Camera Prices - Bad News?

[Mike Farley]

So, the long awaited Canon 5D Mk IV has just been announced with a spec which was widely predicted by the rumour sites. According to DPReview, it is a significant upgrade from its predecessor, albeit not without its flaws. What did surprise me was the price, the RRP being £3,629 body only according to Amateur Photographer. Calumet has been in touch to offer me one at £3,599, which looks to be the actual launch price. In other words, approximately £1,000 more than the Mk III when it first came on the market. Most likely after a few months we will see the MK IV on offer at around £3,200, dropping to £3k with offers. Still much higher than the outgoing camera and given the differential compared to the replacement, remaining stocks of the 5D Mk III might not be offered at much of a discount.

What’s going on? I may well be putting 2+2 together and making an improbable number, but my suggestion is that we are experiencing a double whammy. With falling sales, camera manufacturers have been struggling to make a profit. Other than Canon and Nikon, typically the others do not. An upwards price adjustment is probably overdue. That alone does not account for such a large increase in the cost of Canon’s new camera, which brings me to the other factor. The fall in the value of sterling following the vote for Brexit.

Lacking a crystal ball, I cannot say what will happen to exchange rates going forward. If I had to guess, I do not see the value of sterling increasing any time soon. Indeed, once it becomes apparent what Brexit really means, it could fall further. If anyone is considering a purchase, it is probably better not to delay too long while stocks bought in at pre-Brexit exchange rates are still available. It looks as though our hobby is about to get a lot more expensive.

[davidb]

It looks as though our hobby is about to get a lot more expensive.

Does that mean you'll be acquiring fewer cameras in future?

I note that Canon have released two updated lenses. I'm particularly interested in the 24-105mm mk II although I don't know where I'd get the £1,200 or so to pay for. (A few months ago I managed to throw my mk I against a wall and subsequently a hard concrete floor. I'd forgotten to close my case and as I threw it over my shoulder the lens flew out. No serious damage (I don't think) )

[Mike Farley]

It looks as though our hobby is about to get a lot more expensive.

Does that mean you'll be acquiring fewer cameras in future?

Quite possibly.

In the main, my policy has been to purchase cameras which are either at the bottom of the range or heavily discounted at end of life. Whilst that approach nominally saves money, it does mean that I am susceptible if I think something is too good a bargain to pass up.

I note that Canon have released two updated lenses. I'm particularly interested in the 24-105mm mk II although I don't know where I'd get the £1,200 or so to pay for. (A few months ago I managed to throw my mk I against a wall and subsequently a hard concrete floor. I'd forgotten to close my case and as I threw it over my shoulder the lens flew out. No serious damage (I don't think) )

Remind me not to buy a used lens from you.

[Mike Farley]

Having done a bit of digging, it turns out the MSRP of the new camera in dollars is exactly the same as the old one, $3,495. Remember that US prices do not include sales tax, so VAT has to be added when calculating the final price in pounds. Even allowing for the adverse movement of exchange rates, Canon appears to be adding a considerable premium to the UK price. Perhaps it is being cautious when sterling is volatile, but as things stand at present sales in this country will be more profitable for the company than in the US.

The old camera was available at a considerable discount from unofficial importers such as Hdew Cameras, which a number of club members have purchased from, so it looks as though there is potential for even greater savings when buying through these channels.

If nothing else, this is evidence in support of my 2+2 theory.

[Rose]

The pound has also dropped in value, making foreign goods more expensive ...

[Mike Farley]

The pound has also dropped in value, making foreign goods more expensive ...

Er, yes. Second and third paragraphs of my original post.

We are in a phoney Brexit period when nothing much seems to have changed, but it will take a while for the effects of the fall in sterling to work their way through as existing stock is replaced. I see that CameraWorld is holding a sale over the bank holiday weekend and the banner currently on its website talks of beating the Brexit price increases. At present I am mulling bringing forward a couple of lens purchases on the basis that they could be a lot more expensive in a few months.

http://www.cameraworld.co.uk/

[davidc]

It looks as though our hobby is about to get a lot more expensive.

Does that mean you'll be acquiring fewer cameras in future?

I note that Canon have released two updated lenses. I'm particularly interested in the 24-105mm mk II although I don't know where I'd get the £1,200 or so to pay for. (A few months ago I managed to throw my mk I against a wall and subsequently a hard concrete floor. I'd forgotten to close my case and as I threw it over my shoulder the lens flew out. No serious damage (I don't think) )

The 24-105 mk I is often on ebay at about £400 or less, it's the stock kit lens for the full frame bodies and many people already own a copy and sell the second they pick up.

I'm eagerly awaiting a 6D mk II, mine has seen a LOT of action and aside from the AF, it has been superb. Ironically had I not had the opportunity to test so many cameras with good AF I probably would still be ignorant of what I was missing The 5D4 is appealing but as you say, too damn expensive.

[Mike Farley]

I'm eagerly awaiting a 6D mk II, mine has seen a LOT of action and aside from the AF, it has been superb. Ironically had I not had the opportunity to test so many cameras with good AF I probably would still be ignorant of what I was missing

The AF system in the 6D is a few years old now. Being a budget range, the 6DII will not get anything which is state of the art, but it should still be an improvement. Something based on what was in the original 7D, perhaps? Based on what has happened to 5D prices, I do not expect the 6D replacement to be quite bargain its predecessor was.

Keith Cooper at Northlight Images tracks the rumours sites and receives his own information, but is not expecting any 6DII action until early next year which would be in time for CES and the Japanese shows. You can follow what is happening here - http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/came ... d_mk2.html

[davidc]

Even the 750D AF system is better than the original 7D so while I agree it will not be as value for money as the mark I was, they will justify the price hike with a good-but-not-the-best AF upgrade. I'd love to see it keep its best-in-brand ISO performance too.

[Mike Farley]

As a user of the original 7D, the AF is OK for what I need, although I do see better systems in more recent cameras lower in Canon's range.

Canon seems to have improved the sensor performance in its most recent models and I would expect that the 6DII to feature the improvement as well.