Nikon makes the F6; Canon the 1v. Cosina makes the FM10, Vivitar V3800N, and several rangefinders under different names.
Those of us who want new cameras can buy the above mentioned models. Several other models are available as New Old Stock (the F100, Canon Rebel T2, Pentax MZ-S, MZ-7, ist, among others) at least occasionally. I'd love to buy a NOS F100; such a great camera.
I even see AE-1's and FG's available as NOS every once in a while on eBay, when a camera store closes or refreshes stock and they find one in the back closet.
These new and NOS cameras command a premium. For example, the F100 NOS from B&H is $700. They go for around $200 in good used condition. I doubt the market will bear a $500 premium, and the scale at which film cameras need to be produced (maybe a truck load a month) means the cost is impossible to reach.
Supply and demand. Demand may be higher than it was in 2004, but it's still too low for the Supply-Demand chart to meet in the middle and offer consumers (and manufacturers) new film cameras at bearable prices, at least for the mass market. The best proof of this is in Impossible film and Lomo cameras. Lomo builds cameras like the LC-A (mediocre point and shoot 35mm camera) and sells them for $300. Impossible has re-created integral film and charges $30 for 8 shots. The demand isn't there for them to be able to ramp up supply to get cost down, especially when you can buy a Nikon point-and-shoot 35mm camera for $5 on eBay.
You could argue that Lomo (and perhaps Impossible as well) positions itself as a couture brand and thus can command inflated prices, but I would think at least part of their high cost is the fact that tooling and factory time is expensive (and essentially a fixed cost) and must be amortized over the production run, and with smaller production runs they sell the LC-A at $30.
Those of us who want new cameras can buy the above mentioned models. Several other models are available as New Old Stock (the F100, Canon Rebel T2, Pentax MZ-S, MZ-7, ist, among others) at least occasionally. I'd love to buy a NOS F100; such a great camera.
I even see AE-1's and FG's available as NOS every once in a while on eBay, when a camera store closes or refreshes stock and they find one in the back closet.
These new and NOS cameras command a premium. For example, the F100 NOS from B&H is $700. They go for around $200 in good used condition. I doubt the market will bear a $500 premium, and the scale at which film cameras need to be produced (maybe a truck load a month) means the cost is impossible to reach.
Supply and demand. Demand may be higher than it was in 2004, but it's still too low for the Supply-Demand chart to meet in the middle and offer consumers (and manufacturers) new film cameras at bearable prices, at least for the mass market. The best proof of this is in Impossible film and Lomo cameras. Lomo builds cameras like the LC-A (mediocre point and shoot 35mm camera) and sells them for $300. Impossible has re-created integral film and charges $30 for 8 shots. The demand isn't there for them to be able to ramp up supply to get cost down, especially when you can buy a Nikon point-and-shoot 35mm camera for $5 on eBay.
You could argue that Lomo (and perhaps Impossible as well) positions itself as a couture brand and thus can command inflated prices, but I would think at least part of their high cost is the fact that tooling and factory time is expensive (and essentially a fixed cost) and must be amortized over the production run, and with smaller production runs they sell the LC-A at $30.