'Cameras and lenses are getting so expensive these days.' It's a sentiment I hear regularly expressed, so I thought I'd take a closer look at what's g

Why have cameras and lenses become so expensive?

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2021-05-31 11:30:03

'Cameras and lenses are getting so expensive these days.' It's a sentiment I hear regularly expressed, so I thought I'd take a closer look at what's going on, and why. And, as is so often the case, it's not as simple as it first appears.

We looked at the launch prices of products in several categories, and corrected for inflation, to see how widespread any upward trend is in real terms. All three camera companies we approached were reticent to draw any attention to price rises by discussing the issue, but it's still possible to identify a series of factors that are involved.

We've yet to see the full impact on prices of the current silicon chip shortage, but it's not universally the case that prices have increased. For instance, Sony appears to have steadily increased the cost of its photographer-friendly APS-C mirrorless models...

Of course, models get repositioned and aren't always like-for-like replacements. Fujifilm's X-E series have become significantly less expensive over the years, but the cameras in that series have become less and less enthusiast-focused over that time. But add in the X-S10 and it should be apparent that you can still buy an enthusiast-friendly Fujifilm, it just happens to be SLR shaped. The X-S10 includes image stabilization and a feature set far beyond what you got in 2012, but costs less in real terms.

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