How many 1D X pre-orders will be fulfilled on release?

[Z]

Retailers are continuing to take pre-orders and presumably will do so until the release date. Based on past experience, what proportion of these will be delivered on release?  After that I'm guessing it's first-come-first-serve, but for how long is demand likely to be greater than supply? Just curious. Speculation welcome!

[neuroanatomist]

For the 1D IV and 5DII, it was months before wide availablity...and for those months, even pre-orders took quite a while to fulfill.

[kirispupis]

Hard to say. Canon tends to supply stores unevenly so some stores fill their preorders quickly while others may take awhile. I have seen situations where small camera stores have them on the shelf while larger online companies are still struggling to fill preorders.

I would certainly say you will on average receive the camera earlier if you preorder today than if you wait for it to be generally available on the shelf.

I can say that I preordered the 2x III extender from Adorama some time after it was announced and still received it in one of the initial shipments.  That extender probably was produced in a higher quantity than the 1D-X but still the 1D-X is beyond the means of most photographers.

The big question for me is when will Canon start shipping any cameras? I strongly suspect it will not be at the end of March.

[Viggo]

IF the S100 is a reference, we won't see the 1d X until june.... I really hope not, because I'm without camera, and I have some serious withdrawal right now....

[Greatland]

Can anyone identify which camera stores are taking pre-orders.  I know that B&H is not taking any pre-orders and has not indicated when they will..

[Kernuak]

I pre-ordered the 7D within quite a short time of the announcement, once I'd seen some low light sample images to make sure it was better than the 40D and received it the day before official release (presumably the delivery time from the supplier was slightly quicker than anticipated). Since then though, the general climate has changed somewhat, with the tsunami and general supply issues. Also, I read some anecdotal evidence of more of a trickle for supplies of the 1D MkIV, but I couldn't make any direct comparisons or judge how true the statements were.

[neuroanatomist]

Adorama will take pre-orders over the phone (well, not pre-orders, exactly, but a deposit to hold your spot on a waiting list).  Some brick and mortar stores are doing that, as well.  B&H generally does not take pre-orders until they are notified that a shipment is imminent. 

[Z]

Can anyone identify which camera stores are taking pre-orders.  I know that B&H is not taking any pre-orders and has not indicated when they will..

I should clarify: I live in the UK where most major retailers are accepting pre-orders online/in store. I suspect it has little to do with projected availability and more to do with competition, i.e. Jessops started doing it so now everybody is.

[JR]

Adorama will take pre-orders over the phone (well, not pre-orders, exactly, but a deposit to hold your spot on a waiting list).  Some brick and mortar stores are doing that, as well.  B&H generally does not take pre-orders until they are notified that a shipment is imminent.

So where do you feel we have the best chance to get an 1DX quickly:  Adorama or B&H?

[neuroanatomist]

No idea.  Probably not directly relevant, but I placed a preorder for the S100 from Amazon within an hour of it being possible to do so.  It was delayed relative to the original projected ship date, but I actually received it at about the time that B&H opened up their pre-orders.  Best Buy brick-and-mortar stores had them in stock and available for several days before Amazon shipped mine...

[JR]

Interesting indeed.  Actually the more I think about it the more I wonder if it is the best thing to get the first batch of a product like the 1DX or is it preferable to wait for the second production run in case they have issues with firemware or something...not like I can wait any longer but wondering...

Any thoughts?  You seem comfortable Neuro to get the first batch yourself?

[neuroanatomist]

Any thoughts?  You seem comfortable Neuro to get the first batch yourself?

I'm comfortable with it.  There's a warranty, and I won't be depending on it for my livelihood.  Also, I'm not in a position where I have to sell the 5DII (or anything else) to get the 1D X.  After I get it, test it, and assuming it meets expectations, then I can sell the 5DII (and hopefully, get a 24-70mm f/2.8L MkII with the proceeds!).

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I pre ordered my 5D MK II and got it in the first shipment.  Canon has said they are making 7000 a month, so around 30,000 more or less could be distributed?  We don't know how long they have been making them.

Many of the big retailers in the USA are not taking pre-orders, perhaps privately for good customers, but you can't pre-order from their website.

Amazon usually does not get the first batch of pro cameras, so pre-ordering with them is a losing cause.

I'm still waiting to find out more about how good it performs, it does not seem like there is anything urgent about me ordering it.

[JR]

Any thoughts?  You seem comfortable Neuro to get the first batch yourself?

I'm comfortable with it.  There's a warranty, and I won't be depending on it for my livelihood.  Also, I'm not in a position where I have to sell the 5DII (or anything else) to get the 1D X.  After I get it, test it, and assuming it meets expectations, then I can sell the 5DII (and hopefully, get a 24-70mm f/2.8L MkII with the proceeds!).

...and dont forget the 35 1.4L mkII!  At least in my case this is how I plan to spend the proceed from the sale of the 5D mkII once I get the 1DX...

 

[waving_odd]

B&H generally does not take pre-orders until they are notified that a shipment is imminent.

They told me it's because Canon hasn't confirmed the price yet.  I heard that there were incidents where their pre-order price was lower than the manufacturer's final price and they didn't ask the pre-order customers to pay the difference.