1Ds Mark III fate after release

the way the M3 went...reputable dealers sold it for suggested retail $4599.99. Then when there wasn't enough supply for the demand, there was huge price gouging (I saw over $1K higher prices and people paying them...). Then the prices went back to suggested retail. I haven't seen a drop after that (yet).

So it depends a lot on supply/demand what the prices will do.

I don't think that you can compare price drop history on the 30D/40D class of cameras and apply that same logic to the MK3 cameras. I'm not convinced that you could apply the logic from the 1DMKIII to the 1DsMKIII. The "s" is such a step above everything else on the market that those that want and need this camera will pay the price, and Canon knows that.

I would think that Canon (as do most other manufacturers) has a pretty good handle on what the market will bear and what the demand will be. They get a good indication of this once the camera is announced and they start to get pre-orders. I see this camera being targeted at a market segment that is not overly price sensitive. I don't see it coming down in price anytime soon.

The so called Reputable places have also dropped 40D UK price as well

Warehouse Express £899-00 to £779-00

Now you know why we import, mine was £740-00 all in before it was released in US
Can be got for like £700-00 now

The only large price drop you ever see on 1-series cameras is when the next gen camera is released.

This is what I'm thinking. The 1DsII has been out for about three years and the B&H price is still at $7000. I don't anticipate a large price drop on the 1DsIII before next summer when I will be buying mine.

No. The 1Ds3 will not drop in price within a couple of months of release. This is a low volume camera that has no competition - unless you compare it to 22MP medium format digital.

Do People not think the new FF Nikon is competition?, it may not be as good as a Camera, but it is significantly cheaper, sure that may make some people think?
and knowing if they lose a body sale, they will lose lens sales as well

MaDProFF wrote in post #3992375
Do People not think the new FF Nikon is competition?

As a Canon user I could care less. They are both so close it'd just be plain stupid to change from one to the other. And if I was a Nikon user, I would also care less about the MKIII series either for the very same reason.

Steve Parr wrote in post #3989746
The way I see it, if I kept waiting for a price drop on the new equipment I'm interested in, I'd never buy anything. By the time I'd be ready to pull the trigger, something new would be introduced, I'd then wait for the price on that to drop.

I don't worry about price drops. There will always be someone who paid less, and someone who paid more...

Exactly the way I feel

I dont think the price will drop significantly any time soon. The 5D and the 5DII may be better competition for the 1DsmkIII than the Noink since lenses are compatable.

Each camera has their purpose and these high end pro-bodies are meant for one thing and it's kind of obvious... for pros... You cannot associate a cell phone with a camera because, as someone put it, it's a gadget that's not really a necessity in a business environment. Sure, it would be nice to have features like that, but you can do the same general functions as a free cell phone.

Many tech components and gadgets have an explosive and short lived life span now days. You see a new graphics card chip generation every 18 months with refreshed lines almost every 6-8 months. In the first 3 months, high end graphic cards could be in the $1000 range, then another 3 months later, the price drops by half. It's just a nature of things when you deal with bleeding-edge technology that's more in tune with a fad or culture following. Camera's aren't like this. They are built for a specific use and are business centered, more like a tool than a gadget.

It's a bit hard to compare pro level bodies and equipment, because of the fact that they don't depreciated quickly. As that's being said, afford what you can and don't look back. If the price drop, oh wells. This is what we would call classic buyer's regret. Companies spend millions and millions of dollars in service, ads and awareness programs towards the new consumer to reassure them that they made the right choice. It's easier and costs less to help retain your current customer base than it is to get new one's.

Also, when word of the new 1Ds MkIII's were released, may people believed the price would have been between 9-10k. $1000 more for all of the new features seems like a good deal, but I would reserve judgment till actual reviews are out.

Consider if you will that the last of the 1Ds Mk one were going for about $5500 for the last few new ones that was a year after the 1DsMkII had been out. Used I can find one for $2700 (5 years after release ) So holding up close to the same ratio as a new car.

The 1DsMkII is still going for $7000 new, used is $6200 (3 years after release ) So currently holding up better then a new car would. It started at $8000 and took about 6 months before you started seeing any drops.

The 1DsMkIII is retail estimated at $8000

There maybe some faster drops because of Nikon D3, but that still really competes with the 5D and 1DM3 rather then the 1DsMkIII.

I honestly don't think, at least on the higher end, the new Nikon camera's will have that much of an impact. Most photographers tend to start off with the semi-pro bodies and base their experience and brand loyalties with that first, then moving up in the world and getting pro bodies later. Rebel's, D40, D80's, all of them kind of act like baits to aspiring photographers. Although, I hear more people who have entry level Nikon SLR's and go with Canon still, with very little of the opposite.

tvphotog wrote in post #3987410
Do you think the price on the 1Ds Mark III will drop within a couple of months after it hits the stores? I've seen such a drop happen with other cameras.

I fear the phenomenon of the iPhone, where the price fell from $600 to $400 a couple months after release. I'd feel stupid paying B&H's initial price and then see it reduced by $1000 in three months.

The iPhone was overpriced to start with

The 1Ds 3 will stay at the asking price for 6 months after the tiny incremental shifts between competing supliers, but not enough to wait unless you're epared to wait 6-12 months