phr@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Paul Rubin) (01/02/86)
Is the mount mechanically simpler, or what? The price differences are enough to make me think of recommending low-end Yashicas to friends interested in starter SLR's.
gmack@cisden.UUCP (Gregg Mackenzie) (01/10/86)
In article <11330@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> phr@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Paul Rubin) writes: >Is the mount mechanically simpler, or what? The price differences >are enough to make me think of recommending low-end Yashicas to >friends interested in starter SLR's. I have a resident photog expert here who can answer your question...take it away Paul: Contax mounts,like most mounts for 35mm cameras you will most often find are cheaper by mail order.In many cases, the manufacturer of a specific lens cannot keep up with orders from retailers for the product.On those rare occasions when you do locate a retailer with a specific mount, the price, due to the rarity of the mount, is quite inflated. Contax is by nature a hard camera, let alone the mount, to find.The one factor contributing to this is the prices of specific mounts and access- ories.With mounts for this and other low profile manufacturers it is usu- ally recommended that purchase of the item occur through mail order. As for recommending low-priced Yashicas for people just starting with an SLR camera, the advice is sound.However take into account that there are many choices iin the 35mm field of photography that can give you the same quality images (possibly better) as a Yashica or Contax in the same price range. Paul Troncelliti
phr@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU (Paul Rubin) (01/12/86)
I wasn't asking whether it was cheaper to buy lenses for a Contax through mail order than from local stores; I wanted to know why it was that, when ordering lenses through the mail, one can often find lenses in Contax mounts significantly cheaper than in other (say, Nikon) mounts. The idea of recommending Yashicas as starters was so that the new owners could take advantage of this price differential when buying lenses. After all, it's the same lens (right?).
bennison@clt.DEC (Victor Bennison - DTN 381-2156) (01/14/86)
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The reason those mounts are cheaper is so the mailorder stores can advertize
a lower price for the lens then you will actually pay. I don't know if they
will ever have the advertized mount in stock or not. But so few people will
order those specific mounts that even if they didn't make much on them it
wouldn't matter to them. The standard extra charge is about $25.
And if the ad says "Mounts may vary", you can bet that the mount you want
will vary. The thing I like about B&H Photo is they charge the same price
for all mounts, just like your local store will. Similarly, most prices
advertized are for grey market material. If you want a warranty (I'm told
there is really no such thing as an international warranty), you have to pay
more.
Vick Bennison
...decvax!decwrl!rhea!tools!bennison
(603) 881-2156