Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: gwhitf on December 10, 2009, 09:47:14 am
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I watched Obama on television early this morning, as he swung through the DriveThru Window at the PhaseOne factory, to pick up his P65+ in person, and I began to wonder, "Is anything in our industry actually made in the United States any longer?" I guess if this was 1965 or so, that Phase One back would have a Zenith sticker on it, or RCA, or Delco. But I look around, and I see Canon, Nikon, Phase, Rollei, Sony, Ricoh, Sinar, Arca, Alpa, none of which are US companies. I guess you could count Kodak, but do they actually make anything, or do they just distribute?
I think USA, and all I can count are that weird little White Lightning company, and maybe RRS in San Luis Obispo, but who knows where there stuff is actually manufactured? What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
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What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
We've become a nation of consumers, things will swing back. Difficult to compete with less expensive labor and fewer regulations in other countries.
Kind regards,
Derek
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Chimera is made in USA. As are Mathews and American grip gear. Adobe and Apple software.
The US gave iup consumers goods years ago in favor of the promise of information worker jobs, you know, manufacturing content like Dancing with the Stars, or spreadsheets.
Where the US stil excells in manufacturing are:
Guns
Missles
Robots
Precision Machine tools
Chemicals
Guns
Tanks
Nuclear reactors
Complex shipbuilding
Aircraft
Oil and gas exploration equipment
electronic guidence and detection equipment
Pharma
You know, it looks like we only manufacture National Security/Strategic goods in the US. Its all good. I'm going to watch Biggest Loser and veg on the couch.
I watched Obama on television early this morning, as he swung through the DriveThru Window at the PhaseOne factory, to pick up his P65+ in person, and I began to wonder, "Is anything in our industry actually made in the United States any longer?" I guess if this was 1965 or so, that Phase One back would have a Zenith sticker on it, or RCA, or Delco. But I look around, and I see Canon, Nikon, Phase, Rollei, Sony, Ricoh, Sinar, Arca, Alpa, none of which are US companies. I guess you could count Kodak, but do they actually make anything, or do they just distribute?
I think USA, and all I can count are that weird little White Lightning company, and maybe RRS in San Luis Obispo, but who knows where there stuff is actually manufactured? What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
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Speedotron baby!
Wait, is that made here? I know they're headquartered in Chi-town.
And, uh... I use Profoto.
But Speedo... good, kick the crap out of it, workhorse American strobe.
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Speedotron baby!
Wait, is that made here? I know they're headquartered in Chi-town.
And, uh... I use Profoto.
But Speedo... good, kick the crap out of it, workhorse American strobe.
They work and work but the only times I've been shocked was when using a Speedotron!
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I guess there was Deardorff in Chicago at one time. Maybe now serviced in Cleveland, Tennessee.
And there's Mr. Gowland out in in Malibu, but certainly not mass-market.
And I guess Dr. Land, with Polaroid at one time, in Boston.
The list is short. I guess the USA reached the point where the paid hourly wage simply made it not economical to build anything here. So the USA becomes The Giant Consumer, but not the producer.
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My vest is U.S. made: http://www.vestedinterest.com/ (http://www.vestedinterest.com/)
B&H is also made in the U.S.A
Photoshop should not be forgotten.
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I watched Obama on television early this morning, as he swung through the DriveThru Window at the PhaseOne factory, to pick up his P65+ in person, and I began to wonder, "Is anything in our industry actually made in the United States any longer?" I guess if this was 1965 or so, that Phase One back would have a Zenith sticker on it, or RCA, or Delco. But I look around, and I see Canon, Nikon, Phase, Rollei, Sony, Ricoh, Sinar, Arca, Alpa, none of which are US companies. I guess you could count Kodak, but do they actually make anything, or do they just distribute?
I think USA, and all I can count are that weird little White Lightning company, and maybe RRS in San Luis Obispo, but who knows where there stuff is actually manufactured? What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
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They work and work but the only times I've been shocked was when using a Speedotron!
Remember the old Norman P2000 packs? I've blown up ten or twelve of them. You're working away; you stop to change the power on the pack; you turn it off; you discharge it; you think the transformers are empty; you change heads; and then BAM!!, and the entire studio looks like a Pillow Fight, when those capacitors blow up and shoot the paper packing out the vents of the packs. Nothing like standing directly over one when it blows up; the sound is literally deafening.
No idea if Norman is/was USA made; they were in Burbank when I'd drive there to pick them up from service.
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Lightware (Colorado)
Tenba (Brooklyn)
Versa-Flex (Ohio)
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I guess there was Deardorff in Chicago at one time. Maybe now serviced in Cleveland, Tennessee.
And there's Mr. Gowland out in in Malibu, but certainly not mass-market.
And I guess Dr. Land, with Polaroid at one time, in Boston.
The list is short. I guess the USA reached the point where the paid hourly wage simply made it not economical to build anything here. So the USA becomes The Giant Consumer, but not the producer.
This happened in Europe as well, but they still manage to produce precision goods. A policy choice was made that favored retaining manufacturing jobs, maybe the bad memories from the pre war depression and the subsequent dismantling of Continental society and institutions. While the US was, post war, a true believer in free trade, Europe and Japan NEVER truly drank the free trade Kool Aid. The EEC/EC/EU were/are a trade block designed to free up a domestic European market, and Continental sensibilities prevailed. Thus, the tradition of skilled tradesmen manufacturing quality consumer products still exists.
Domke Bags are USA!
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Remember the old Norman P2000 packs? I've blown up ten or twelve of them. You're working away; you stop to change the power on the pack; you turn it off; you discharge it; you think the transformers are empty; you change heads; and then BAM!!, and the entire studio looks like a Pillow Fight, when those capacitors blow up and shoot the paper packing out the vents of the packs. Nothing like standing directly over one when it blows up; the sound is literally deafening.
No idea if Norman is/was USA made; they were in Burbank when I'd drive there to pick them up from service.
Funny! Lately I saw a Dynalite explode, or rather, I heard it, tried to ignore it, but the smoke made be come and check it out. We were shooting video and the client was doing a stills shoot in the next conference room. We're recoding sound on the Nagra-D when we hear the boom!
Knock on wood, but the only time I've had a problem with the Profotos was when an assistant set one down into two inches of water.
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Thus, the tradition of skilled tradesmen manufacturing quality consumer products still exists.
The skilled tradesmen that I see in my town usually show up in a wrinkled Led Zeppelin t-shirt, smelling of last night's beer. Hair is sticking up, they've got the Plumber's Crack jeans on, and when they hand you The Estimate Form, you have to squint to decipher the handwriting style. Usually, their name is Darryl, and the standard response is "Yeah, I heard dat!", and then you hear them mutter something to their buddy about the concert this weekend and when the PO-lice showed up.
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Chimera is made in USA. As are Mathews and American grip gear. Adobe and Apple software.
The US gave iup consumers goods years ago in favor of the promise of information worker jobs, you know, manufacturing content like Dancing with the Stars, or spreadsheets.
Where the US stil excells in manufacturing are:
Guns
Missles
Robots
Precision Machine tools
Chemicals
Guns
Tanks
Nuclear reactors
Complex shipbuilding
Aircraft
Oil and gas exploration equipment
electronic guidence and detection equipment
Pharma
You know, it looks like we only manufacture National Security/Strategic goods in the US. Its all good. I'm going to watch Biggest Loser and veg on the couch.
Unfortunately mostly made from foreign sourced parts!
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The skilled tradesmen that I see in my town usually show up in a wrinkled Led Zeppelin t-shirt, smelling of last night's beer. Hair is sticking up, they've got the Plumber's Crack jeans on, and when they hand you The Estimate Form, you have to squint to decipher the handwriting style. Usually, their name is Darryl, and the standard response is "Yeah, I heard dat!", and then you hear them mutter something to their buddy about the concert this weekend and when the PO-lice showed up.
Oh, so Darryl is painting your porch as well?
The only skilled craftsmen I deal with are the restoration guys who are slowly but surely putting new copper bits on my old ass house in Virginia. But these guys are "High End". I know lots of carpenters who are really, really skilled, but they make $20k dressers and $12k platform beds. They are all "high end" lux producers.
The only craftsmen left in skilled trades that are not aiming at "high end, big money" are union guys. In NYC the guys who maintain the subway system really are skilled, professionals who make a decent living, have good insurance. Otherwise, its Darryl in the Zep shirt smelling like stale bong water and Beast Lite.
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How about Really Right Stuff? Located in San Luis Obispo, CA, at least a lot of their product line is domestic.
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Unfortunately mostly made from foreign sourced parts!
In some industries, yes. The inputs, like oil for the chemical industry, come from abroad, but thats true for the old IG Farben concerns as well as for ICI and Fuji Heavy Industries.
Machine tools, nuclear equipment, shipbuilding, military aircraft, major components are all built in the US. RAM, processors, etc are sourced from where ever.
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Not much on the camera front anymore. KB Canham is made are made in AZ for the field view camera market.
On the lighting side there are far greater choices.
Speedotron - Chicago
Dynalite - New Jersey
Norman - Used to be California but now manufactured in the Chicago suburbs
Photogenic - Used to be in Ohio, but now in chicago suburbs. Same owner as Norman
Chimera - Colorado
Plume - Colorado
Matthews - California
Westcott - Ohio
Mole Richardson - California
Smith Victor - Suburban Chicago ..same owner as Norman and Photogenic
Lowell - New York
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Speedotron - Chicago
Dynalite - New Jersey
Norman - Used to be California but now manufactured in the Chicago suburbs
Photogenic - Used to be in Ohio, but now in chicago suburbs. Same owner as Norman
Chimera - Colorado
Plume - Colorado
Matthews - California
Westcott - Ohio
Mole Richardson - California
Smith Victor - Suburban Chicago ..same owner as Norman and Photogenic
Lowell - New York
Oh, OK, never mind. I feel better now. (Sorta).
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It is rather amazing that no-one has mentioned that the US company Kodak makes the sensors in many DMF cameras, and I believe actually still makes them in Rochester, NY, not an overseas factory.
And your PP is probably done with an Intel processor.
Is Canada (home to Dalsa) is close enough? If so, all DMF sensors are made "in or near" the USA.
P. S. RED is a US company.
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Oh, OK, never mind. I feel better now. (Sorta).
On the camera front .... I don't think there has been anything in many many years.
35mm.... not since Kodak and Honeywell
Medium Format ... Kodak
Studio View Cameras - Deardorff and before that Kodak / Calumet (The metal round monorail beasts that some schools still have in use)
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What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
no, we're also really good at: derivatives, junk bonds, genetically
engineered stuffs labeled as food, big insurance, poor healthcare,
and ... umm ... celebrities
(and i'm sure i overlooked one or two other fine home made products)
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Machine tools, nuclear equipment, shipbuilding, military aircraft, major components are all built in the US. RAM, processors, etc are sourced from where ever.
For instance the Aker Philadelphia yard is owned and controlled by a Norwegian using mostly technology developed in European shipyards. (http://www.akerphiladelphia.com/)
Another example is the "Kongsberg gruppen", producing items such as the CROWS II system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Remotely_Operated_Weapon_Station) and a missile system called JSM for the Joint Strike Fighter for european use as well as Carbon Fiber components for the Joint Strike Fighter.
And these are only a few of the local owners/operators/contractors that I know of from my country, there must be a great number of these that go both ways over the pond. So yes, ofthen built in the US, but more than ever a complex web of local and overseas contracts, patents and owners.
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Not much on the camera front anymore. KB Canham is made are made in AZ for the field view camera market.
On the lighting side there are far greater choices.
Speedotron - Chicago
Dynalite - New Jersey
Norman - Used to be California but now manufactured in the Chicago suburbs
Photogenic - Used to be in Ohio, but now in chicago suburbs. Same owner as Norman
Chimera - Colorado
Plume - Colorado
Matthews - California
Westcott - Ohio
Mole Richardson - California
Smith Victor - Suburban Chicago ..same owner as Norman and Photogenic
Lowell - New York
Don't forget :
View-Master - Portland, Oregon
PdF
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For instance the Aker Philadelphia yard is owned and controlled by a Norwegian using mostly technology developed in European shipyards. (http://www.akerphiladelphia.com/)
Another example is the "Kongsberg gruppen", producing items such as the CROWS II system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Remotely_Operated_Weapon_Station) and a missile system called JSM for the Joint Strike Fighter for european use as well as Carbon Fiber components for the Joint Strike Fighter.
And these are only a few of the local owners/operators/contractors that I know of from my country, there must be a great number of these that go both ways over the pond. So yes, ofthen built in the US, but more than ever a complex web of local and overseas contracts, patents and owners.
I don't think it is realistic to think that any company is solely a domestic operation. Our Dodge Sprinter production van was made, mostly, in Germany. My wife's BMW was built in South Carolina, her last Honda in Ohio. My 1979 Chevy Cheyanne pickup was made in Canada. Global trade erased boundries, mostly erased nationalism in the developed West and East, at least among elites. I do miss the days when a friend would be going to Europe and ask if I needed anything. There was always something I liked from when I lived in Europe that I couldn't get in the states. A few days ago a friend asked if I needed/wanted anything from Berlin. Nothing that I can't get from the web or in Manhattan. Bumed me out.
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no, we're also really good at: derivatives, junk bonds, genetically
engineered stuffs labeled as food, big insurance, poor healthcare,
and ... umm ... celebrities
(and i'm sure i overlooked one or two other fine home made products)
Yeah, that's right. That's why all the leaders of other countries come to the US for medical treatment when they get sick.
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Yeah, that's right. That's why all the leaders of other countries come to the US for medical treatment when they get sick.
...but our own citizens find it more affordable to fly to India and spend a week in a luxury hotel there after surgery, than to stay here for it.
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...but our own citizens find it more affordable to fly to India and spend a week in a luxury hotel there after surgery, than to stay here for it.
Sure. The per capita income in India is something like $1,100 US per year. Things are bound to be lots cheaper there. Doesn't mean health care here is "bad," just more expensive. Personally, I'd prefer to have the choice to have my operations here, rather than being forced to go to India, when it's no longer legal to pay for health services with my own money.
My mom spends a significant time out of the country doing pro bono surgery in places with supposedly magnificent government-run health care systems. For example, she does a lot of cleft pallete surgery on children in Cuba, for no pay. Would you say Cuba has a "better" health care system?
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Pancho Villla, a self-declared atheist, died in a LOS ANGELES hospital held by the arms of a CATHOLIC NUN. Such is life.
...but our own citizens find it more affordable to fly to India and spend a week in a luxury hotel there after surgery, than to stay here for it.
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What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
Hey, watch that. We're really good at blowin' shit up and making movies about blowin' shit up so show some reverence.
Also to get regional on you, down the Road from Cooter is Dallas, Texas Home of the Margarita and the perfect place to drink it . . . the shopping mall.
And another source of pride just a little further from Dallas is Houston, home of breast augmentation.
(and yes they still make margaritas, shopping malls and breast implants in Texas)
So let's see a little respect here and have a bag of freedom fries.
BC
Now in all seriousness, the U.S. excels in opportunity especially for immigrants. Don't think so, check out my Korean Grocer that came here 20 years ago and now owns a block in Los Angeles.
I'm married to an immigrant and when she left her homeland the tax rate was so screwy that if she worked overtime she made less money on her paycheck. Now, our immigration system is a mess, but we still take in more immigrants than any place in the world (which I am immensely proud of ) .
When I step out on my street there are more people whose native language is not English/American (yes Cooter is a very multi-national market).
Anyway since my Wife's move to the U.S. she flourished with success. She probably would have done the same in her home country but you couldn't get her to move back with a gun.
And also in all fairness this is the only country I know that in our industry (and a lot of others) coming from Italy, France, Brazil or anywhere you can fly to NY with a portfolio and a camera and get a gig. Work hard you can become famous.
I love other countries but can promise you in for an American getting a good gig in Europe is not easy. China and Japan . . . possible . . . but Europe/Canada very difficult.
Every 4th of July I try to ride the Ferry to Staten Island, past the Statue of Liberty. That thing wasn't put there for me, it was put there for my wife and the thousands of people that fly into America every day dreaming of opportunity and God Love em' willing to work for it.
[attachment=18551:staten_i...nd_ferry.jpg]
BC
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Yeah, that's right. That's why all the leaders of other countries come to the US for medical treatment when they get sick.
must be nice to be a leader of another country ...
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[attachment=18551:staten_i...nd_ferry.jpg]
BC
i loves beautiful pictures too ...
(http://www.romantphotography.com/img/v5/p185463501-4.jpg)
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must be nice to be a leader of another country ...
Meanwhile my brother in law had to set his broken hand his own self. I ended up paying for him to have surgery on it to set it correctly.
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i loves beautiful pictures too ...
(http://www.romantphotography.com/img/v5/p185463501-4.jpg)
That dude is just lazy. Come on, sleeping all day in that beautiful Cali sunshine, where the hills smell like Rosemary and basil, and you can get discovered on the corner of Hollywood and Vine.
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Hi,
For one thing there are are a lot of high tech companies in Denmark, Phase One, Imacon, Bang & Olofsen (HiFi), Ortofon (Audio), Brüel & Kjaer (audio instrumentation). I don't know why, I often asked why this concentration of very high tech firms in a country so small and expensive? I honestly don't know.
I bought a lot of US-made stuff recently. I don't know if my new MacPro counts as US-made, but I also bought a lot of really good stuff from Really Right Stuff. Before that I bought stuff from Acratech (also US). My latest investment in US economy was a RAID box from OWC.
My guess may be that US firms are doing to much marketing and management instead of developing products that the customer want and can afford. The Phase backs used to use Kodak CCDs but now they have Dalsa chips in at least some of the backs. So why did Kodak quit making digital backs.
In my view it's not the high cost of labour that it is the problem, I guess that cost of labor is much higher in Denmark or most West European countries, with our integrated welfare and high tax system.
Another issue is that there was a conversion from silver haled based photography to electronic devices. This was a very rapid change and companies that were not agile enough did not survive. The list is long...
Best regards
Erik Kaffehr
I watched Obama on television early this morning, as he swung through the DriveThru Window at the PhaseOne factory, to pick up his P65+ in person, and I began to wonder, "Is anything in our industry actually made in the United States any longer?" I guess if this was 1965 or so, that Phase One back would have a Zenith sticker on it, or RCA, or Delco. But I look around, and I see Canon, Nikon, Phase, Rollei, Sony, Ricoh, Sinar, Arca, Alpa, none of which are US companies. I guess you could count Kodak, but do they actually make anything, or do they just distribute?
I think USA, and all I can count are that weird little White Lightning company, and maybe RRS in San Luis Obispo, but who knows where there stuff is actually manufactured? What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
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Hi,
For one thing there are are a lot of high tech companies in Denmark, Phase One, Imacon, Dicomed, Bang & Olofsen (HiFi), Ortofon (Audio), Brüel & Kjaer (audio instrumentation). I don't know why, I often asked why this concentration of very high tech firms in a country so small and expensive? I honestly don't know.
I bought a lot of US-made stuff recently. I don't know if my new MacPro counts as US-made, but I also bought a lot of really good stuff from Really Right Stuff. Before that I bought stuff from Acratech (also US). My latest investment in US economy was a RAID box from OWC.
My guess may be that US firms are doing to much marketing and management instead of developing products that the customer want and can afford. The Phase backs used to use Kodak CCDs but now they have Dalsa chips in at least some of the backs. So why did Kodak quit making digital backs.
In my view it's not the high cost of labour that it is the problem, I guess that cost of labor is much higher in Denmark or most West European countries, with our integrated welfare and high tax system.
Another issue is that there was a conversion from silver haled based photography to electronic devices. This was a very rapid change and companies that were not agile enough did not survive. The list is long...
Best regards
Erik Kaffehr
Denmark has always had strong financial incentives for tech companies. However Dicomed was actually a US company, based out of Minnesota.
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That's why all the leaders of other countries come to the US for medical treatment when they get sick.
The debate is about affordability and access (or lack thereof for about 10% of citizens), not the quality of the product available to those who have enough insurance or assets to pay for it.
P. S. All leaders, of all other countries?! I have not read much about Western European or Canadian or Australian leaders traveling to the USA for medical treatment.
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I'm married to an immigrant and when she left her homeland the tax rate was so screwy that if she worked overtime she made less money on her paycheck. Now, our immigration system is a mess, but we still take in more immigrants than any place in the world (which I am immensely proud of ) .
Per capita is the interesting figure, not the sum total. And in per capita you are around 8-10 down from the top with Canada on top of the list.
If you look at continental immigration however, Europe takes in more immigrants with North America in a close second according to wikipedia. The latest figures supposedly from 2005.
Statistically mesuring immigration is stated as difficult to measure, and saying something based on figures you can search for on the interweb...
(http://s3.amazonaws.com/advrider/ne_nau.gif)
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Sorry about mixing up Dicomed, corrected!
Best regards
Erik
... However Dicomed was actually a US company, based out of Minnesota.
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Hi,
You may find this site interesting: http://christiansandstrom.org/cameraindustry.php (http://christiansandstrom.org/cameraindustry.php)
Christian Sandström is a Swedish PhD in economics who has done a lot of research on disruptive changes in the photographic industri. He has quite a few presentations on the issue.
Best regards
Erik
I watched Obama on television early this morning, as he swung through the DriveThru Window at the PhaseOne factory, to pick up his P65+ in person, and I began to wonder, "Is anything in our industry actually made in the United States any longer?" I guess if this was 1965 or so, that Phase One back would have a Zenith sticker on it, or RCA, or Delco. But I look around, and I see Canon, Nikon, Phase, Rollei, Sony, Ricoh, Sinar, Arca, Alpa, none of which are US companies. I guess you could count Kodak, but do they actually make anything, or do they just distribute?
I think USA, and all I can count are that weird little White Lightning company, and maybe RRS in San Luis Obispo, but who knows where there stuff is actually manufactured? What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
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The debate is about affordability and access (or lack thereof for about 10% of citizens), not the quality of the product available to those who have enough insurance or assets to pay for it.
P. S. All leaders, of all other countries?! I have not read much about Western European or Canadian or Australian leaders traveling to the USA for medical treatment.
What debate? I thought this thread was about things manufactured in the US. The US manufacturs a lot of medical equipment, educates a lot of doctors, and our medical system provides advanced treatment options attract customers from all over the world.
If you want to discuss whether or not those medical services are affordable, that's a different matter. Leicas are made in Germany, but that doesn't imply all Germans can afford Leicas.
And for the record, Berlusconi came to the US for his cancer treatments.
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Of course you guys from the USA are right about a lot of the problems facing your country (shared by many other "developed" countries) BUT what always impresses me (British born, international parents, consider my allegiance is to the world and my species, not one little part of it) is that many of you are honest and secure enough to say so in public. I have many friends in the US, visit quite often, and see a clear trend (albeit slow) for Americans to be less insular. Always strikes me as a dilemma that the country with one of the highest immigrant populations could be so insular. Maybe Obama is the current personification (or to use the latest buzz word "avatar") of this move to look outside and give and take ideas. Long may it continue. Another positive note: is there a finer written constitution anywhere?
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I watched Obama on television early this morning, as he swung through the DriveThru Window at the PhaseOne factory, to pick up his P65+ in person, and I began to wonder, "Is anything in our industry actually made in the United States any longer?" I guess if this was 1965 or so, that Phase One back would have a Zenith sticker on it, or RCA, or Delco. But I look around, and I see Canon, Nikon, Phase, Rollei, Sony, Ricoh, Sinar, Arca, Alpa, none of which are US companies. I guess you could count Kodak, but do they actually make anything, or do they just distribute?
I think USA, and all I can count are that weird little White Lightning company, and maybe RRS in San Luis Obispo, but who knows where there stuff is actually manufactured? What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
one shouldnt forget computer development and software- although made and programmed mostly in the east, the profit will go mostly to US, and a company as apple or microsoft looks way more in the future than everything hardware besed.
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one shouldnt forget computer development and software- although made and programmed mostly in the east, the profit will go mostly to US, and a company as apple or microsoft looks way more in the future than everything hardware besed.
It depends, where the profit goes. I remember reading an article where it was stated that Microsoft taxed its expenses in the US and its profits in Ireland (well, a portion at least). Why? Almost no taxes in Ireland on company profit. The article was about Steve Ballmer heating up about a proposal of president Obama that a US based company has to tax its profits in the US as well regardless where they've been made. And I don't think MS is alone in doing this. So it's more the loss goes to the US (at least from a tax point of view).
And no, Leica is indeed a pretty rare occurence here in Germany as well. Many manufaturing jobs have been outsourced to cheaper countries as has happened in the US but most products have stayed the same pricewise. With the interesting situation that ever more Germans can't afford homemade products because wages have come down to compete with east asia and eastern europe. A pretty hefty problem especially for the car industry. Last year was the first year in history when more new cars have been bought by firms than by private persons mostly due to an ever decreasing number of private persons being able to afford a new car. A trend that continues.
Inland demand has been low for the last decade and can't sustain our economy any longer. We're good at exporting machinery, yes, that's where the main part of Germany's economical growth for the last years has been made.
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This is a great post, and so informative reading it.
As far as sensor technology, I thought Israel was funded to test/produce sensors?
Recently I wanted to upgrade my home theater receiver. I wanted to get quality for the money I was about to spend. Every AVR was made in China from the Marantz brand. I had to purchase an older version to get Japan made. Yes, China Prod has gotten much better, but they still have QC issues. Now if you know good audio, you know that most of those high end gear were made in the USA, and likely California(brand I know), specialy in the speaker market. Go try and find a affordable set of speakers made localy. You are likely to spend $1k before you find a new pair. You will likely buy a Canadian, or UK speaker(many great speakers). I know there are some, but if you were looking for something mid priced with quality, it is not easy! it is likely there...But not in your basic electronics store.
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just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
err....that one is licensed from the BBC's "Strictly Come Dancing"....(and in case you're wondering, American Idol is based on The X-Factor)
But, you have Megavision, Kapture Group, Bill Maxwell, Lee Filters, BrightScreen and California Sun bounce!!!
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Panavision!
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Panavision!
Now thats company that needs to restructure with Red and 1080 SLR on rails...
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err....that one is licensed from the BBC's "Strictly Come Dancing"....(and in case you're wondering, American Idol is based on The X-Factor)
But, you have Megavision, Kapture Group, Bill Maxwell, Lee Filters, BrightScreen and California Sun bounce!!!
Isn't California Sunboune a German company?
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Airstream is made in USA - Jackson Center Ohio...
Airstream Travel Trailer (http://airstream.com)
since 1931, it'S related to photography, so many of them were use for background, setup... and they are damn sexy
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Airstream Travel Trailer (http://airstream.com)
since 1931, it'S related to photography, so many of them were use for background, setup... and they are damn sexy
David:
Design Within Reach teamed up with Airstream to make a limited edition of, to me, the most Bad-Ass Location Vehicle of all time. When push comes to shove, and the plot of "24" becomes a reality, I'm gonna steal one of these and head to the Arizona desert, to live out my remaining days (in style).
http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreports/1/ai...el-trailer.aspx (http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreports/1/airstream-design-within-reach-travel-trailer.aspx)
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David:
Design Within Reach teamed up with Airstream to make a limited edition of, to me, the most Bad-Ass Location Vehicle of all time. When push comes to shove, and the plot of "24" becomes a reality, I'm gonna steal one of these and head to the Arizona desert, to live out my remaining days (in style).
http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreports/1/ai...el-trailer.aspx (http://www.roamingtimes.com/rvreports/1/airstream-design-within-reach-travel-trailer.aspx)
I had a International 28 Christopher Deam is the designer of the line, his wife runs Dwell Magazine.
And I'll meet you up in AZ desert as soon as I am all organize to do so... I used to live full time, in Canada, BC in winter, and that's the best way to live...
and between you and I the only tattoo I have is an Airstream
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I had a International 28 Christopher Deam is the designer of the line, his wife runs Dwell Magazine.
And I'll meet you up in AZ desert as soon as I am all organize to do so... I used to live full time, in Canada, BC in winter, and that's the best way to live...
and between you and I the only tattoo I have is an Airstream
Wow. Sweet. My wife and I also have a 28' CCD, came off the line in July of '04, and we took delivery in December of '04. We lived in it for about a year, travelling all over the US. It's out having some minor refurb work right now.
It's amazing how many people stop and say "They don't still make those, do they?" We did the tour at Jackson Center twice. Very cool.
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Wow. Sweet. My wife and I also have a 28' CCD, came off the line in July of '04, and we took delivery in December of '04. We lived in it for about a year, travelling all over the US. It's out having some minor refurb work right now.
It's amazing how many people stop and say "They don't still make those, do they?" We did the tour at Jackson Center twice. Very cool.
did twice as well...
and right always the same question...
I am Airstream obsess... airforums dot com is the other place I go with LL
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I think USA, and all I can count are that weird little White Lightning company, and maybe RRS in San Luis Obispo, but who knows where there stuff is actually manufactured? What the hell do we do in the USA any more, just watch "Dancing With The Stars"? Is that our only product any more: Reality Television? It just makes you wonder.
I would personnally say that Adobe is still one of the most important contributor to photography these days, but it is true that they do have a lot more competition now than 5 or 10 years ago. You should also consider that most of the underlying software foundations (OS, DBs,...) are also designed and owned by US companies.
Tiny companies like DxO, Kolor,... have managed to grow niches into mainstream domains generating significant revenue.
Another important contribution from the US is in carrying devices (bags) with companies like Tamrac for instance.
Cheers,
Bernard
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Panavision!
Red
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Leatherman made in Portland Or
http://www.leatherman.com/about/history.aspx (http://www.leatherman.com/about/history.aspx)
One of those simple tools that work & great for photographers & assistants.
Denis
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I would personnally say that Adobe is still one of the most important contributor to photography these days, but it is true that they do have a lot more competition now than 5 or 10 years ago. You should also consider that most of the underlying software foundations (OS, DBs,...) are also designed and owned by US companies.
Some of Apple's software is not written in the States, such as Logic Pro, which is written in Germany. Apple still owns it of course. I don't know if Microsoft uses branches in other countries to write software as well. I wouldn't be surprised if they did, but then again, the only significant software Microsoft makes is Windows and Office, and that is all written in the States, I believe.
Tiny companies like DxO, Kolor,... have managed to grow niches into mainstream domains generating significant revenue.
DxO is French and Kolor is Canadian. PhotoMatix is made in Germany. The States used to have dominance in software, but that gets weaker every year, unsurprisingly, given how important it is becoming, in every country.
Another important contribution from the US is in carrying devices (bags) with companies like Tamrac for instance.
And Lowepro. However, many are not American, such as Billingham, Artisan & Artist, and so on.
I am not really sure what the point of this thread was. To lament the passing of American dominance?
The States used to be dominant in many areas of manufacturing, but as wages rose, production moved elsewhere. It is sad that almost the entire American photography industry got wiped out. I am not sure why that is. Perhaps the traditional American insistence on price as the primary motivating factor in making purchase decisions? It seems that all that is left is a bunch of niche players. Japan was probably the instigator in this move towards cheaper manufacturing, but now China is outdoing them in exactly the same fashion. I wonder how much consumer-oriented manufacturing will be going on in Japan in 10-20 years?
IMO there is too much emphasis on price, and too little emphasis on nurturing the local industries. It hurts us all when the local guy shuts his doors because they can manufacture cheaper on the other side of the planet.