Canon Experience Stores Coming Soon [CR3]

[dstppy]

WHY DOES EVERY THREAD START WITH AT LEAST 3 PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT PRICE?

umm, that would be because at least 3 people in each thread are annoyed with Canon gear being priced above the competition. Sorry, just couldn't resist! 

On a separate note, I think Canon is looking into a brand re-positioning a la Apple and Leica and that would be unfortunate for those of us who purchased Canon gear considering their market position as it was...

Cheers!

If people are correct and Canon is going to try and make all of their stuff too expensive, they will fail, but look at the Rebel market; the T4i is an absolute winner with so many things that people have been asking for.  The HS stuff is also takes fabulous pictures for what they're priced at and what they are.

And those types of cameras are their bread-and-butter.  They forget that, and they're toast, plain and simple.

I think (hope) we're getting back to a point where the only thing that separates one good brand from another is how it shows it's customers it values them.  The rumor basically told us the design of the store -- which doesn't say much over that there IS an education section, which is promising.  That, to me, says they're trying to take the Rebel users and show them how to use their gear . . . it's definitely a start.

Now, that's not us, but it's also not the ultra-high-price market either.  It's one thing to long after L lenses (as we all do), it's completely another to go on as people have done since the 5Dmk3 came out. 

I want one, badly.  But the price is stopping me . . . but I still get 'ooh' and 'ahh' with my 60D or 5D2 with my 85 1.8 or 200 2.8 and that just won't change, no matter how much I want the more expensive camera . . .

Again, let's hope this is a play for the mass market and an attempt to improve their brand, vs. how MS did it in just trying to get as much floor space for selling crap.

[dstppy]

WHY DOES EVERY THREAD START WITH AT LEAST 3 PEOPLE COMPLAINING ABOUT PRICE?

(yes, we know this is off-topic)
umm, that would be because at least 3 people in each thread are annoyed with Canon gear being priced above the competition. Sorry, just couldn't resist! 

+1
Yes..that would be because I bought an Olympus OM-D Body 9 months ago for $999 and it is sold for only $50 under the list price now. I bought a Canon 5D III Body 6 months ago for $3499 and is can be had for $600-$900 below list now. I find that to be a LITTLE more than annoying. :-)

I know, but that brings us back to Apple (sort of).  With Apple, you pay (with bugs) to be a beta tester of the latest-and-greatest.  With the MK3, we all knew the price was coming down (not necessarily how much or when) . . . but you got all of the little giggles and shivers of the shiny new camera right away, paid in money, but didn't have to pay like the rest of us, sitting up nights reassuring ourselves that what we have is 'good enough'  My wife thinks I have the DTs.

I got an iPhone5 as soon as it came out (My 4 was out of contract) and I KNEW they'red be issues (actually hasn't been too bad), but you have to go in knowing what's going to happen.

MSRP always (to me) seems like a manufacturer's wish list . . . especially with cars.

[quartzie]

There's been a "Canon Experience" showroom in Taipei, Taiwan for about two years already.

It has most of the current camera bodies (Rebels, 5d2, 5d3, 6d, 7d) available for testing, though the lens pairings are set and the staff doesn't want to attach any of the other lenses on show in the store. There's a small stage with long white tele Lenses for those of us who are never going to use them in real life. Initially, there were a couple of 1d3 bodies attached to those, but they've been switched for 5d2s.

All the company's compact cameras and most printers are on show as well and the local distributor uses the storefront as a service and RMA counter.

Interestingly, though - the store doesn't actually SELL anything  .

[dkyeah]

Well... I hope for them they can figure something out to make their 5D MKIII and 1D X tether properly with all the iMacs they'll have "for education" 

[neech7]

Singapore has one too. I don't know why this is news, since they are many in Asia, as reported by many here.

[Frage]

Less fancy stores and more DR 

[Vivid Color]

If Canon did adopt Apple's pricing strategy that would mean when a new Mark II or III comes out, the new product with the better technology comes out at the same price as the old porduct.    In any event, if Canon is going to put stores in the US, then I hope they put one in the DC area. 

[hmmm]

hmmm... boutique showrooms, raised prices.... Canon might want to look at JCPenney as a case study in how NOT to implement the Apple model.     

[unfocused]

I wonder what percentage of their sales will be Canon branded t-shirts, coffee mugs, backpacks and other souvenirs.

Go in, play with a lens for 15 minutes. Leave looking like a walking billboard for Canon.

[bkxmnr]

I hope they'll have an artsy coffee table book like Leica's NinetyNineYears.

[LetTheRightLensIn]

I guess another option is to go fully down the Apple route and use price fixing to ensure everyone sells at RRP

DIdn't they just start doing that this month or something?

[LetTheRightLensIn]

Well, at least we now know where they plan to put all that extra cash they are making (trying to make) out of us gearheads with their recent pricing "strategy". 

hah

But that bitching aside: Of course it would be nice to try out some of the more exclusive lenses. The best thing I have seen in stores within 100km of my home town is around the level of a 5Dmk3 and 70-200 2.8 IS II. But if they are now trying to become Appleish (i.e., sell stuff not merely for it being good, but for it being hip, and that at a premium), I am not interested.

In my area we already have stores that demo everything and have classes etc. so all this might mean is that now their prices go up. 
Unless they get sales to increase 10x and then can lower prices on everything heh.

[LetTheRightLensIn]

If Canon did adopt Apple's pricing strategy that would mean when a new Mark II or III comes out, the new product with the better technology comes out at the same price as the old porduct.    In any event, if Canon is going to put stores in the US, then I hope they put one in the DC area.

It would also mean that they will stop worrying about internal market segmentation and go full bore and less conservative. Soon we will have 4k unclocking code for the 1DX, sensors with much better DR, AutoISO that works in non-1series cameras, 7D2 arrives with better AF than 1DX. 

[dr croubie]

I’m told Canon is buying “heritage” type buildings around Australia for the stores.

Cool, so we've got yet another place that we can go and try out nice gear before we buy it for half the price online?

[pharp]

Actually I would love to see this kind of thing with ALL the players represented under one roof - you could of course go to a B&H etc, but wouldn't it be nice to be able to see and maybe even try cameras from Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony, Samsung, Fuji etc with no pressure to buy?