SD14 Price and SD15

[guardian]

Does anyone know what's going on with the SD14 price and with the SD15? I bought my new SD14 a few months back for circa US$330. That's what prices were running back then, more or less. I attributed the low price to the expectation the SD15 was on the way, SD14 being closed out.

That was then. This is now.

New SD14 prices are back up to between US$500 and US$700 and more. And there are sales at that price today! Meanwhile, the SD15 is nowhere to be seen!

I'm wondering if they have delayed the SD15 introduction because of the poor economic conditions. Maybe they will be sticking with the SD14 for longer than originally planned. I'm guessing here, based on the increase in the SD14 price.

Has anyone heard anything?

 

[dirk]

Hi Guardian,

first a warm welcome at the Sigma User forum!

The price increase of the SD14 is indeed strange. I have not heard anything new regarding the SD15. But obiously Sigma will be cautious to tell me anything more specific. And if they would do, I would not be allowed to say anything

So let's guess and look in the past. Also with the SD10 and SD9 there have been announcements or rumours for a long time, but the successor arrived a lot later then expected.

With the SD15 we have now 2 new situations compared to the past.

First, Sigma bought Foveon last autumn. Second the economic crisis. current. I almost woudl add a sa third, that Photokina is still one year away.

Originally SIgma announced, that they will show the SD15 already at last Photokina and then deliver it pretty soon afterwards. At the photokina they announced, the SD 15 would be availbale in spring 2009. In spring 2009 they said it will come this summer. I do not wnat to hit Sigma here. I think we all can understand that Sigma can not risk anything with the SD15 if they are not sure whether enough people would buy in these difficult times. So we should be fair with Sigma.

IMHO, I do not expect the SD15 this year. If you see how often and how long it was postponed, there is IMHO no reason to rush now suddenly.

The ybought Foveon, so they have now the chance to push the improvement of the sensor a lot harder than before. If I would be Sigma. I would rather wait still a few months and gain with this time to improve the Sensor even more than to deliver now a SD15 with too many downsides or a too high price tag.

Another thing is the timing to gain the most attention marketingwise. If Sigma should wait until 2010 with delivering the SD15, they could also easily wwait until Photokina 2010, which is in autums 2010 to get the most attention.

At the moment it is still said that the SD15 will have the same sensor as the SD14. Something similar like comparing DP1 to DP2. If they would wait until PK 2010, they might have a chance to develop something "more" different then originally planned. But again I do not know it. Pure speculation. I am happy with my SD14 so far. But obviously (like always) the better is the enemy of the good. So if a SD15 will show up with lots of improvements, I will certainly have a look at it... :z04_9856:

Best wishes

 

[plierouge]

Hello!

I don't know what happening in the rest of the world, but here in Canada, I could not find any SD14 in any store. Apparently, Sigma's Canadian supplier (Gentec-International) has run out of SD14 and in not planning to get more. I tried to order a SD14 from several web stores and also several retail stores during my many travels in several cities in Eastern Canada and everyone said at first that the SD14 is a special order and when they tried to order one, they all got the same response from their supplier: out of stock! So I guess the price tag is irrelevant here in Canada (at least in Eastern Canada) because this camera in no longer available! Too bad! There are surely a few SD14 left in some stores, but good luck finding them!

Cheers!

Sébastien

 

[guardian]

Hello!

I don't know what happening in the rest of the world, but here in Canada, I could not find any SD14 in any store. Apparently, Sigma's Canadian supplier (Gentec-International) has run out of SD14 and in not planning to get more. I tried to order a SD14 from several web stores and also several retail stores during my many travels in several cities in Eastern Canada and everyone said at first that the SD14 is a special order and when they tried to order one, they all got the same response from their supplier: out of stock! So I guess the price tag is irrelevant here in Canada (at least in Eastern Canada) because this camera in no longer available! Too bad! There are surely a few SD14 left in some stores, but good luck finding them!

Cheers!

Sébastien

I live quite close to the Canadian border, actually. But because I am in the USA I shop USA suppliers. My OP was prompted by an offering I saw at Amazon.com for the SD14 at US$725. It said they had only three left, but more were on the way in!

I was stunned, with that price being more than double what I paid, and with the SD14 apparently selling routinely once again at these higher prices.

I did see the SD14 offered for sale in Germany a couple months ago for even less than I paid (ignoring tax). Those cameras sold out quite quickly.

I think the present world-wide financial troubles are impacting here. I just do not know exactly how. Perhaps in future this situation will become more clear. As long as the SD15 eventually is released we will be fine. But I would not want to think the SD14 could be the end of the line.

Perhaps release of the SD15 will await world-wide financial recovery.

 

[guardian]

Hi Guardian,

first a warm welcome at the Sigma User forum!

The price increase of the SD14 is indeed strange. I have not heard anything new regarding the SD15. But obiously Sigma will be cautious to tell me anything more specific. And if they would do, I would not be allowed to say anything

So let's guess and look in the past. Also with the SD10 and SD9 there have been announcements or rumours for a long time, but the successor arrived a lot later then expected.

With the SD15 we have now 2 new situations compared to the past.

First, Sigma bought Foveon last autumn. Second the economic crisis. current. I almost woudl add a sa third, that Photokina is still one year away.

Originally SIgma announced, that they will show the SD15 already at last Photokina and then deliver it pretty soon afterwards. At the photokina they announced, the SD 15 would be availbale in spring 2009. In spring 2009 they said it will come this summer. I do not wnat to hit Sigma here. I think we all can understand that Sigma can not risk anything with the SD15 if they are not sure whether enough people would buy in these difficult times. So we should be fair with Sigma.

IMHO, I do not expect the SD15 this year. If you see how often and how long it was postponed, there is IMHO no reason to rush now suddenly.

The ybought Foveon, so they have now the chance to push the improvement of the sensor a lot harder than before. If I would be Sigma. I would rather wait still a few months and gain with this time to improve the Sensor even more than to deliver now a SD15 with too many downsides or a too high price tag.

Another thing is the timing to gain the most attention marketingwise. If Sigma should wait until 2010 with delivering the SD15, they could also easily wwait until Photokina 2010, which is in autums 2010 to get the most attention.

At the moment it is still said that the SD15 will have the same sensor as the SD14. Something similar like comparing DP1 to DP2. If they would wait until PK 2010, they might have a chance to develop something "more" different then originally planned. But again I do not know it. Pure speculation. I am happy with my SD14 so far. But obviously (like always) the better is the enemy of the good. So if a SD15 will show up with lots of improvements, I will certainly have a look at it... :z04_9856:

Best wishes

Most kind thanks.

I do not expect ever to own an SD15. I am very pleased with my SD14, though, and that will be it for this life time. :happy:

It is possible, I guess, that the SD14 price has been re-set (upward) in order better to support a higher price for the SD15. If it does turn out they both use the same sensor, well, a US$1200 price differential between the two cameras might be just too much for the market to accept!!