Bubble awareness

To people who only have a hammer, every problem is a nail. And the realisation that cordless screwdrivers also exist can sometimes come as a surprise – and sometimes it broadens one’s horizons.

I had a moment like that recently. Someone explained to me that the German mFT community is simply irrelevant. OK, I knew it was shrinking – I can see that from my sales figures – but I argued that there were still loooads of lenses out there. And that that was a solid foundation. And if a new camera came along, surely you’d have to target that market specifically. And then I was told that, from a global perspective, the Olympus mFT community is, quite simply, at best a rounding error. If a camera comes onto the market with a high-quality prime lens attached, outperforming the other top-of-the-range models – for just a thousand less – then that thing will sell. All by itself.

There’s no need for someone like me to explain the camera to people. Sure, most customers will never fully utilise their cameras, let alone really understand them inside out. But that doesn’t matter at all if the cameras are no-brainers in terms of specs, look cool, are cool, the service is good and the price is unbeatable.

And yes, we tend to project our own behaviour onto others. I don’t sell any of my cameras. Not because I’m so attached to them, but because I put my cameras through their paces and don’t want to foist these cameras – with battle scars all over them – on anyone else. So I assume that others keep their old cameras too. But that isn’t the case. Cameras are sold in droves with just a few hundred shots on the counter. So if a photographer has bought a camera from Manufacturer A for, say, 2,800 euros, and then Manufacturer B brings a camera onto the market that can do far more but costs only 1,800 euros, the expensive camera ends up on the second-hand market faster than you can say ‘kleinanzeigen.de’.

And so, from a global perspective, it makes absolutely no difference whether Manufacturer A or Manufacturer B is the first to launch the blockbuster camera. If the second to market has the far superior product, it’s simply the first’s second-hand market that will collapse. Tough luck for Elsa the cow.

And I’ve learnt something new again. Just because something works within my own little bubble, where everyone’s on the same page, doesn’t mean that’s necessarily the case in a global context. Perhaps not at all, in fact. You might think you’ve got it sorted, because, after all, nearly three billion Chinese and Indians make up a completely different market and hold very different views to 88 million Germans. Yes, of course, that’s obvious at a political level. Our favourite Foreign Minister has, after all, demonstrated just how irrelevant her views are in such countries. But the same applies in the economic sphere too. 50,000 active German mFT customers aren’t a market force but a heterogeneous group, some of whom are at loggerheads with one another, whilst a manufacturer is actually fuelling the division.

And right at the top, there are people sitting there grinning to themselves and getting ready to fleece us. Because they don’t care about second-hand prices – as soon as the new camera’s sold, they couldn’t care less what happens to it. The ideal scenario is for the camera to go straight into the display cabinet. Then it can’t break and does not incur any costs for customer services.

In Norway, I met someone who was also using an Oly and who, from my accent, immediately identified me as a southern German. He asked if I went to the regulars’ get-togethers. Nope. I used to, though. He said he goes to the Munich get-together. He’d heard of Nils before, but nothing about the others I still knew from the get-togethers. Quite obviously, he didn’t know me, and I didn’t give him any clues either – why should I? Here too: within your own bubble, you’re the top bubble-blower. Just because you’ve sold 130,000 books doesn’t mean anyone knows you. People know Wiesner or ‘AmazingNature’ because they’re constantly popping up on YouTube. FolyFos or PATLive are nowhere near enough to make my face known outside my own bubble.

Thank goodness.

So bubbles protect – but they prevent you from developing further and reflecting. If I were surrounded by people who thought I was brilliant and praised everything I do to the skies, I’d probably end up thinking I was the Chancellor myself at some point.

Every now and then, it’s good when the bubble bursts and fresh air comes in from outside.

Cover image: ArtFilter Pinhole Camera III. And no, no AI.