Hey Garry, saw you at the Lencarta stand but didn't get a chance to say hi as you were constantly dealing with people. You did glare at me while I was hovering around though so that's almost the same thing right?
Well I wish Elinchrom luck with that approach, I wouldn't have said the ELB 1200 is a direct competitor for a B4 or a Move but their Ranger 1200 pack was always on the high end of pricing, what's another 50%? To add to your conspiracy theory Elinchrom recently brought in a range of deep umbrellas which certainly seem to be priced similar to the Profoto versions.
I wasn't glaring at you personally, I just glare at everyone
Yes, those umbellas do look as if they have been priced by Profoto.... They are in fact IDENTICAL to the Lencarta version except that the Lencarta charges £39 against TFC's £110, and Lencarta charges £25 for the diffuser/reflector against TFC's £35, and of course theirs have the 7mm shaft because they have to fit Elinchrom flashes...
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One product, a bit of heresay, easy to dismiss - but then you have a nose for these things Garry, and maybe there's something in the wind... I just want Elinchrom to do well. I like their products, I know the Whittle family a bit and I like the way they do business - Elinchrom is as close to a British firm as we're likely to get these days. And as for going head to head with Profoto, I actually rate their products higher than I think maybe you do and they have one major advantage over Elinchrom - Profoto has IGBT technology. Bluddy good IGBT technology actually, and the excellent Air control system. (Though there is plenty of life left in voltage-regulated flash too!)
I have another idea. Elinchrom already has one leg in bed with Phottix and they have excellent IGBT tech. On the other hand, Elinchrom has one thing that pretty much all Chinese rivals urgently need - global distribution and backup, to go with a great brand reputation. Heck, all they have to do is form some kind of mutual alliance, switch everything over to the same radio frequency and share the same remote control and trigger system and, maybe, both Phottix and Elinchrom could enjoy the best of both worlds - the best tech, in every area from speedlights, to studio flash, and high power location strobes, with the best distribution, sales and support network.
1 agree with you 100%.
The only member of the Whittle family who I know is Chris, we're not friends but I like and respect him and I feel that he respects me too - I had a chat with him on Saturday. I didn't really know Malcolm but I met him several times and I respected him too. It's obvious that Elinchrom must and will have a deeper relationship with Photix, because they really do need to have IGB technology. It's strange, because they were developing an IGBT flash head 6 years ago but for some reason it never came to anything. It was very much on the secret list but it was a pretty open secret in China.
Yes, I do have a nose for these things, I also know a lot of people and I also know how the industry works.
The industry has changed beyond all recognition during the last few years and, in another few years, there will be no sign of it as we still know it.
A few years ago there were simple choices, all of which were expensive.
1. Bowens, for solid build quality
2. Elinchrom, for innovation
3. Profoto, for both build quality and innovation but at a silly price
4. Bron, for those who wanted the best
5. Interfit, for those who wanted the cheapest
And of course the also rans, firms who made good products but who struggled to sell them - Hensel, Metz etc.
Interfit and Bowens are still around, but their sales must be on the floor.
Bron carry on in their own sweet way, despite their p*** poor marketing efforts
And along have come new players, in both the manufacturing and retail side, people who have no pedigree in the lighting field, no underestanding of photography, no commitment to the industry, and who are very likely to move on to something entirely different when the time is right for them. People with no concept of customer care, no business ethics, no long term strategy, they run businesses that are highly geared (they are very heavily in debt) so they have to keep increasing sales in order to service that debt. Customers love them because they seem to offer good value, but when they decide that there's more money in making mobile phones, or in selling electrical tat on Ebay, their customers will be left high and dry. By that time, they will have killed off the real industry of course.
None of these players are in fact anywhere near as big as they appear to be, and they are all vulnerable. One major manufacturer is now in deep trouble because of a technical fault that caused a serious accident, it's unlikely that they will survive the damage to their reputation and the loss of their biggest customers. This sort of thing can happen to any business, but is far more likely to happen to a business that is only interested in sales and who doesn't worry too much about quality control.
So, if my theory (and it isn't any kind of conspiracy theory) is right and Elinchrom really has decided that it can't and doesn't want to compete with the unscruplous Del boys at the price sensistive end of the market, it then follows that they must target the customers of the brand which, in terms of public perception, is the next one up, and that's Profoto. Whether Profoto is in fact very superior, slightly superior or about the same is subjective, and doesn't matter - it's the obvious target. I hope my theory is right, and if it is then I hope that it works for them. What is obvious to me, knowing all the players involved, knowing the people involved and knowing the industry, my view is that it's the right choice and in fact the only choice, because I can't see how they can survive for much longer unless they up their game - they can't price cut to the point where they can compete with cheaper makes and with dodgy sellers, they can't stay the same because customer loyalty is now virtually a thing of the past so their customers are likely to buy from their competitors, so the only option is to move upwards, with better products and higher profit margins.
