:).Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Syverson
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:).Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Syverson
At one time you obviously had my support. $189 worth of support.
My support was yours to lose and you did. Endless delays, broken promises, and lackadaisical communication will make this seem like a loss to me even if I do eventually get my cameras.
I say refund this guy and sell them to those that want them. Sheesh. I'll probably be game for a second one eventually.
You are, of course, entitled to your opinion. And I suspect you'll be able to sell your 2 cameras and recoup your money with interest.Quote:
Originally Posted by ah693973
But here's my opinion. These 2 guys had a really good idea. They underestimated the difficulty and perhaps overestimated their manufacturing experience. They chose a venue for funding that recognizes the uncertainty of production and fulfillment as well as the possibility of never seeing a return on your investment. They invested a great deal of their own time and (I assume) money - far more than they originally anticipated - when most would have given up leaving backers with nothing. And now people are complaining over an extra 2-3 weeks of delay.
I do agree their communication has been poor. I suspect they felt it better to spend time solving problems then telling people what the problems are and how they plan to solve them. But more frequent updates would have been a worthwhile investment of time.
It was a great ride and it kinda feels sad that's it's over. No wait, it's not over. I have a camera to play with!
Can I buy this formerly-gruntled ex-supporter's cameras instead?Quote:
Originally Posted by Corran
PM him.Quote:
Originally Posted by Drew Bedo
Good idea . . .PM sent.
Anybody else unhappy and willing to sell their place in line?
Drew,
That would be a silly move on my part. Wait 2-1/2 years and then sell my place? I still have high hopes that the camera is worth the wait.
Listen, it is my guess that they did not work that hard on this. I have significant experience with projects more difficult than this and in my opinion a reasonably concerted effort would have gotten to the finish line much sooner than it did. Let's just take the shipping for example. Last week we heard that they were working on the best way to ship domestically. They have had the parts for over 6 weeks! IIRC. What in the world have they been doing? They had plenty of time to figure out the shipping while the parts were running as well.
It is a $128,000 project, if it was mine I would be doing it differently. I totally understand how people can have different opinions on this however.
"...it is my guess...." Exactly.
It is worth the wait. I just took mine out to the river and exposed a couple of sheets. Tested for infinity focus and close up, lens wide open. They look quite nice sitting in the tray of wash water.
You've done a project more difficult than this?Quote:
Originally Posted by ah693973
Name it.
Van's aircraft. RV -7, RV -8, and RV-9. Lead engineer.
Several $250K+ pharmaceutical projects in a roundabout way for Pfizer. (Bend Research)
So is it "will make this seem like a loss to me even if I do eventually get my cameras" or "I still have high hopes that the camera is worth the wait"? Seems inconsistent to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by ah693973
By yourself? I'm "guessing" you had a little more help.Quote:
Originally Posted by ah693973
Plus it was his day job.
Rick "for whom this is the closest a Kickstarter project has come to actual delivery" Denney
So from what I understand, you have experience working with well-equipped teams in tightly regulated markets.Quote:
Originally Posted by ah693973
Have you ever poured thousands of hours of work and tens of thousands of dollars of your own money into a completely speculative project you designed? Probably not, unless you're as dumb as I am.
So classic for an engineer to think he can do it better, though.
Sooooo you thought these guys had your kind of expertise and resources? Did you not actually look at the project and their backgrounds? I knew at first glance that this would have a lot of twists and turns but also had confidence that they would ultimately figure it out, which they did. I frankly invested in them-not a camera.Quote:
Originally Posted by ah693973
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by Kirk Gittings
Though looking forward to my camera, of course!
+! yep
Looking forward to my fabulous, fun, inexpensive camera, created by a couple guys in Chicago with a cool idea. Blowhard know-it-all whiners notwithstanding.
It's worth the wait. Trust me.
I'm having a ball... doing test shots :) just wait until I take it out for real :)
It doesn't seem that inconsistent to me. This is a project that should have taken 6 months to a year (if things went wrong). The fact that it has taken 2 and a half years makes it seem like a loss to me. Have I ever said a bad word about the camera itself?Quote:
Originally Posted by HMG
Bethe,Quote:
Originally Posted by Winger
Many of the Pfizer projects were designed and built (welding and machining) nearly exclusively by me.
We had 2 other engineers, 2 draftsmen, and 2 prototype builders at Van's Aircraft plus or minus.
But it is a silly comparison really. Ben asked me to "lay my cards on the table" and I did.
Ben,Quote:
Originally Posted by Ben Syverson
You asked me for my experience and I obliged. These were not tightly regulated markets. Van's Aircraft makes kits for the experimental market. Bend Research is on the leading edge of pharmaceutical research. They were tiny teams in the "wild West".
Yes, I have created a company and burned through about $40k of my hard earned money in a flash. I didn't have much of a skill for marketing however (In spite of my sparkling personality :-)), so it soon became apparent that it wasn't going to feed the family. I shut it down and went to work for Bend Research. Nobody waited longer than UPS shipping times for their product, everyone got what they paid for. So yes, I am as dumb as you are :-).
I do think the project could have been done better (Mainly in areas other than engineering). Just my opinion.
These guys have day jobs, this is not their full time gig unlike yours. This was a kickstarter project which typically is based more on a good idea than years of experience. It isn't like they were designers for Hasselblad doing this on their lunch break. Your comparison to your day job shows confusion about anecdotal evidence. Sheesh. Silly, yes, definitely. I have a lot of admiration and respect for this guys gutting their way through a series of painful issues. Many KS projects collapse in the face of less so hats off to Ben and team for actually delivering on this. When you design a camera from scratch on your own, in your spare time, then you'll know what you're talking about. Until then it sounds like just a bunch of disgruntled hot air.
Let's waste more of Ben's time. That'll make the cameras get sent out faster.
Our advice of last May...
Quote:
Originally Posted by rdenney
...is still in effect.Quote:
Originally Posted by Oren Grad
Check the KS update. Good things today!
Yeah, latest update is freaking awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Justin, you rock!
Sorry to stir the pot, mods! I'll try to set a better example.
Just so this message isn't a total waste, here's a Fuji FP-3000B negative that I recently washed and scanned, showing some Travelwides (shot on a Travelwide of course). It's interesting to compare it to the print (split screen in the second image). The negative is sharper, with better latitude, but more grain. Honestly, they're both interesting. The positive has remarkably little grain for an ISO 3200 contact print.
http://wanderlustcameras.com/images/...lwides-neg.jpg
Positive / negative split:
http://wanderlustcameras.com/images/...ides-split.jpg
The following is intended to be positive and conversational:
There must be 50-100 units in the hands of founders by now . . .and I AM guessing! Yet noone has posted an un-boxing video to YouTube. I would encourage someone to do so. let us all share in your joy.
Not a video, but for starters check out Jan Caspary's unboxing snaps:
http://imgur.com/a/AwnxN
Anybody in the last batch that Justin dropped off at the PO this past weekend actually have a working tracking number yet? In other words, when I click on my tracking number, I get a "number not found" notice.
I figured that all the packages should have been scanned by the PO by now.
I was having this issue yesterday but it seems to be resolved, mine is in the system! Oh man I hope it comes tomorrow, so I can bring it on my trip. A birthday present for myself! (Today's my 30th...:cool:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cole
That's great! I hope you get it in time. Still no joy here with my tracking number.Quote:
Originally Posted by Corran
My tracking nuber went "live" late yesterday.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cole
Jim-- My tracking number was in the system late yesterday afternoon. Yours will probably go live today.
Happy today, and may your present arrive ASAP! :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Corran
Asking for a friend who pre-ordered one on their website, not through kickstarter. Does the current batch of manufactured cameras including non-KS orders?
Ben has indicated that no pre-orders (non-KS) have been shipped. They still have more backer rewards to ship before they get to the pre-order units AFAIK.Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aimone
In the past I have had USPS tracking numbers behave strangely. On one package from the east coast after 4 days there were no updates on the tracking number, then on the day it arrived the whole sequence of all the waypoints filled in at the same time. Like I said, strange.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cole
I'll give it a day or two more before I worry about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by plywood
I wasn't asking if they had been shipped, but if they were manufactured and on-site to be shipped later, after the KS rewards.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gadfly_1971
I believe they did manufacture enough cameras and have them on hand to fulfill the preorders. These should ship after the backers cameras have shipped.Quote:
Originally Posted by David Aimone
Roger
I get the same thing still, but I don't always put much faith in the USPS tracking updates. I've gotten at least three packages that had been lost according to the tracking, but showed up fine. I'll give it until next week before I start to make noises.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim Cole
I'm looking forward to trying the pinhole. I can't remember now - does the Polaroid 405 fit it? 'Instant' pinholes would be cool.
Jim, remember your dealing with USPS, tracking info can definitely lag. I'm sure everything is fine and your camera is on it's way. Just the same I wish you all the luck inn the world. :)
Roger
I am planning on shooting the 'stephen spielberg' of unboxing videos.
Haha, I love it. If you want to go full Spielberg, you have to start with the reaction shot.Quote:
Originally Posted by sperdynamite
I think you could milk that for a full minute before you even show the box.Quote:
EXT. FRONT STOOP - DAY
Mark, sitting on the his stoop, catches sight of the mail carrier in the distance.He SLOWLY stands and takes off his sunglasses in disbelief.