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-   -   How much would you pay for a new P + S camera? (http://www.film-and-darkroom-user.org.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=13697)

Terry S 14th March 2021 03:54 PM

How much would you pay for a new P + S camera?
 
Following through a link within a Harman email, I was taken to a new 'reusable' 35mm P + S camera, that they are now selling.

I have a number of this type of camera and use them regularly. They can be great to carry around and usually fit within a pocket and most have surprisingly good lens sharpness. I even have an 'extra-wide' one, with about a 16mm lens, that I like using.

Now what would I pay for a new one? Remember it comes with a roll of Ilford 36 exposure HP5+ and it is a Harman branded item.

Have a quick think... £10.00? £20.00? £25.00 even?

No where near!!!

Would you pay £47.99? Because that's what they're asking!!!

https://www.harmantechnology.com//ha...amera-with-hp5

Now I love Ilford / Harman papers, chemicals, films etc. but come on guys, I think you're over pricing it a bit here!

So would you buy one?

Answers on a postcard...

Terry S

CambsIan 14th March 2021 04:06 PM

Think I would rather buy a std P+S from either that internet auction site or a charity shop.

There's a Praktica going for about £7 (1/10th of the Harman one)

Ian

Mike O'Pray 14th March 2021 05:46 PM

I can't really say Terry but I don't think I'd pay the current asking prices for my MjuII that I have seen.

There is little doubt in my mind that price of everything analogue has begun to seriously outstrip the general level of wages and prices

Is it all justified tends to be the first question everybody asks the answer to this but it may not matter in the sense that even if the cost of analogue is justifiably rising way above the general cost of living, it cannot go on without detriment to the industry as there has to come a point when most of the customers have to scale back on their analogue spending

Frankly I have stopped expressing these gloomy thoughts on the other forum as there are those there who are the most vociferous who "howl down" what they regard as negativity and would appear to have a "whatever it takes to keep the film companies going attitude then that's what I'll pay"

My fear is that this may well be a genuine sentiment from that group but I fear that they are nowhere near big enough in numbers for it to make a difference to the long term viability of companies were this current trend in pricing to continue indefinitely

Here endeth the gloomy lecture:D

Mike

big paul 14th March 2021 06:35 PM

I would think that it would be a low volume seller and only bought by hipsters , bloggers and the odd ordinary young starter film photographer ,us older people know what,,,, They saw you coming means .:D:D

skellum 14th March 2021 07:16 PM

Would I pay £48 for a fixed focus point and shoot?
Not a bit of it. Not when I could pick up something like an SRT 101 for less money which would be infinitely more versatile. However, Harman don't expect me to buy it. They hope new novice users will be attracted by motor-wind and the fact it's 'focus free', which sounds pretty good. One less thing to worry about.
The camera looks like a resurrected '80s cheapo, which once upon a time would have been branded something like 'Halina' or 'Vivitar'. I can't imagine Harman have invested in the to tooling to make such thing.
Look here:
https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/en-g...LAR&quantity=1

A Harman branded camera, and on the same page an Agfa camera. Note that the flash, viewfinder, lens, shutter release are all in the same place. A factory somewhere in the Far East knocks these out to order, and puts whatever name the customer wants on the front.

For Harman it opens up a new revenue stream for (probably) not too much outlay. I drive MGs and Rovers. Just before MGR went to the wall they did something similar, buying in a car from Tata of India which they branded 'CityRover'. It's a way of appearing to offer new products when you don't have the capital to develop them yourself.

What Film needs is a real 35mm camera to be introduced to the market. Supply of good kit is diminishing, and even the good stuff is getting old. You can't shoot film without a camera (and I don't include pin-hole). For a while there was no chance of this. Who'd have paid 200 or 300 quid for a basic new mechanical 35m camera when the market was flooded with superb gear selling for a fraction of that. The hope might be that as prices climb it does suddenly make sense for someone to market a new take on something like the K1000.

Michael 14th March 2021 11:24 PM

On the same Harman page there's that camera with two rolls of Kentmere 400 Pan at around £20 less.

Either way, the Brownie 127 that my parents gave me for my 12th birthday in March 1955 was both simpler, less versatile and more expensive in real terms. I was a beginner, the sort of person that Harman are now aiming at.

It's a pity that FADU can concentrate so much on money rather than photography.

Mike O'Pray 15th March 2021 01:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael (Post 139040)
On the same Harman page there's that camera with two rolls of Kentmere 400 Pan at around £20 less.

Either way, the Brownie 127 that my parents gave me for my 12th birthday in March 1955 was both simpler, less versatile and more expensive in real terms. I was a beginner, the sort of person that Harman are now aiming at.

It's a pity that FADU can concentrate so much on money rather than photography.

Michael, well it may all depend on how much our "hobby" money can buy and what we can afford to spend. If a product's cost is rising roughly in line with inflation or there is a new product or I suppose any product that has undergone changes that clearly involved investment then fine as indeed was the case with Ilford MG Deluxe but if we find ourselves shocked and surprised by certain prices then is there a problem in expressing our shock?

By the same token I welcome any member who has found a real bargain in terms of a retail price for an item letting the rest of us know about his find

Yes that might be "money" rather than photography but we need money to afford photography and for many enthusiasts money is limited. The extent to which we can indulge our hobby is, I believe, intertwined with what we have available in disposable income

Mike
"
Mike

Keith Haithwa 15th March 2021 08:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael (Post 139040)
On the same Harman page there's that camera with two rolls of Kentmere 400 Pan at around £20 less..

It's a different camera Michael, compare the specs. :slap: :)

Michael 15th March 2021 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith Haithwa (Post 139049)
It's a different camera Michael, compare the specs. :slap: :)

Different, yes; but not significantly. Re-winding film is good for the brain.

Terry S 15th March 2021 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skellum (Post 139036)

Going through some of the reviews on Skellum's link, it makes interesting reading and the price difference is more around the mark that I think Harman should charge.

But as usual, the reviews are either 5 stars and 'It's amazing' or 1 or 2 stars and 'The flash broke after just a few shots', with the flash problem appearing to be the biggest fault causing low ratings.

It's also interesting to read a few reviews complaining about how hard it is to rewind the film when it's finished. The specs from Harman say the film is motor loaded and rewound automatically...?

As said, there's bound to be some out there who don't bother looking around for the best price or spec, so either way, I'm sure Harman will sell a good number of the cameras.

If I was buying now, I'd redo what I've done over the years and buy 2nd hand off of ebay, where for about a tenner you can still get some wonderful p+s cameras, with the majority made to last a lot longer.

Terry S


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