Does Canon still want our business?

Seriously, this isn't even about just today's announcement, but that it is the current crown jewel on a pattern of incrementally better equipment releases at double the prices of previous equipment. Does Canon want their "Prosumer" base to dissapear or what? Do they just want to sell their high end equipment to pro's at a high margin who can justify the equipment as part of their business, and sell APS-C bodies and EF-S lenses to entry level photographers to compete with mirrorless and m4/3rds cameras and leave those of us in between out in the cold?

There are many of us on this site who have supported Canon's digital SLR's for close to ten years or more, and are heavily invested in the equipment both personally and financially, but they seem to want to price us right out of the market.

Despite the fact that every year you can buy a newer, faster, better laptop, phone, ipod, even P&S camera for less and less money, they seem to think it is okay for them to just double the prices of new bodies, new flashes, new and version II lenses. It has gotten to the point where it would be impossible for someone just getting into photography but wanting to take it a step past entry level but not go all the way to professional without relying heavily on third party options and used equipment (not that there is anything wrong with those options, it just doesn't help Canon's sales much). I feel like loyal Canon photographers such as myself are being left in this "prosumer" bubble that Canon spent years encouraging us to get to, where now we cannot begin to afford to upgrade our equipment to new versions of what we own or want, but aren't about to sell our current equipment for EF-S gear or to go to a different system.

Am I the only one that feels this way?

Billginthekeys wrote in post #13841089
Despite the fact that every year you can buy a newer, faster, better laptop, phone, ipod, even P&S camera for less and less money

These have been incrementally improved lately too. Prices aren't really dropping either...they've pretty much bottomed out. Some are even rising. Mainstream consumer tech seems to have hit a plateau.

I looked at your gear list and you have a lot of really good stuff. Why not go out and use it? I can't imagine any of that kit getting in the way of you creating amazing photos.

cdifoto wrote in post #13841117
I looked at your gear list and you have a lot of really good stuff. Why not go out and use it? I can't imagine any of that kit getting in the way of you creating amazing photos.

Ohh I didn't say I don't enjoy my equipment, but at some point I will want to upgrade something and just don't think I will be able to afford to. But for instance would I like to upgrade my 500 4.5 to a 600 F4 IS II? Sure, at the right price, say $8,000 like the last version, but $13,000, that is just insanity. Would I like to upgrade my 1D MKIII to a 1DX? Sure, at about $5,000 like the MKIV, not this $8000 insanity. Just in those two items that is a $8,000 price increase. In the past these items would have been released for roughly the same MSRP of their predecessors, and the older version would have been retired and devalued. Now the replacements are so much money that the retired versions are holding their value or increasing in value, and their prices aren't even something I can dream of attaining or justifying as a hobbiest.

The 1DX is full frame so it's priced about the same as the 1Ds series. Other than dropping the MP a bit from the 1Ds series, it's an improvement in every single other way. It kind of combines the 1D and 1Ds...I wouldn't expect it to be cheaper.

As far as the lenses go, I agree. It's absurd that they barely improve something, slap a II on it, and nearly double the price.

Don't question the mighty red you'll be an outcast and thrown to the wolves like a bleeding pig.

Uhm...if you're buying 1D bodies and not using them to make you money (and complaining about affordability), that's your fault.

first world problems.

bespoke wrote in post #13841307
first world problems.

Haha tell me about it!

Dang, now that I bought a 1Dx I can't afford the new 24-70 II... wahhhhhhhhh

I life in the Florida Keys, where people spend millions on boats and fishing equipment as a hobby, plenty of people buy sports cars for hundreds of thousands just to drive once a week or take to shows, hey, even a decent vacation for two people can easily top $10,000 these days. I think photography is a very affordable hobby even at the "prosumer" level in comparison to other high dollar things, but when the cost of your hobby is just doubling for no reason, I think that is something to be worried about. Clearly that sentiment is not shared among many of you.

Billginthekeys wrote in post #13841767
I life in the Florida Keys, where people spend millions on boats and fishing equipment as a hobby, plenty of people buy sports cars for hundreds of thousands just to drive once a week or take to shows, hey, even a decent vacation for two people can easily top $10,000 these days. I think photography is a very affordable hobby even at the "prosumer" level in comparison to other high dollar things, but when the cost of your hobby is just doubling for no reason, I think that is something to be worried about. Clearly that sentiment is not shared among many of you.

If the cost of your hobby doubles it's because you wanted to spend more. You have awesome kit already. More than most. You don't need to spend another cent.

If you want sympathy, forget it. Hobbies are luxuries and you're complaining that you can't afford the best equipment made. Boo hoo. Lots of people can't.

Billginthekeys wrote in post #13841171
Ohh I didn't say I don't enjoy my equipment, but at some point I will want to upgrade something and just don't think I will be able to afford to. But for instance would I like to upgrade my 500 4.5 to a 600 F4 IS II? Sure, at the right price, say $8,000 like the last version, but $13,000, that is just insanity. Would I like to upgrade my 1D MKIII to a 1DX? Sure, at about $5,000 like the MKIV, not this $8000 insanity. Just in those two items that is a $8,000 price increase. In the past these items would have been released for roughly the same MSRP of their predecessors, and the older version would have been retired and devalued. Now the replacements are so much money that the retired versions are holding their value or increasing in value, and their prices aren't even something I can dream of attaining or justifying as a hobbiest.

I'm tracking. I have a maybe 3-4 more lenses I'd like to purchase, which I can easily do this year. Then the prices for more lens upgrades just start getting insane. Like 4K for a lens and up.

cdifoto wrote in post #13842045
Hobbies are luxuries and you're complaining that you can't afford the best equipment made. Boo hoo. Lots of people can't.

I am complaining that the price for the "best equipment made" has doubled, for seemingly no reason, and in the face of every other technological trend. It is not a matter of affording or not affording, it is a matter of value for the money. For example at $8,000 I feel a 600mm F4 lens with IS is a good value for the money, at $13,000 I do not feel it is a good value for the money. Ergo, if Canon offered the new 600 at $8,000, I might have bought it, at $13,000, no chance. There is no way that building this new lens, with less parts, with technology that is now well established as compared to when they first released these lenses, now costs them 50%+ more to produce, it is all pure margin increase for them and retailers.

I am not asking for sympathy, I am asking if anyone else is frustrated that Canon no longer wants us to even begin to be able to afford their highest quality products, which WERE comparably affordable in the past.

In a down economy, prices go up.

Well, I've noticed that usually you can buy things for about 10-20% less than "Canon MSRP" on Amazon 90% of the time. The price of the 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II is $2400 on Canon's site and I bought it for $2036. Granted, the first few months it might have been more, and there is also the fact that the price isn't firm yet. Enough customer outrage on sites like this and they might drop it just a bit. But if we expect 15% less than the MSRP, that makes that $2299 lens probably under two grand at introduction (this is speculation) rather than $2300. I wouldn't be surprised if you could get it at the right times of year for more like $1800 if not a little less, which isn't nearly as big of a jump over its original price as what we're hearing now. If you already have the 24-70mm f/2.8 waiting for the annual incentives that happen every December isn't going to kill you. Might hurt people who don't have it yet and want/need it for what they're doing. Hopefully a pro can write it off as the cost of doing business.

I'm disappointed they didn't announce any 5DmkII/7D upgrades - that would be something that is more worrisome about not addressing the "prosumer" level, to me. And Nikon's announcement - isn't that their answer to the 1DX? or did I miss a Nikon camera somewhere that was already their "this is our version" product?

wuzzittoya wrote in post #13842524
I'm disappointed they didn't announce any 5DmkII/7D upgrades - that would be something that is more worrisome about not addressing the "prosumer" level, to me. And Nikon's announcement - isn't that their answer to the 1DX? or did I miss a Nikon camera somewhere that was already their "this is our version" product?

You missed one...

You forgot the Nikon D4