[RAART]

Chinese manufacturers taking the market over... I guess this is just beginning.

Bowens is out of business! - and maybe some others too (just a speculation).

It's Official: Bowens Is No More | PDN Online

[Unregistered User 8]

Such a shame. If consumers continue to buy " cheap " instead of long lasting quality products, that is all we will be left with.

[clackers]

A shame. They were one of the mainstays of the lighting/accessories market, with their mount for diffusers being one of the de facto standards. Guess Godox really hurt 'em.

[Macario]

If I read the statement it basicly says:
new, considerably less expensive products by Chinese manufacturers - they are too expensive
product innovations by competitors - we are an old company, so we do not want to change. People should just buy our products, because we are old.
who are now only willing to invest in new equipment if the investment guarantees additional income - apparently others also want to make money.


You see this now a lot. Old companies that have always done very well with little effort, are now closing because they cannot adapt (and many are in the hand of investors, who want their investment back. And that yesterday rather than tomorrow)

[GeneV]

If I read the statement it basicly says:
new, considerably less expensive products by Chinese manufacturers - they are too expensive
product innovations by competitors - we are an old company, so we do not want to change. People should just buy our products, because we are old.
who are now only willing to invest in new equipment if the investment guarantees additional income - apparently others also want to make money.


You see this now a lot. Old companies that have always done very well with little effort, are now closing because they cannot adapt (and many are in the hand of investors, who want their investment back. And that yesterday rather than tomorrow)

That is a good point. Godox offers a system in which everything from speed lights to powerful flashes work together. That is as attractive as the price.

However, it is also a symptom of what has happened to the profession and the clients. Last year I was at an important (indoor) family function for my inlaws, and the paid photographer used no lights at all other than the pop up flash on her mid-level Canon. The photos showed it. Had I known, I would have suggested that uncle Gene shoot this as a gift since I had better equipment and skills. People can't or won't plop down a couple of grand the way they did years ago, and photographers are on tight budgets.