Could this be Nikon's Price Strategy for Super Teles

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RichF

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I looked the price of the 4 Z mount Super Tele lenses and found an interesting, though possibly superious, relationship. This is US prices.

TC lenses cost is $4,750 per KG
Non-TC lenses cost around $2,800 per KG.

Very interesting :eek:

LensWeightPrice$/KG
400 TC2,950$ 14,000$ 4,746
600 TC3,260$ 15,500$ 4,755
400 F/4.51,160$ 3,250$ 2,802
800 PF2,385$ 6,500$ 2,725
 
I saw a post on an artist forum once where the OP had a calculator for pricing paintings based on area, x amount per square inch. April 1st I think it was.
 
I saw a post on an artist forum once where the OP had a calculator for pricing paintings based on area, x amount per square inch. April 1st I think it was.
This is not April 1st gag. Double check my facts and calculations

Some people charge by the sq foot for a print
 
I looked the price of the 4 Z mount Super Tele lenses and found an interesting, though possibly superious, relationship. This is US prices.

TC lenses cost is $4,750 per KG
Non-TC lenses cost around $2,800 per KG.

Very interesting :eek:

LensWeightPrice$/KG
400 TC2,950$ 14,000$ 4,746
600 TC3,260$ 15,500$ 4,755
400 F/4.51,160$ 3,250$ 2,802
800 PF2,385$ 6,500$ 2,725
LOL you have to much time on your hands! Get out and shoot LOL. Just razzing you. Being in manufacturing that uses earth materials I suppose some cost does end up equaling weight but I wouldn't draw to much from all of this. Keep in mind these are retail prices. I bet Nikon can build a 400TC for $2500 and and fairly close to the same cost for the 600. Add in some corporate overhead and marketing cost and they probably have an out the door cost of say $3300. They then mark it up 3-3.5 times so that is around $9,900 - $11,550 dealer cost. So dealer sells and makes around $2,500-$3K on a lens like this. This is rough math but I bet I am not far off.
 
LOL you have to much time on your hands! Get out and shoot LOL. Just razzing you. Being in manufacturing that uses earth materials I suppose some cost does end up equaling weight but I wouldn't draw to much from all of this. Keep in mind these are retail prices. I bet Nikon can build a 400TC for $2500 and and fairly close to the same cost for the 600. Add in some corporate overhead and marketing cost and they probably have an out the door cost of say $3300. They then mark it up 3-3.5 times so that is around $9,900 - $11,550 dealer cost. So dealer sells and makes around $2,500-$3K on a lens like this. This is rough math but I bet I am not far off.
I saw this years ago for Canon's Great White when I was stuck at home with a cold or flu.
 
A factor that is often overlooked is the value of the U.S. dollar which has been in decline for the past 20 years, against other currencies.

When the dollar falls in value against another currency there is usually a price increase, but when it later rises there is seldom a drop in prices.
 
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A factor that is often overlooked is the value of the U.S. dollar which has been in decline for the past 20 years, against other currencies.

When the dollar falls in value against another currency there is usually a price increase, but when it later rises there is seldom a drop in prices.

Except that it's not true. Dollar/yen has historically fluctuated around the 120 and currently the Mighty Greenback is at a 20yr peak against the yen.

Where do you come up with these non-facts?
 
The prettiest among a sea of uglies. The tallest midget. More dominant than ever. Only the Kuwaiti dinar is stronger but irrelevant.
All others are irrelevant at the camera store where I shop.

Although one might lie to themselves that they are getting stronger because they can hand-hold goods that cost more than they used to... As in about ten years ago, I could hand-hold a $7500 lens, but today, I can hand-hold a $14000 one. See how stong I've gotten?
 
All others are irrelevant at the camera store where I shop.

Although one might lie to themselves that they are getting stronger because they can hand-hold goods that cost more than they used to... As in about ten years ago, I could hand-hold a $7500 lens, but today, I can hand-hold a $14000 one. See how stong I've gotten?

That's true. I was simply "correcting" a post that blamed a weak dollar on prices, where in fact the opposite is true. A currency is measured against other currencies as well as a basket of goods. Inflation has weakened the dollar against that basket, not exchange rates.
 
All others are irrelevant at the camera store where I shop.

Although one might lie to themselves that they are getting stronger because they can hand-hold goods that cost more than they used to... As in about ten years ago, I could hand-hold a $7500 lens, but today, I can hand-hold a $14000 one. See how stong I've gotten?
your load is now lighter by $6500 removed from your wallet :rolleyes:
 
That's true. I was simply "correcting" a post that blamed a weak dollar on prices, where in fact the opposite is true. A currency is measured against other currencies as well as a basket of goods. Inflation has weakened the dollar against that basket, not exchange rates.
Yes, one of these is really a symptom, in this case.
your load is now lighter by $6500 removed from your wallet :rolleyes:
What if I pay with a credit card? :sneaky:
 
I looked the price of the 4 Z mount Super Tele lenses and found an interesting, though possibly superious, relationship. This is US prices.

TC lenses cost is $4,750 per KG
Non-TC lenses cost around $2,800 per KG.

Very interesting :eek:

LensWeightPrice$/KG
400 TC2,950$ 14,000$ 4,746
600 TC3,260$ 15,500$ 4,755
400 F/4.51,160$ 3,250$ 2,802
800 PF2,385$ 6,500$ 2,725

The weight is simply a covariate of the causal factor, which is the size of the front glass elements in a Telephoto.... Elements wider than 125mm are particularly expensive push up prices steeply.


The actual material can raise the price, namely fluorite. With the partial exception of the current 70-200 f2.8E (72mm window), use of a large fluorite element in a fast super telephoto means a 5 digit price. Nikon also relies on Bespoke assembly and final adjustments by skilled technicians for their E FL telephotos, which must also increase production costs. This goes to the extreme with the 800 f5.6E with its bespoke TC125 that amounts to a pair of telephoto primes.

Apparently, many of the glass elements are annealed in controlled temperature ovens. This takes months, complicating Nikon's inventory strategies.

Conversely, a phase-fresnel element enables Nikon to lower the production cost of a Telephoto, at least relative to the costs of more orthodox designs, especially if they use fluorite to reduce lens weight.

Links in this thread to articles, including a detailed profile of Nikon's Hikari factory

 
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This article in Japanese profiles a special exhibition, in October 2022, "The Trajectory of Optical Glass" at the Nikon Museum. It refers to three 8K movies taken with a Z9, describing how Nikon makes Hikari optical glass

 
I looked the price of the 4 Z mount Super Tele lenses and found an interesting, though possibly superious, relationship. This is US prices.

TC lenses cost is $4,750 per KG
Non-TC lenses cost around $2,800 per KG.

Very interesting :eek:

LensWeightPrice$/KG
400 TC2,950$ 14,000$ 4,746
600 TC3,260$ 15,500$ 4,755
400 F/4.51,160$ 3,250$ 2,802
800 PF2,385$ 6,500$ 2,725
Sorry to say, the apparent relationship is about the same as the one between shoe size and IQ.
 
Honestly, I don't get the point. The TC lenses cost more because of the built in TC, large max aperture, and I suspect more robust build quality. A Z9 costs more per KG than a Z6, too. :)
 
Please do not take this analysis too serious. I found it interesting that the TC lens had similar price per weight as did the PF/light weight 400. Does this have any meaning, not much. just that Nikon is prices of similar lenses are based to some degree on the COG. Only approximately. This was fun to look at - perhaps I should compare the Z8 and Z9 per KG (should it be Z 8 w/ grip or w/o grip .. hmmm :ROFLMAO:) Or maybe I'll be out shooting soon
 
Yes sample size is small but having designed and built (or had built) optical systems for scientific research it was always significantly more expensive to include a mechanism.
 
I looked the price of the 4 Z mount Super Tele lenses and found an interesting, though possibly superious, relationship. This is US prices.

TC lenses cost is $4,750 per KG
Non-TC lenses cost around $2,800 per KG.

Very interesting :eek:

LensWeightPrice$/KG
400 TC2,950$ 14,000$ 4,746
600 TC3,260$ 15,500$ 4,755
400 F/4.51,160$ 3,250$ 2,802
800 PF2,385$ 6,500$ 2,725
I personally love this type of analysis. Even it isn’t Nikon strateg, it’s still a fun way to look a pricing! So, taking in the average $/KG from your stats above of $3,757, I wonder where the price of the (I’m hoping in my lifetime) 200-6000 will fall. Guess it would be more accurate to take an average of either all z lenses or at least everything from the 70-200 and larger, maybe leaving out the 400 400.28 and the 600.
 
Please do not take this analysis too serious. I found it interesting that the TC lens had similar price per weight as did the PF/light weight 400. Does this have any meaning, not much. just that Nikon is prices of similar lenses are based to some degree on the COG. Only approximately. This was fun to look at - perhaps I should compare the Z8 and Z9 per KG (should it be Z 8 w/ grip or w/o grip .. hmmm :ROFLMAO:) Or maybe I'll be out shooting soon
Ah, well, this is the Internet where everything is taken too seriously. LOL.
 
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