Roger Key wrote:
> In my opinion the last really good non-SLR Oly digicams were the C-8080 and
> the C-7070. Both were killed within a year or so of production start,
> despite very good reviews - the C-7070 had just received an EISA Compact
> camera of the year award when it was axed. Both had fine (made in Japan)
> construction with a magnesium chassis, and a fine wide zoom lens. The 7070
> could go right down to 21mm eqiv with its supplementary lens. It also had
> fine macro capabilities, both lens-wise and with a fine tilt-and-swivel LCD.
>
> I suspect that production costs killed both cameras.
>
I suspect it may have been some thing else, or at least an indirect
version of a cost issue.
It appears to me that Oly, and I assume others, have adopted a single
production run strategy over the last few years. With the market
changing so rapidly and the need for new models all the time, I can see
a decision to produce a camera being based on an estimate of model life
and volume, a single purchase of parts and a single production run. When
stock runs out, that's it, production is already on the generation after
next and design is working on the one after that.
I don't know all this, it's pure conjecture, though based on
observation. As you noted, certain of their cameras seemed to be doing
well, then were suddenly discontinued. I believe the C-7000 was another.
And we don't even notice the stream of low end P&S models, where I can't
imagine they are doing anything else. I doubt if the E-1 fell in this
strategy, but I'll bet the E400 was a limited run to fill a time gap in
marketing.
Moose
==============================================
List usage info: http://www.zuikoholic.com
List nannies: olympusadmin@xxxxxxxxxx
==============================================
|