Let’s set politics aside for a moment and examine what tariffs are intended to do, and how the current wave is directly impacting every piece of gear we use.

A tariff is supposed to balance trade or protect local industries. If Canadian lumber floods the U.S. market at prices that undercut American producers, a tariff can level the playing field. That makes sense when there’s a domestic industry to protect. But in the case of cameras, there isn’t. No one is building cameras in Iowa or lenses in Michigan. Most photographic equipment is manufactured overseas, primarily in China, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Currently, goods from China face around a 34% tariff, with threats of further increases, although the tariff rates change monthly as the U.S. and China continue trade talks.

 Vietnam’s tariffs, originally a staggering 46%, have been negotiated down to 20%—still a significant burden. And because importers have to pay those fees, they simply pass them down the chain. By the time the gear hits the shelves, it’s people like you and me who are footing the bill.

Why Tariffs May Kill the Photography Market: The Price Problem

The ripple effect is noticeable. We’ve already seen companies like Fujifilm and Nikon raise prices, sometimes multiple times, since last spring, because they can’t predict what the final tariff rates will be. 

Even if tariffs are reduced in the future, history tells us that prices don’t always return to their original levels. Once the market becomes accustomed to higher numbers, manufacturers are unlikely to revert to pre-tariff levels.

We’re always looking for deals to bring to you in our Deals section, and nearly every piece of camera gear has had a price hike. Many cameras and lenses now have a price when on sale that’s a hundred dollars or more than previous discounts. In other words, the best price you can get now on a lot of gear is the worst price it would have been just a year ago. 

And that has real consequences. When Sony launched the RX1R III at around $5,000, many reviews (including my own) pointed out how high that price felt, especially when the camera dropped features compared to its predecessor. Without tariffs, it could have been $4,500 or even less. 

In Canada, the RX1R III retails for approximately $6,300 CAD, equivalent to around $4,550 USD. Even factoring in Canada’s own tariffs, you can see how pricing shifts wildly depending on trade policies. And for an interchangeable lens camera, that extra $500 could have easily been used to purchase a new lens for your kit.

The Demand Dilemma – A Tariff-Driven Return To Bad Times

Here’s where things get scarier: higher prices directly cut demand. Cameras and lenses aren’t bread and milk. You don’t need a new body or lens the moment it’s released. Enthusiasts will hold onto older gear longer, and professionals, already working on tight margins, may stretch their cameras beyond their typical upgrade cycle or raise their rates to compensate. Either way, fewer units get sold.

Leica recently canceled a string of events in the United States, citing “unforeseen circumstances.” This event was thought to have been to introduce a rumored M EV1 camera, a new product category for the company. 

This cancellation could certainly have been due to delays in production, but it also could be the result of tariffs. The problem is we’ll never know. 

We’ve seen fragile moments before in the industry. When the 2011 earthquake in Japan took out Sony’s imaging sensor plant, it caused delays and profit drops across the board because of reduced supply and the resulting increase in component costs.

Tariffs could have a similar effect, only this time, it’s not a natural disaster; it’s a financial earthquake. 

Sure, the booming creator economy might soften the blow. New YouTubers and TikTokers emerge every day, and many invest in cameras instead of relying on their phones. However, many will still go for cheaper camera options instead of the higher-end gear they might have 

The Bottom Line

Tariffs are going to make photography more expensive, period. The only real question is by how much. Maybe we’ll see a few price drops down the line if trade agreements improve, but chances are, the higher baseline is here to stay. That means fewer people buying new cameras, fewer product releases, and more of us wondering if the gear we have will need to last just a little longer than we planned.

For those of us who care about photography, this isn’t just an abstract economic debate. It’s something that could reshape the gear market for years to come. As I said, once prices go up, they rarely go back down. When the cost of goods eventually drops, companies usually keep retail prices the same or similar and use the increased revenue to offset losses incurred during the price hike. 

And while we’ll continue to find ways to create, no matter what, it’s hard not to feel that the industry we love is being dragged into a fight it didn’t ask for.

The post Tariffs May Decimate the Camera Industry appeared first on Imaging Resource.

It’s not often we receive a sample of a camera after it’s been announced and yet told we have to wait until a certain date to actually post images, but with the Olympus E-M1 Mark II, this was the case! Well, we’re here to tell you that from what we’ve seen so far in the lab and out in the field, the wait seems well worth it.

So for anyone ready to dig into our lab test First Shots, just head to our E-M1 II Lab Samples page and begin your inspections there. We’ve also included a shot there showcasing the High Res shot mode, too, for those of you craving super-sharp detail. Next, make sure and see our Comparometer where you can view side-by-side lab images against the competition across the ISO range.

Olympus E-M1 II Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â ISO 1600 Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Olympus E-M1

Not only does the Mark II version sport more resolution at 20mp, but also a better ratio of noise levels to detail here at ISO 1600, especially noticeable in the top left of the above 1:1 crop from our lab samples.

And for anyone wanting to “get their feet wet” with the camera out in the field (and we do mean out in the field since we’re talking Iceland here) head directly to William Brawley’s Olympus E-M1 II Field Test Part I and be prepared to be soaked with rain and real-world shooting experience aplenty!

Ready to tour Iceland with the E-M1 Mark II? Just click here!

Official pricing for the Olympus E-M1 Mark II is now set at US $1999 and CA $2499, with availability scheduled by the end of December. Make sure and click the “Best Prices” link below to secure your place in line with a pre-order from one of our trusted affiliates!

And most of all, stay tuned for much more to come on this intriguing camera in the days and weeks ahead.

Olympus E-M1 Mark II:

 First Shots – Field Test Part I – Best Prices

Olympus E-M1 vs Olympus E-M1 Mark II

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The post Let the images loose! Olympus E-M1 II First Shots, pricing, availability and more appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Since the Brexit vote took place, the pound has fallen in value against the yen by some 15%, taking it back to levels not seen since late 2012 while in the aftermath of the 2008 recession, European debt crisis and subsequent austerity measures around Europe. And although the currency has yet to find its longer-term footing in the wake of the decision to leave the EU, that sudden shift in its value has made it relatively more expensive for companies to import their products into the UK.

Speaking to an analyst at Futuresource, Amateur Photographer was told to expect an increase in the cost of cameras on the order of some 5-10%, with lower-end models in particular likely to see noticeable price increases. A variety of retailers and other sources quoted in the piece have likewise suggested — or in some cases already publicly announced — price hikes of anywhere from 8 to 15%.

Just six months ago, one British pound was worth almost 175 yen. Today, the pound is flirting with the 130 yen mark, a level unseen since late 2012.
Chart courtesy of Google Finance; click for a live chart.

For the full story, British readers will want to hop on over to Amateur Photographer’s article, and see if your favorite camera and photo gear brands or the stores which carry them have yet made any statement. And if you’ve been prepping for a purchase, the time to act might well be now — hopefully just in time before those price hikes hit.

It seems pretty clear that the pound won’t be returning to its previous form in the short term, and manufacturers and suppliers won’t be able to swallow a dip in their profit margins indefinitely, so higher prices, it seems, are on the way for the UK. The only real questions at this point are when, and how much?

(British currency image courtesy of Mark Hodson Photos / Flickr; used under a Creative Commons CC-BY-2.0 license. Image has been modified from the original.)

The post Time to buy that camera, Brits: Your photo gear prices are expected to soar due to the Brexit vote appeared first on Imaging Resource.

Last February, Japanese camera and optics manufacturer Sigma launched a new dp Quattro-series camera, the Sigma dp0 Quattro. At the time, the company hadn’t revealed pricing and availability for its new model, but now it has done so as it prepares to ship the camera imminently.

The Sigma dp0 Quattro is the fourth in a quartet of of unusual cameras whose unique sensor design is topped only by their strikingly different bodies. Providing a new, even wider-angle option than past Quattro cameras, the dp0 Quattro’s 21mm-equivalent (14mm actual) prime lens doesn’t sport an f/2.8 aperture like those of its siblings. Instead, this lens trades off some aperture for more compact size, yielding an f/4.0 maximum aperture.

The Sigma dp0 Quattro sports an even wider lens than in past Quattro models.

The new lens includes four FLD and two SLD elements, plus two aspherics — one of them a wide double-sided aspheric. Together, these allow a 91-degree field of view, and to the best of our knowledge, that’s the only difference of note from the earlier models beyond size and weight. As in its siblings, the Sigma dp0 Quattro will also feature the company’s radical Foveon Quattro image sensor and True III image processor, as well as a body design that’s the reverse of most cameras, with a very wide stance and deeply projecting rear thumbgrip, yet only a slight front handgrip.

Priced at US$1,000 or thereabouts, the Sigma dp0 Quattro will ship in the US market from late July 2015. Find out more in our Sigma dp0 Quattro preview!

The post Sigma prepares to ship dp0 Quattro; pricing and availability announced appeared first on Imaging Resource.

One of the most difficult aspects of going pro in photography is determining what you should charge for your work. Whether a wedding or commercial shoot, every genre of photography has its own quirks that contribute to what you need to charge to make a profit and come out after a project with a smile on your face.

Here to help guide you through just a few basics behind setting your price point and making a bid is Joel Grimes. In the ten minute video, he throws out just a few of the things you need to take into consideration when trying to figure out what you should be charging.

Specifically, he boils everything around the idea of finding your place in the market. No matter what you’re shooting, there will be people who are willing to only shell out $500 for an assignment and people who are willing to shell out $50k. It’s your job to determine where in that slider of costs you fit.

The takeaway quote from this is shared towards the end of the video, where he says:

There’s a slot to fill. Make sure you know where it is you can make a profit and don’t be afraid to charge what you’re worth.

Whether you’ve been in the business for years or are just looking to dive into it, this little video is a resource you definitely need to keep a hold of.

The post Video shares great advice on how to set your pricing, ‘charge what you’re worth’ appeared first on Imaging Resource.

We’ve never seen an SLRgear lens review get the kind of response that our recent one for the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lens did, not even Sigma’s own wildly popular 18-35mm f/1.8 zoom. With the competition from camera makers and Zeiss ranging from $1,300 to $4,000, there’s been a lot of speculation about what price Sigma would bring the 50/1.4 Art out at.

In our own writing, we were cautious not to set too low an expectation for the price, saying only that we were confident it’d be “less than $1,700” in the US. While Sigma hadn’t given us any indication of what the price would be, we were pretty certain it’d be less than that amount, and would rather have people be pleasantly surprised than upset that it didn’t cost $700. Now the truth is known, and it’s a very pleasant truth indeed.

The Sigma 50/1.4 Art’s estimated street price in the US will be (a little drumroll, please…) $949!

Given how much precision glass is inside, not to mention three Fluorite-analog* elements, we figure Sigma’s banking on selling a lot of these to make them profitable. Given its exceptional optical quality and the low price relative to any of its competitors, though, we think they’ll be very successful in this. (In fact, we just hope Sigma can make enough of them to meet the demand.)

You can place your pre-orders for the amazing Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art using the links below: If our coverage of the Sigma 50/1.4 Art has helped you decide to purchase one, buying through a link below helps support future reviews going forward. Wherever you buy one from, though, you may want to get in line quickly; we think there’s going to be quite a waiting list for this lens!

Pre-order:

• B&H: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Sigma
• Adorama: Canon, Nikon, Sony, Sigma

* Fluorite-analog glass has extremely low dispersion, mimicking the low dispersion of Calcium Fluorite. The glass analog also has a higher index than Fluorite, so it doesn’t require the very high curvature usually found in Fluorite elements, which in turn tended to increase spherical aberration. Calcium Fluorite is also quite fragile, and therefore much more prone to breakage than glass elements.

The post Sigma announces price for 50mm f/1.4 Art lens. It’s official: Sigma owns the 50mm space. appeared first on Imaging Resource.