# Lowepro and Joby taken over by Vitec.



## Chaitanya (Sep 25, 2017)

Not a good news for lowepro fans. 
https://www.dpreview.com/news/5288765155/manfrotto-owner-vitec-has-acquired-lowepro-and-joby-for-10-3-million-in-cash


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## andrei1989 (Sep 25, 2017)

indeed not so good news...i liked kata before they were bought by manfrotto and lowepro has some pretty cool products at a fair price..sounds to me like manfrotto is killing the competition :/


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## Maximilian (Sep 25, 2017)

Thanks for that info, Chaitanya!

I've been quite a LowePro fan in the recent years. 
I especially liked their Slingshot AW models. 
Their latest Slingshot Edge models don't match my needs anymore, because the camera and lens department ha been made too small (compared to the older x00/x02AWs).


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## ahsanford (Sep 25, 2017)

Holy hell, thought LowePro was doing fine. Wow.

If it's any indication, Manfrotto similarly acquired Kata some time ago, and the 'design DNA' of Kata has lived on somewhat.

But in other cases, some acquisitions have lead to weird results. Premium Apple-like bag makers GuraGear acquired one-time bag heavyweight Tamrac and now Gura-Gear's awesome ideas seem to have vanished (only to be relegated to a very small premium end of the Tamrac catalog).

Hopefully LowePro's more popular lines are maintained and built upon.

- A


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## neuroanatomist (Sep 25, 2017)

ahsanford said:


> Hopefully LowePro's more popular lines are maintained and built upon.



+1, I'm a fan of Lowepro. Fortunarely, my gear list is fairly stable for now, and I've got an ample supply of Lowepro bags/cases/pouches in various sizes and configurations, so I likely have sufficient flexibility even if they shake things up. 

I did just pick up the inexpensive Lowepro Format TLZ-10 for the M6+18-150 combo (and it's a perfect fit), but there's a Case Logic pouch that seemingly would have worked jst as well.


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## LDS (Sep 26, 2017)

Chaitanya said:


> Not a good news for lowepro fans.
> https://www.dpreview.com/news/5288765155/manfrotto-owner-vitec-has-acquired-lowepro-and-joby-for-10-3-million-in-cash



You don't need a special bag to carry a smartphone... 

Brands like LowePro with a very large catalog probably suffered from competition by cheaper ones like AmazonBasic.

I do not know how the Manfrotto-branded bags performed, looking at the sales the often do it looks they are clearing inventory too, and probably also reducing the catalog, although new models have been released.

But I can't see Vitec sinking the LowePro brand like it did with Kata.

Joby risks more to be merged with Manfrotto under the same brand.


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## slclick (Dec 1, 2017)

Lowepro seems to be doing just fine


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## jeffa4444 (Dec 1, 2017)

Lowepro was not "doing simply fine" that's why its been picked-up for such a low price and the reverse should be said of Vitec who are saving the brand from bankruptcy and will invest in it. 

I'm a Lowepro fan owning four of there bags but they have been hit hard by cheaper Chinese competition.


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## slclick (Dec 1, 2017)

jeffa4444 said:


> Lowepro was not "doing simply fine" that's why its been picked-up for such a low price and the reverse should be said of Vitec who are saving the brand from bankruptcy and will invest in it.
> 
> I'm a Lowepro fan owning four of there bags but they have been hit hard by cheaper Chinese competition.



I wrote that as if Vitec has stabilized them. There isn't a major clearing out of product nor any other signs of reworking the product lines. Yet.


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Dec 1, 2017)

As camera sales drop, the market is squeezed, and brands consolidate. I expect to see more and more consolidation of brands, including cameras as high end Chinese cameras start to appear.


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## slclick (Dec 5, 2017)

Doing my part...just picked up a Slingshot Edge 150, love the slim design I have a variety of bags, mostly Lowepro including my goto, a Pro Tactic 350 but I've always used an Incase for my sling. Now that I'm using the M5 and tiny lenses more and more I need something less bulky and slimmer on the back. The Slingshot is perfect.


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## bereninga (Dec 5, 2017)

Yikes, hopefully Lowepro will keep its identity. Some of the Kata bag designs live on, just under the Manfrotto name. Lowepro has some great concepts for their bags.


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