Sony Sales trying to draw people to FF?

[Brownie]

Right now, US buyers can get a Sony A7R IIIa and A Tamron 28-200 for $2700. That's a heck of an entry into FF for under $3k, with what is one of the best sensors Sony ever made.

Want cheaper yet? Sony A7III and 28-70 kit lens for $1700.

Still not cheap enough? Sony A7II and 28-70 for $998.

Crazy.

 

[Bobby T]

I don’t think it’s trying to draw people to FF as much as it is just trying to get stuff sold in a tough market. The A72/28-70 kit is a killer deal.

 

[Brian]

Is the A7II new-old-stock or refurbished?

Nikon's sale on the Z5 for under $1,000 got me into it a year ago. I sold off a Nikon F3HP with Motor that fully paid for it. On a humorous note, the camera shop that I bought the Z5 from had offered me $130 on the Nikon F3HP. I made sure to tell them that when I bought the Z5.
I have another LNIB F3HP, and several user condition. I gave one of those to a friend expressing an interest in film.

 

[Brownie]

I think Sony keeps these older cameras on the books specifically to entice people into their more expensive stuff. What other reason would there be to keep the A7 II available with 2 generations of the same series available? Same with the A7R III. Offer them at bargain prices and get people hooked for more lenses and eventually another body.

 

[Brownie]

Is the A7II new-old-stock or refurbished?

Nikon's sale on the Z5 for under $1,000 got me into it a year ago. I sold off a Nikon F3HP with Motor that fully paid for it. On a humorous note, the camera shop that I bought the Z5 from had offered me $130 on the Nikon F3HP. I made sure to tell them that when I bought the Z5.
I have another LNIB F3HP, and several user condition. I gave one of those to a friend expressing an interest in film.

New. They had the same offer last year on the A7II. If you have a lens you can get the body only for $900.

See my post above for my own cynical opinion!

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1102009-REG/sony_ilce7m2k_b_alpha_a7ii_mirrorless_digital.html

 

[Brian]

Someone must have done a "Lifetime Buy" on parts or manufactured all the boards a while ago! The A7 II came out in 2015. I've seen electronic components go out of production in that timeframe, and had to "scour" the planet to find them to do a new build on an embedded system we first built in 2014. Parts that were common then for a few $ went past $150 to get them from a reseller. I'd like to see the "Manufacture Date" code for some of these cameras.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I think Sony keeps these older cameras on the books specifically to entice people into their more expensive stuff. What other reason would there be to keep the A7 II available with 2 generations of the same series available? Same with the A7R III. Offer them at bargain prices and get people hooked for more lenses and eventually another body.

I think this is the case. They are still producing these older bodies. The R&D is long done on them, and they perform well enough that they just keep producing them. Not to mention as process technology has improved, the yields and efficiency gains of these older parts make them very cheap to produce and support. I suspect the internals are on newer process nodes that make them even smaller and cheaper. It's what MS and Sony do with game consoles. The specs don't change, but process improvements make the parts smaller and more efficient, so production costs go down over time.

How many of us started with an entry level model and later found ourselves hip deep in their more premium offerings? Apple does the same these days, where they sell several generations of iPhone at different price points. It's probably a much better way to hit margins as opposed to trying to design a brand new, decent budget model. The main drawback to this approach is they have to make their new models worth the price to upgrade, but then again, maybe they would never have a customer at all if all they offered were top models. Get them a body, and hope to sell them lenses and upgrades.

 

[Brian]

How many of us started with an entry level model and later found ourselves hip deep in their more premium offerings?

That would make a good Poll question...

Does that include buying my first rangefinder camera in 1969?

 

[Brownie]

How many of us started with an entry level model and later found ourselves hip deep in their more premium offerings?

What an absurd post. I would never do something like that...

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

That would make a good Poll question...

Does that include buying my first rangefinder camera in 1969?

I take the "I buy premium, but I'll wait till it's used premium" option.

 

[bdbits]

I am pretty sure Sony has stated something to the effect of they will keep making the older models as long as people keep buying them.

While using it as a gateway to future sales is surely part of it, they also sell to markets where the newest gear is simply too much for any but the wealthiest or most successful pros to afford to buy. But perhaps they can manage the equivalent of $1000-$2000 for a body and lens. Sort of a win-win, buyer and seller.

 

[Bobby T]

How many of us started with an entry level model and later found ourselves hip deep in their more premium offerings?

When I made the switch to Fuji. I think it was start with the options available while they developed the premium options.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

A lot of my stuff has been bought used from the stores that take used stuff trade-in's from people who need to have the latest and greatest.