It appears that not every place has raised prices yet.
I just checked with Allen's Camera outside Philadelphia. They tell me they have had no recent price increases. Allen's Camera
It's not a fancy site at all, but it will give you their phone number. So you can call for availability and exact pricing. They ship all over the US. This is a pro-level shop that's been in business for many years. Their prices compete with teh big houses and I have been buying some of my gear there for years.
So call if you're looking to buy, but if this is a Canon requirement, their prices will soon rise also.
I talked with them a few minutes ago and they're getting me prices on a couple of lenses on my "wish-need" list & their current stock on them. (100 28 macro, 300 f2.8, 300 f4, sigma 100-300, etc) Friday is a busy day for them. So I probably won't get those prices til later tonite.
It must be nice to have a sort of a captive market and raise product prices at will without any extra value embedded into the product.
I purchased a brand new 135SF for $324 a few days before the price increase. Now the same lens is $500 at B&H, Adorama and who knows where else.
Those of you who have handled the lens know full well that it looks and feels like a Tonka toy lens, something that you'd expect to find in a Lego box. However, the lens design does what I need it to do. That's why I bought it.....$324 is not bad in that light.
Yet there is more. The lens backfocuses and has some kind of a small defect (not dust) on one of the inside elements. Thus the lens is practically a reject in my books. Now, I'll be having to spend a fair amount of my time with Canon in order to have them remedy the situation. In my experience, Canon Canada Service do not do anything keenly nor with excellence. They tend to screw around in the woodpile and they obfuscate.
Yes, if we pay more money for their products they will get better, right ?
I'll second that with Canon Canada (Mississauga, Dixie Road?)
They look at you with instant suspicion and that leer that says;
"Yea, so you spent a few thousand dollars on camera gear, don't expect any special treatment...take a number buddy."
Lens prices now make this a very expensive hobby. Magazines like to trumpet how great the latest and greatest body price is .... but somehow never mention the back end, where ya get screwed.
There is more "gotchas" with my brand new $500 (currently) 135 SF lens.
The lens seems to prevent my 40D from going into high speed drive when in Servo AF mode.
In the other two AF modes the camera fires high speed normally. In Servo AF, the max speed I get is about 3 FPS.
There you have it.
Is there a CF setting on the 40D that allows you to switch between focus priority and release priority? FWIW, when I use the 300 f/4L IS on the Mark III (set to focus priority), I never get the full 10 fps in AI Servo, yet if I switch to the 400 or 600 there is no problem.
Pavel wrote:
Lens prices now make this a very expensive hobby. Magazines like to trumpet how great the latest and greatest body price is .... but somehow never mention the back end, where ya get screwed.
Most of us would be better off with just three lenses. But what's the fun in that?
rscheffler wrote:
Is there a CF setting on the 40D that allows you to switch between focus priority and release priority? FWIW, when I use the 300 f/4L IS on the Mark III (set to focus priority), I never get the full 10 fps in AI Servo, yet if I switch to the 400 or 600 there is no problem.
I don't think 40D has that 1D feature, at least I haven't discovered it yet.
The thing is, on my 40D, high speed drive has worked in Servo AF mode with all kinds of lenses.....until now, that is, with the 135 SF.
Even though the price of new lenses is rising, the Buy & Sell board seems to be
full of used gear in good shape that is not selling quickly. Hence the 16-35mkII
I just sold today for $1090. It seems there are lots of sellers that think the old
rule of 80% of new price should still apply. Maybe it's because I don't take PayPal,
but I got zero bites at $1200. There are lots of sellers still trying to get $1250 and
up. I wish them the best of success.
hans98ko wrote:
I think it is the best time for people who have Canon products and want to release them into the used market to cover their other business ventures like jumping over to the dark side (Nikon) or the sunny side (Sony)...
Well, maybe we should not behave like photographers but as investors to get something out of it, while Canon benefit from their price increase.
Business 901 from the International Business Management University on Internet.
This is what I call a win-win situation in managing out bank account.
A VERY good point and one I am considering. I've had it with Canon and would love to tell them to get lost.
Bernie_King wrote:
In January the dollar dropped to 88 Yen -- Today it's at 92 and a week or so ago it was 98. I don't think it's the exchange rates that are making this happen. More than likely a response to the current shortages and high demand. Once the supply levels rebound, the prices will most likely drop.
Either that or they figured that if people will pay the money for Nikon and Sony glass, why not Canon
You may be right, but I do believe that exchange rates do play a factor, as prices haven't changed here in Japan.
runner301 wrote:
You may be right, but I do believe that exchange rates do play a factor, as prices haven't changed here in Japan.
It's always possible that Canon is evaluating a different timeframe and that they were "losing money" on exchange rates for awhile, didn't do anything about it, and have decided that's not going to happen anymore. On Sept 1, 2008 the yen was about 109 to the dollar. On Sept 1, 2009 it was about 93. Roughly a 15% weakening of the dollar against the yen which is roughly what lens prices have gone up in the US (at least the 500/600s.)
ChrisDar wrote:
The 800mm went up another $500.00 too. I think it's now more expensive than when it was originally announced. B & H and Adorama now at $11,499.00.
Actually, it was introduced at $11,999.00.
When it dropped to $10,599.00 I decided to buy one, but then it jumped to $10,999.00 before I ordered mine. It has now jumped to $11,499.00, so it isn't quite back up to where it started.
