Prices trending higher?

[Halfrack]

I'm itching to click the buy button on the 5d mk3, but the last week or so it's jumped $400.  Is MAP really starting to effect things?  Or does wedding season really lower inventory this much?  I view the body as a solid $3k and the kit a solid $3,500 price point.  Might need to check to see if the loyalty program is valid on the refurb mk3's.

[Menace]

Interesting jump / spike in price. Unless you are missing shots or losing money, it might be worth waiting awhile for the price to come down.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

This is the beginning of the high season for camera sales.  Buyers are buying them for vacations, weddings and the like.  This is well known by all camera manufacturers, and they typically let prices float uo during April thru July.  They will drop again as the summer goes on, usually starting in August.

[jdramirez]

I've been waiting a while.  The lowest I have seen it with having to sell a few things and presuming I get the price I want on said items, was around $2700... which was still really high.  Buy.com had a deal where you got $600 in buy.com store credits when you buy the mkiii body.  It essentially made the mkii $2400... and I was ready to jump on it, but then you read the fine print and you can only use $200 at a time for the credits... so it wasn't really a good deal. 

I've been hoping the Big Value Inc. deal for $2500 comes back... but it never has.  Not even a sniff.  It's borderline depressing. 

Stay diligent... a good price will come up... we just have to keep looking.

[daniela]

I am looking for the 300mm 2.8 L II lens. But instead of getting chepaer, the price rises and rises...

Yeah! Canon, milk us

[neuroanatomist]

I am looking for the 300mm 2.8 L II lens. But instead of getting chepaer, the price rises and rises...

Yeah! Canon, milk us

Must be an EU thing. In the US, it's flat and cheaper than at launch (the increase at the left side was before launch when they raised prices relative to what was announced as expected retail pricing).

[Britsinbeavercreek]

What I don't understand is why MAP is keeping prices high when the YEN has fallen considerably in value in recent months. Japanese exports should now be much cheaper for buyers.

[mwh1964]

Buy the lens if you need it.

[msatter]

And sell it when you don't need it.

[dilbert]

This is the beginning of the high season for camera sales.  Buyers are buying them for vacations, weddings and the like.  This is well known by all camera manufacturers, and they typically let prices float uo during April thru July.  They will drop again as the summer goes on, usually starting in August.

What he said.

Memorial day holidaying starts in a week.

[AndyR]

wedding season + good weather usually = higher demand for photo gear?

[cayenne]

It might be a longshot guess.

But possibly with the anticipation of the Magic Lantern success with the RAW video on the 5D3, people are buying them for some really 'cheap' high end video coming out soon?

I dunno if people buy things like this in anticipation of such functionality, but it is moving quite rapidly with ML and very successful so far....maybe people are buying them for that reason, and well, when demand goes up, so does price?

My $0.02,

cayenne

[Hobby Shooter]

What I don't understand is why MAP is keeping prices high when the YEN has fallen considerably in value in recent months. Japanese exports should now be much cheaper for buyers.

This stuff is slow moving, they could have hedged the currencies for six month periods for example. You never know when the cut off points are. Plus it's driven by market dem and, they will maximize profits when they can.

[dlleno]

the MAP factor is apparent, but I find that what differentiates the retailers right now is the freebie bundles they put together.  Right now, for example, Adorama throws in an extra battery and the grip, when you purchase the 5D3+24-105.  nice.  when you consider the 2% back feature as well (and you play it right an actually use that for something useful) then the Adorama price is not that much different from the $3500 days for that kit. 

I just don't get the 5D3 bundles that include an SD card, but Adoramas "power up for free" deal is noteworthy

[VanWeddings]

my bet is on the magic lantern 5d3 raw hack. it's a huge thing in the video world and is surely pushing up demand