earthquake and F3's?

[Leonard Levy]

I suspect the horrendous earthquake in Japan will set back shipments of F3's for those of us eagerly awaiting our cameras. Has anyone heard anything about that?

I was about to buy a bunch of lenses, but will wait till further news for now.

Its hard to imagine what those people are going through. My heart goes out to them.

[Alister Chapman]

I've heard from Sony that the Atsugi factory where the F3's are made will be business as usual from Monday morning. I believe that Shinagawa where the NXCAM and other pro video camcorders are made is also unaffected.

[Peter Corbett]

It really is shocking and the added nuke issue very disturbing. The BBC reports there will be disruptions to some Japanese companies.

Mark Gregory reports on the potential cost of the cost of Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami

"Production has been halted at many factories in Japan, as companies assess the damage of the earthquake and tsunami on the north-east coast.

Sony, Toyota, Nissan and Honda are among firms to have closed plants.

Economists say the earthquake and tsunami could have a "profound" impact on Japan's economy - the world's third largest - although it is too early to make any judgements."

[Alister Chapman]

Sony's media factory is in Sendai, apparently it has been flooded so there may be a shortage of magnetic tapes, blu-ray and optical discs in the months ahead.

[Terje Rian]

It seems that there will be some delays in the production of the F3. But compared to the REAL tragedy in this, the delays that may or may not come aren't much to worry about. This is some info I gathered from the following link:

Japan?s earthquake and tsunami: initial impact on semiconductor industry

"Additionally, Sony Chemical & Information Devices Corporation, Kanuma Plant (Tochigi Prefecture), Sony Energy Devices Corporation, Tochigi Plant (Tochigi Prefecture) and Sony Corporation Atsugi Technology Center (Atsugi, Kanagawa) temporarily suspended operations on a voluntary basis, to assist with the alleviation of widespread power outages."

-terje

[Brian Drysdale]

It's going to affect quite a few products, even though they're not manufactured in Japan. Introduction of RED's fixed lens Scarlet is being delayed even though it's manufactured in the US because components are made in Japan.

[Alister Chapman]

I can assure you that Atsugi is business as usual. They did suspend operations over the weekend, but are back at work today. Yes there may be issues with semi-conductors and parts made off-site and I'm sure there may be some delays but the camcorder factories themselves are operating normally.

[Leonard Levy]

Thanks Alister , I figured you would be the guy who knew.

[Doug Jensen]

This report from Adorama has some interesting information.
UPDATED: Japan Photo Industry Affected by Earthquake and Tsunami from Adorama Learning Center

With scores of factories and corporate headquarters around the country, the Japanese photo industry has been severely disrupted by Friday's earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis.

As of this writing, it looks like there were no serious injuries or fatalities among employees of Japanese camera and consumer electronics companies. We will continue to monitor the situation and update this report as needed.


While most companies report that they are still assessing the damage caused by the most powerful quake in Japanese history, it seems that there have been no deaths, and injuries to camera company employees. Structural damage to company facilities vary. Most companies are subject to rolling blackouts that are being imposed by the Japanese power authorities due to the evolving crisis at the nuclear power plants.


The following is an updated run-down of how the quake has effected manufacturers of photographic and other related products.


Epson announced that the Color Imaging Exhibition trade show, which was planned for March 19-21 in Tokyo, has been cancelled due to the crisis. Epson reports that while no casualties were reported at its facilities, one of its factories was hit by a one-meter tsunami, while three other facilities have been temporarily shut due to rolling blackouts as a result of the quake. Two buildings that are within 16km from the Fukushima nuclear plant have sustained some damage and are being shut for now.


Sony was hardest hit. Japan's biggest exporter of consumer electronics, and a growing player in the still photography world, was forced to stop operations at ten factories and two research centers due to quake-related damage and power outages caused by emergencies at nuclear power plants. 1,000 Sony employees reportedly took shelter on the second floor of a nearby chemical products factory.


Nikon has confirmed light injuries to some of its employees but no serious or fatal injuries. Nikon's Sendai factory, which manufactures the D3S, D3X, D700 and F6, has been forced to close due to damage to equipment and buildings. Work at at least three other facilities has been temporarily suspended so the company can assess damage.


Canon has suspended operations at eight factories located in Northern Japan, and reports at least 15 employees were injured. The company said it may move some production to other factories that weren't damaged.



Olympus's photographic division was not affected by the quake, but some emplyees at other locations sustained minor injuries, possibly in the company's endoscopy-related business. Japanese-language press releases indicate that a repair facility is expected to resume operations in 2-4 weeks.



A Sigma employee tweeted that there has been some damage to machinery and the building at Sigma's Aizu factory, but no injuries. Due to the rolling blackouts, Sigma has decided to suspend operations in two of its facilities.


Ricoh reports no injuries. Five of its facilities have stopped operations and four have no set plan to reopen.



Fujifilm reports that its Taiwa-Cho factory, which is located 20 miles from Sendai, was damaged by the quake, but fortunately none of the workers were reported injured. Production of the FinePix X100, which was being done at that factory, has been temporarily stopped and delays can be expected for this highly-anticipated camera. The company says the rest of its operation is not affected.


Hoya Corporation, which owns Pentax, reports that several employees were slightly injured but none seriously. Some production facilities were damaged, although the company is still trying to assess. It isn't known how the camera and lens facilities have been effeccted but due to traffic problems and blackouts, production has been disrupted.


Casio reports no major injuries, and the company is currently trying to ascertain the condition of its facilities. In the meantime, business activities are expected to be disrupted due to rolling blackouts.


In a statement, Tamron reports no structural damage or injuries, but the rolling blackouts and severely curtailed train service have caused the company to close its facilities for at least the next few days.


Panasonic reports minor injuries in one of its northern Japan factories, in Fukushima, where production of Lumix digital cameras has been suspended. The company is evaluating damage and says the long-term effect is still being determined.


Sandisk, whose facilities are 500 miles from the epicenter, appears to have escaped unharmed. The factories were shut immediately after the quake, but resumed opearations by Friday morning.


However, due to possible meltdowns at several of Japan's nuclear reactors, the Japanese government has instituted rolling blackouts, which are disrupting companies even if they were not otherwise affected by the quake or tzunami.



The tsunami has also destroyed many freighter ships, some of which may have been preparing to ship photographic equipment to destinations around the world. This situation is currently being assessed by the companies, but it is likely there will be shortages of some gear as a result.


Epson, Canon, Panasonic, Sony, Ricoh and Nikon have all reported that they have donated hundreds of millions of Yen to the relief effort and are contributing in other tactical ways to help survivors.

[Alister Chapman]

Sony's Media factory at Sendai received extensive damage from the Tsunami, so there are likely to be some shortages of tape stock and blu-ray discs.

[Dave Sperling]

For those who shoot on XD disc, speculative (predatory?) pricing on the part of retailers here already seems to be under way, as a quick look at the B&H online store indicates that a PFD23a disc which was selling two weeks ago for under $20. is now listed at $33.50, with Adorama and several others hovering around $30.
For the first time since starting to use the discs more than 3 years ago, some of my clients are actually considering plans for re-formatting and re-using discs (after archiving to other media, of course) to avoid being affected by possible shortages. We are obviously hoping that the rebuilding process moves forward smoothly and that shortages do not become critical.

[Thierry Humeau]

Out of caution ( I also have stock I can recycle...), I placed a 20 discs order with taperesources.com yesterday and they have 23GB and 50GB stock at the old prices or close to. They do not permit large "load up" orders. The also have stock in Maxell, Fuji and TDK at very good prices.

Thierry.

[Chris Medico]

I am hoping there are some F3s available in the US after NAB.

Based on word from Sony reps at a demo last week there are about 250 F3s in the pipeline to ship to the US and then we won't be seeing any additional stock till June. I don't know if this has anything to do with the current conditions in Japan or if its a planned gap in production.

[Allan Barnwell]

To add to the supply challenge, Japanese factories take a holiday in the summer - so there are always supply issues for dealers during that period. It will be interesting to see how all the manufacturers handle this vacation period this year. We are coveting every F3 we can get sent our way right now.

I guess this just puts camera delivery times in sync with the time it takes to get many of the desired lenses...

Allan Barnwell
Omega Broadcast Group - Professional Video Sales, Rental & Services

[Chris Medico]

I've been in contact with my preferred vendor and they can't say exactly how many F3s they have been allocated.

They indicated they would get some just ahead of NAB but since they don't know how many they don't know if its enough to cover the sold cameras.

Sounds like I'll be working on my patience since it will be about the time of NAB before I'll be ready to order.