PRICES: A huge rise in cost of goods

The world of supplying photographic equipment is intensively competitive. The likes of Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax et al are all in a major race to grab our money.

During the time I have been trying to be a photographer I had upgraded my cameras on a number of occasions and usually traded in the previous models.

I currently have two camera bodies.

One is high-speed and used mostly for wildlife. I use a heavy duty lens for distance work with it. The other (I will not advertise makes) is called a Mark III and is a lovely work-horse for general holiday use, city breaks etc.

Recently a new Mark IV model was introduced.

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Generally at this point two things will happen: The price of the Mark III will drop dramatically and, in a year or so, the cost of the Mark IV will slowly drop as it becomes more widely known and available.

So you can imagine my surprise when I found that, not only has the cost of the Mark IV risen by £200 since its introduction in August, but so have the costs of the Mark III and the wildlife camera and lens.

If I wanted to replace this equipment with like-for-for like it would now cost £600 over and above the original costs – a rise of more than 12 per cent.

And this is true of every major supplier.

If your correspondent believes that the cost of the referendum is simply a few pence on the cost of a jar of Marmite, perhaps he needs to get in touch with reality.

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The cost of camera gear is only important to a small portion of the population. But extrapolate these figures to much larger goods from abroad e.g. cars, reliable ‘white (kitchen) goods’ and it becomes apparent that the cost too many households will eventually be enormous.

I have never known the cost of photographic equipment to rise – until now.

MJ Tuckwell,

Farriers Rise,

Shilbottle