDIII is something that I applaud.
Fast and swift response, you know what is happening. This is good for both Leaf as well as people planning on using a Leaf with AFD. Naturally Leaf doesn't want people holding off buying one of their backs because they don't know whether they will be getting an AFDII or III. Can you blame them? They are trying to make a living as we all do.
I wish every MFDB manufacturer was this considerate everytime. We complain when they aren't and now we start complaining and being suspicious when they are?
Accusing Steve of sales pitches I find uncalled for. He has been helping out everywhere he can without hidden agenda. Sure, he wants to sell but he is willing to help without you immediately having to buy something from him. I wish there were more dealers like that (especially in Europe).
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It think Leaf has had some kind of promotion with Mamiya forever and the MAC group that distributes Leaf also distributes Mamiya so a lot of this relationship is natural.
Leaf is also excellent at marketing their product and has been agressive in their efforts from day one.
I see nothing but good coming from these type of incentives and hope it puts some pressure on all medium format to respond by putting a sharp pencil to all thier prices.
Don't think for a minute that if medium format prices could some how get more competiitive with dslrs, that you wouldn't see a much larger user base and a larger market makes it better for all of us. There would be more lenses, accessories and maybe even more cameras.
Yesterday I was in two traditional camera stores that sell professional equipment and neither sold any form of medium format back and the medium format cameras they sold were either used, or close out items that were going for 1/2 their original price.
I know absoutley nothing about how much it costs to make and market a digital back and if the profit margins are high or low, but I do know that if there were $7,000 medium format backs, vs. 20, to 30 thousand dollar digital backs, those two camera stores I walked into yesterday would probably be full of Pentaxs, Mamiyas, Contaxs, and the dozen of lenses each system "use" to offer.
If there had even been $10,000 digital backs with a decent lcd, like the P21 when the 1ds was released I'll bet there would have been a lot less Canons sold.
I adopted digtial capture early so I'm not surprised that it has changed the way professionals and serious amateurs work, but I am surprised at how long it has taken the traditional camera companies to respond.
I think we all should be clear that regardless of the brand we currently use, we want all the digital back makers to continue to grow and thrive, or the next camera store you walk into won't have anything but a Canon or Nikon.
I don't want to see any banner ads on this forum, but I would love to see more dealer and manufacturer particpation. I don't think Hasselblad or Phase knows what they are missing by not stepping in and putting their message out and receiving the constructive as well as the critical responses.
JR
P.S.
As far as this board becoming negative or bad because a few posts are agressive, that just comes with the territory and regardless of what anyone thinks those controversial threads get the highest number of viewers and responses and usually offer the most unique thought.
I know Steve, he's a smart, honest and decent man and sells his product with intelligence, but he's also and adult and knows that if he puts it out there for gain, he's going to take some hits.
Let's butch up and be realistic that if all we do is live, work and talk like a press release life would be very boring and not very honest and without even misplaced raw honesty and passion the conversations just become worthless to discussion.
Once again, I'm glad that there is varied participation here, but if you are going to put a company name or logo at the end of your posts then don't get your feelings hurt if someone says something you don't like.
There is a lot of misplaced hype in the digital world and throwing a press release or an ad on a public forum get's noticed and drawn out pretty quickly.
Still, I've been meaning to get an answer to something from the RG days, that never was brought to conclusiion.
What camera would Salgado use?
