$710 for 17mm f/1.8? Crazy overpriced

Started Nov 9, 2012 | Discussions thread
Regular MemberPosts: 270Gear list
In the end Olympus probably knows the market and is out for max profit, and that's OK with me
In reply to Pasmia, Nov 11, 2012

People pay large multiples of cost for things that are only marginally "better" all the time.

Everyone's needs and definition of better are different. Sometimes design, materials, and 'feel' is a big deal to people, even if it doesn't make something do its actual, mundane job better.

Olympus probably sells a very high percentage of these higher end lenses to serious enthusiasts and people making money from the photos they take.

Those people are usually willing to pay a lot more for a lens that has specific, tangible advantages over the variety of kit lenses out there. They are also more like to buy something that is perceived to be better and that perception might be based solely on the lenses cost for some.

In the end, Olympus is a business and they've done the math (just like Canon has sadly). The cost of supposedly high end lenes is going up because people are buying them in enough numbers that it's maximizing profit.

If we don't like it, all we can do is fight the free market system by not buying.

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