[Guest]

[quote name='Brightcolours' timestamp='1328647062' post='15649']

I do not get your example. I am pretty sure that BMW charges different amounts of money for all those different models and all those different options have a very hefty price tag.



And BMW also charges more money for models which only have a small series.

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The BMW point is that having lots of extra varants clearly does not destroy the economics for them. In some industries it would. I've seen 3 series in production at Munich - each bodyshell carries an FM transmitter to tell the guys what extras to add, for example. Because the management of the extras is so good, the profit from them is huge.



The point I'm trying to get across is that manufacturing economics are not obvious to the outsider (nor the insider, often)



The extra costs per camera of 'non-standard'(eg D800E) products may be easy to ignore if, for example the D800E product brings extra sales volume - and that volume is beyond the point where fixed costs are already met.



I will restate my suggestion that the D800E's extra price ia virtually all profit



And good luck to them - It looks like a marvellous new camera.