fboyd Posted December 15, 2006 Share #1 Posted December 15, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Costcos has the L1 for $1299. This is almost half the cost of the D3. Does Anyone think the D3 is $1200.00 better? http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11170223&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4014132&Mo=13&pos=0&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=48297&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav= Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 15, 2006 Posted December 15, 2006 Hi fboyd, Take a look here L1, No RED DOT but HALF the Price. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ho_co Posted December 15, 2006 Share #2 Posted December 15, 2006 Your choice. If nothing else, remember that the Leica's firmware is different from that of the Panasonic. If the price difference strikes you as a strong enough argument, get the cheaper one. That's certainly a good price! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fboyd Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share #3 Posted December 15, 2006 What does the different firmware do to effect image quality or camera performance? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riley Posted December 15, 2006 Share #4 Posted December 15, 2006 need i add that warranty may make a difference ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasl.se Posted December 15, 2006 Share #5 Posted December 15, 2006 Let's do this by the book and not forget to mention resale value. There. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted December 15, 2006 Share #6 Posted December 15, 2006 Thomas Let's do this by the book and not forget to mention resale value. There... ))()(():::what a fantastic reason to buy a camera just so you can sell it,,,)))), ??////,,,,,,................. justifies the sob value.....so .. there's some wierd stuff floating around Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomasl.se Posted December 15, 2006 Share #7 Posted December 15, 2006 Advertisement (gone after registration) Good call, stnami. Collector's value. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted December 15, 2006 Share #8 Posted December 15, 2006 What does the different firmware do to effect image quality or camera performance? Good question indeed. I can't respond i'm afraid as i don't know those cameras enough but it would be interesting to view comparative shots. Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere but how do their viewfinders compare as well? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
audidudi Posted December 15, 2006 Share #9 Posted December 15, 2006 Yesterday, I received the L1 I purchased from Costco for $1399 last weekend. I thought it was simply too good of a deal to pass up and now the price has dropped another $100! If I was certain I was going to keep the camera, I suppose I might be tempted to return it and buy another one at the lower price, but after seeing it sitting side-by-side with my LC1 on the kitchen counter, I'm not sure the larger-and-heavier L1 is really what I want after all ... hmmm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
john_r_smith Posted December 15, 2006 Share #10 Posted December 15, 2006 If Costco can sell the L1 at $1200 and still make a (small) profit, it really makes you wonder what the margins on these things actually are. What is the standard retail on a Digilux 3 from a Leica dealer? It is the same camera, you know, in almost every important respect. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ed_oneal Posted December 15, 2006 Share #11 Posted December 15, 2006 If Costco can sell the L1 at $1200 and still make a (small) profit, it really makes you wonder what the margins on these things actually are. What is the standard retail on a Digilux 3 from a Leica dealer? It is the same camera, you know, in almost every important respect. John I have heard that COSTCO's entire profit comes from its membership fees. Supposedly, the price of everything sold there is very close to their cost. (For what it's worth.) Ed Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted December 15, 2006 Share #12 Posted December 15, 2006 Costcos has the L1 for $1299. This is almost half the cost of the D3. Does Anyone think the D3 is $1200.00 better? http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11170223&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4014132&Mo=13&pos=0&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=48297&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav= Wait until it drops further to buy the fantastic Leica lens. The attached Pana body comes then almost for free. ;) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
audidudi Posted December 15, 2006 Share #13 Posted December 15, 2006 If Costco can sell the L1 at $1200 and still make a (small) profit, it really makes you wonder what the margins on these things actually are. What is the standard retail on a Digilux 3 from a Leica dealer? It is the same camera, you know, in almost every important respect. I read somewhere not too long ago that Costco marks up everything 14% over their cost, which is a fairly small gross margin so far as the retail business goes. I'm not so curious as to what sort of margin Leica dealers are making -- I assume it's fairly high by comparison -- but what this sort of deep-discounting says about the marketplace's acceptance of the L1 ... given its recent introduction, it would seem a bit early for Panasonic to be cutting prices in order to clear the shelves to make room for a replacement so is this a reflection of consumer demand (or lack thereof)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riley Posted December 15, 2006 Share #14 Posted December 15, 2006 thats true, there are several things in play here Costco are a volume trader. they turn over high volumes at lower than expected prices, the volume means they can recover some profit from the supplier. plus Panasonic, who are really a consumer electronics manufacturer, often indulge in a sales strategy know as skimming. Prices are high on introduction, and fall in planned stages according to demand. The Canon discount sales drive, and the impact of new dSLR entrants with good products such as Pentax will be having an impact on sales. Even if Leica intended the same strategy, because D3 came out much later, it will be apparently expensive against its L1 counterpart. its a difficult and complex business Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fboyd Posted December 15, 2006 Author Share #15 Posted December 15, 2006 I could care less about HOW the price became 1200.00 cheaper, and I already know that everything has a great mark up in retail, And I KNOW that the cost for Leica to create the D3 was less than Panasonic, since Panasonic did most of the work and the engineering. As a matter of fact on this camera Olympus has more manufacturing and engineer input than Leica. But because of the Red Dot, people still justify the difference in cost in their minds some way. I have a great respect for Leica and their equipment, and I have purchased Leica cameras in the past and was looking forward to buying the M8. But I know that Leica has to mark things up way more than Panasonic. And I just didn't want to pay the extra cost for the SAME camera. And the longer warranty means nothing to me because I have never sent a camera in for repair and I use them professionally and have never had one just breakdown. And as far as resale, this is digital camera gear, not collectibles. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdai Posted December 15, 2006 Share #16 Posted December 15, 2006 And the longer warranty means nothing to me because I have never sent a camera in for repair and I use them professionally and have never had one just breakdown. But Fred, a professionally used camera is bound to have more problems than those staying in amateurs' hands. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogopix Posted December 15, 2006 Share #17 Posted December 15, 2006 Quality of two similar products is not always obvious. In old days consumer and industrial vacuum tubes often came off the same production line. The line for industrial was slowed for testing, specs were tighter and bottom line, tubes lasted longer and sounded better. In drugs, generics are the same active ingredient but can have 30% less activity. Also the excipient (what binds the tablet) may have sugar in a cheap generic and can harm diabetics. Those (of us, I will admit) who stick with brands do so because we have the desire and resources to do so. People who have the resources to buy the best are rarely stupid. They are not even rich. My grandmother , who lived in a cold water flat, always bought the best radio/tv and the best refrigerator (but when it was perfected ! LOL) She lived to 95 and almost all of what she bought mechanically and electrically was still working when she died. I got the lesson, practice it and have not been sorry. regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycioni Posted December 15, 2006 Share #18 Posted December 15, 2006 Costcos has the L1 for $1299. This is almost half the cost of the D3. Does Anyone think the D3 is $1200.00 better? http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11170223&whse=BC&Ne=4000000&N=4014132&Mo=13&pos=0&No=3&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&cat=48297&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&Sp=C&ec=&topnav= This is the kind of post on a Leica sponsored forum that is better suited to the dpreview Panasonic forum. Who really cares about the profitability of Costco and or Panasonic. I have both the L1 and the D3 and they are <slightly different cameras>. Fred, I value your work and opinion but again the point being at the top of the page it says LEICA CAMERA. Nothing is sacred but I respect the fact that Leica sponsors this forum... FREE of charge to leica-camera-users. Regards. Terry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrycioni Posted December 15, 2006 Share #19 Posted December 15, 2006 But because of the Red Dot, people still justify the difference in cost in their minds some way. I have a great respect for Leica and their equipment, and I have purchased Leica cameras in the past and was looking forward to buying the M8. But I know that Leica has to mark things up way more than Panasonic. And I just didn't want to pay the extra cost for the SAME camera. Fred, Why the 'red dot' shots, that is what people resort too - when they don't have anything else to argue about - and by the way this is a red dot forum. You and I both know that you pay more for Panasonic than say Nikon or Canon. You can buy a Nikon 10 megapixel camera for less then your coveted 7 megapixel 4/3 Lumix L1K - if you are going to argue the L1K is better, that is totally subjective. So you like to pay more for less as long as it is Panasonic, right? I just get this kind of stuff...... Terry Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thpeters Posted December 15, 2006 Share #20 Posted December 15, 2006 This is the kind of post on a Leica sponsored forum that is better suited to the dpreview Panasonic forum. I am totally agree with you Terry on this subject. Theo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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