> >Was the launch of the F100 hurried because of us nikoneers clamoring > >for a model to go against canonís EOS-3? > > Nikon rush - you must be kidding. Although, the brochure, in my opinion, > may have been put together at a break-neck pace. A friend shot a photo for > the brochure just a few weeks before it went to print. It was such a short > amount of time that I thought he was doing it for another Nikon product. --snip-- I work for a company that makes data communications equipment. We are in a similar situation to Nikon in regards to 'product development cycles". It takes an incredibly long time to make things like the F100 brochure. Products have to be photographed months before the product is ready. Here's why: 1. Product is often not finalized until just days or weeks before production. This is particularly true with devices containing software (like modern cameras). In addition, products must be tested and approved for safety and RFI (yes, even electronic cameras emit Radio Frequency Interference) and this takes time, since prototypes have to be sent out to testing labs at least a month or two before production begins. And different countries have different requirements, some very stringent. (Just testing some products to work in certain countries costs as much as $5000 (US) per product! Then add data backs and the problems escalate!) 2. The brochure has to be designed. A major brochure like the F100 brochure takes a week or two to design. After the brochure is designed, it has to be approved by marketing, sales, support, engineering, management, etc. All of this takes time. The brochure goes back to the designer for modifications. He spends a couple of days redesigning it, and back it goes for approvals again (see, marketing often changes what engineering changed the first time, etc.) After this brochure cycle happens several times, then it has to be translated into foreign languages. This also takes time, particularly with technical equipment (like an advanced camera). And the number of translations is much larger than you think. For example, to get a well done translation into Spanish, you have to specify Spanish for Spain or Spanish for the Americas. Same with Portuguese. And of course, the translations have to be checked and approved. Best done by having a second translator translate the translation back into the native language. More time for these re-translations and more approvals. (This is part of the reason that products are often introduced country-by-country, or region-by-region, to give marketing the time to prepare their collateral. This is doubly true is the marketing 'focus' or message is going to be different country-by-country.) The photos have to be made several months before the products ship, so the designer has them to design with. Yet, there is often no 'real' product at this point. So, a mockup is often photographed. I have done some of this photography myself. I realize this is a little long and a little off topic, but thought you would like to know... Colin
