Update on the 600mm F4 II - Canon is telling the place where I ordered (Crutchfield/USA) this lens that it will be at least 60, if not 90 days, before they receive one. ("According to our Canon representative, they are not expecting for the lens to be released for another 60-90 days.")
I originally ordered through Crutchfield because, using my credit card, I would have "earned" about 4x the purchase price ($12,999) in frequent flyer miles plus an equal number of Crutchfield points...However, last night there was some discussion about purchasing this lens from Canada, specifically Camera Canada in Ontario...and with the exchange rate at 0.97 looneys to the US dollar, it works out to be about $11,400 including shipping at the current exchange rate (and this exchange rate has been stable for several months now). As others then pointed out, there are no custom fees for camera equipment purchased in Canada (nor federal tax) and sent to the USA - it is, however, necessary to pay the US sales tax for the state in which one lives.
I don't know how buying in Canada affects the warranty here in the USA...especially if there is a problem in the first year of use and the lens needs to be sent in to Canon for repairs. I don't know if this entails sending to Canon in Canada or here in the USA - and if repairs are covered.
If any of the above info is incorrect - do post the correct info here.
When I talked to camera canada they said the warranty is good in the U.S or Canada. So if something happens to it you can send it to any canon repair center in the U.S
