6D Likely Price Trend

[darkhound]

Hi,

My wife is giving birth in July and I will have a 6D by then to take pics of the kid.

My only question is when to buy.  Is it likely that the 6D will drop in price from Dec. 2011 to July 2012?  If so, I will wait...

Or is Canon like Apple, and will not likely lower the price (e.g. I bought an iPhone4 an unnecessary 7 months after it first came out hoping for a price drop, which never happened).

Just curious if you have any insight based on Canon's pricing history.  Much appreciated, thanks!

[EOBeav]

Past performance not indicative of future results, but here's the trend for the 5DmkIII since being available last summer (scroll down to see graph):

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/03868/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-III-price.html

And here's the same thing for the 5DmkII (ditto):

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/02699/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-II-price.html

[x-vision]

The price will drop eventually.
The 6D is not overpriced as the 5DIII, though, so I wouldn't expect a very quick price drop.
More like the normal, gradual drop over the product lifecycle.

IMO, by the end Q1 next year it will be clear what the demand is for the 6D.
The price will be adjusted if necessary (by $100-200 max) and then will stay stable until the holiday season.
After that, it’s anybody’s guess what the price will be.

[jrista]

Past performance not indicative of future results, but here's the trend for the 5DmkIII since being available last summer (scroll down to see graph):

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/03868/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-III-price.html

And here's the same thing for the 5DmkII (ditto):

http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/02699/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-II-price.html

Er...what's the deal with the 5D II dropping to $0 for...maybe a week...in the middle of November? Was Canon simply giving them away for free? And how in the world could I have missed that incredible opportunity!!! 

[darkhound]

Thanks.. those graphs were great.  Seems like there won't be a huge drop soon.  I can get an employee discount so might as well go for it now.

[Marsu42]

The price will drop eventually.
The 6D is not overpriced as the 5DIII, though, so I wouldn't expect a very quick price drop.
More like the normal, gradual drop over the product lifecycle.

Ìmho after the first time when all people who didn't want either the expensive 5d3 or the older 5d2 have got their 6d, I expect it to drop a lot in price - that's why I'm hesitant to get one now.

Why? Because

• Canon has re-engineered the 6d with less expensive parts than the 5d2 (body, shutter, probably lcd & sensor)
  
• The new crop sensor in 2013 will cannibalize 6d sales (that's probably also why Canon want's to give the 5d3 a push in April with the f8-firmware...)
• The 5d3 will continue to drop (Nikon pressure) and the 6d will have to keep the distance

[StepBack]

I don't know why someone needs the inspiration of two identical cameras plus the option to own the next in line but to each his own credit number according to his wishes. Be that as it may as long as the conversation turned to Canon's wishes I think CR may have blundered into the conversation with the notion of a pricing between the Early Bird Special Full Frame and the previously glorious first level full frame. That would leave the market wide open between one and two thousand which seems unlikely. It is quite possible Canon will use their Full Frames to capture the hearts and minds of the buying public. Somehow the C Class Mer is not the car for middle class folks to ponder when the Bentley has always been the car for the butler. But I digress. Marketing moguls may want to dream but maybe they're onto something. When one can buy a Droid why buy a Rebel? Canon is pricing themselves out of the market. They remind me of the 1980-1990's GM where a Caddie and Chevy shared the same engines and the ride was differentiated by a spongy Bilstein. As for 10 fps I don't think the NFL will see many of those on the sidelines amidst the white lenses anytime soon.

[meli]

I would strongly suggest against buying it now. The 6d has alot of fat to burn as 5d3 had upon launch.
5D3 lost almost 30% in a year and i expect 6d to dive 20% by summer, enough so you could spare for a new flash and/or a lens

[funkboy]

Well, Optics Planet has it for $2K after special offer discount at the moment:

https://www.google.com/shopping/product/11997721010955583984

[sandymandy]

Hi,

My wife is giving birth in July and I will have a 6D by then to take pics of the kid.

My only question is when to buy.  Is it likely that the 6D will drop in price from Dec. 2011 to July 2012?

December 2012 to July 2013, isnt it?

[pdirestajr]

But what are you going to shoot with now? I'd rather have the camera earlier so when I am in the delivery room I know the camera like the back of my hand.

[Dylan777]

If you don't have a need for 6D right now, then wait. Camera body prices don't go up(unless really special ones). I wish I know the future prices of these cameras.

I paid $3500 for my 5D III. Recent trend shows 5D III is dropping down to $2500 through Ebay.

DO NOT expect 6D to drop that low,,,that's my 2cents.

[MK5GTI]

with my first baby, i had my 300D/ Rebel from my brother, i had no clue how to use it.

if this is OP first DSLR, i would suggest getting a bit used to it, coz you dont want to miss any shots in the delivery room! use it for maternity pics in the meantime?

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Prices are partially determined by sales.  Sales are largely determined by the global econmy.  Buyers will buy the lowest price product rather than a luxury one.
Once the initial buyer rush is over, expect the camera to be included in Canon Rebate deals.  However, be aware that sales in May-June take a big jump as people like to use vacations, weddings, etc as a excuse to buy a new camera.  That takes the pressure to lower prices away.
Watch for 1 day deals around Christmas, or the week after.  The cameras seem to be in stock everywhere, even our small local dealer has them, so Canon is expecting very good sales.  If that happens, they may be out of stock for 6 weeks or so right around Christmas.

[darkhound]

Thanks for the additional responses!  It seems like there is a decent chance that the price will drop in half a year, so I think I am going to wait and hope that it does.   Of course, I'll be really mad if the price doesn't drop and I just lose 6 months of use, but... I'll take the risk 

I am using an old Canon Xti right now, but I took tens of thousands of pics with it and it taught me the basics, I think.  So hopefully, the 6D won't be much of a learning curve if I get it last-minute.  On that note, I am going to be really sad about losing the use of my 10-22mm lens.  The 17-40mm is expensive, not as wide and probably heavier

On the bright side, I like that I will not be charged for more than 11 focus points.  In fact, I wish it just had one focus point - I set up my camera to only use the middle one anyway, which I control with a separate button.  Is there any reason for more?  This camera seems to be geared more for general enthusiasts like me, not sports or bird photographers, and I find that using the middle point only via a separate button is actually better for travel and landscape photography.  This even includes GPS - I am anticipating it to be the perfect travel camera!