It's been less than two weeks since MAP pricing has gone into effect. Here is what I have noticed:
"Real" prices for most items have not changed much. Maybe a few of the high demand items (5DIII) have crept up a bit from the deep discounts some retailers were offering, but for most lenses and bodies, I'm not seeing much difference. What I am seeing is a lot more "can't show" pricing from the major retailers. It's a bit inconvenient, but it doesn't seem to have caused a significant spike in prices for the majority of lenses and bodies.
It seems retailers are anxious to get consumers to open their wallets while the economy remains sluggish and MAP pricing isn't doing much to hinder the competition. In fact, I've seen some real bargains lately (lower prices than before MAP) My take: you can try, but it's pretty hard to stop the marketplace from setting prices.
