Canon 5D Mark III - Price Drop Details

[XanuFoto]

They release the new 70-200 in March 2010 for around 2500 and its still sold for 2300 in most outlets. I don't see a significant price drop especially if its stays as hot selling as it it for a while.

[Warninglabel]

I think your topic is a little misleading: Canon 5D Mark III - Price Drop Details

But a few factors you need to consider

• The cost to make the 5D III
• Canon sales plan for this Quarter and next +/-
• Back up camera like the 7D Mark II
• Or the upcoming 4Dxti 36 megapixel 19pt 6fps 

I could see a price reduction, Canon needs a winner. I don't know how many people love this camera, but if you looking around the web, its getting slammed. There are some core canon folks defending it, but mostly unhappy people/Nikon fans posting. Which if, I was new to canon and researching this camera it would be moving me toward a different camera. You'll really never see posts in forums from happy people, unless they are helping someone.

[LetTheRightLensIn]

1. When will Canon drop the price of the new 5D Mark III?

2. What price will it drop to eg. $2999

3. Your thoughts

Maybe after DxO tests in a few weeks show that the D800 has 50% more MP AND yet also 2+ stops better dynamic range and, at high ISO, equal or better SNR than the 5D3.

I sure hope that will not be the reason, but some early numbers coming in make me fear it might end being so.

[distant.star]

When??

That seems deeply presumptuous.

From where I sit, I don't see them dropping the price anytime in the next year and probably not for two years, if ever.

Three years from now I expect the landscape to have changed enough to see a few big changes. But for the next two years, I think we're looking at the new status quo.

[obscura]

While i know this might be comparing apples to oranges, canon has a very recent history of dropping price:

Canon dropped the price of the new C300 from 20K - 16k in just two months facing serious competition from Red's less costly Scarlet.  Consider: on just this video spec alone - uncompressed video out- Nikon's D800 leaps past the great 5D.  This may spell trouble for the 5DMarkIII because again Canon may faces serious competition from a less costly model. 

[studio1972]

Wait a year, then pick it up at one of the big shows in the spring. I got my 5D2 from Focus on Imaging in UK with a 24-70 for around the same price as the 5D2 alone at launch.

[wickidwombat]

it might dorp $200 before christmas maybe but you wont see any serious price drop until before the mk4 is due

[bbasiaga]

I think there is at least a possiblity the analogy to the C300 situation holds true here.  It will all come down, as others have said, to the real world performance of this camera and its competitor.  If the Nikon offering is close enough in performance, considering trade offs, pluses, minues etc., to the performance of the 5dMkIII, there is a big enough price difference to be a problem for Canon.  We could see the price come down.   If it sells, we're stuck. 

Personally, I suspect that the situation with the 70-200 F2.8 IS II, which dropped about 10% from launch prices (2500ish to 2300ish, IIRC), will also apply to the 24-70 II, and (i hope) the 5dMkII.  The prices are high, and given consumer confidence levels even higher.  Maybe it will be in the form of rebates (like the deals to get the 70-200 down to around $2k for a short time), maybe a permanent drop.  But I'm looking for something to happen.  These wouldn't be the first tech products introduced with 'optimistic' pricing on the part of the manufacturer.   

My original 5d still works, and I was  ready to pull the trigger on the new one at $3k.  $3500 is too much for me right now.  I may wait it out and save up, I may choose to get the MkII on the used market and use it until the MKIV drives MKIII prices down, or may not buy anything.  Luckily my old cameras still take great photos.   But one thing is for sure:  I will NOT switch to Nikon. 

-Brian

[edy4eva]

Here is my take on it:
- In 2008 Canon released the 5D Mark II for $2699
- In 2012 Canon released the 5D Mark III for $3499 and dropped the price of the 5D Mark II to $2199
- Canon says they will continue to sell the II along the III (Just like what Nikon's doing with the D700 and D800)

In a way Canon is 'strategically' leaving the II in the market to compete with Nikon's full frame offering.
On a different front, Canon may have had a large number of the 21.1 sensors produced (for the II and left from the 1DsIII) and does not want to kill off the sale of the II. From a manufactures perspective it would be unjustified to release the III at $2699 or even $2999 because that would mean anyone who was in the market for the II will buy the III instead.

In terms of competition, if either of the two companies discontinue their lower end full frame offering (and hereby reduce the retail price of the higher end) the other manufacturer will follow suit.

So while the II may seem like a bargain, the III will ultimately replace it and should see its price dropped.

Not to forget that investment in the development of the the new 22.3MP sensor needs time to be paid back, hence early adopters will bare this cost and maybe placing this sensor in a different camera product altogether.

What Canon ought to do is crop this sensor to and put in a APS-C lightweight SLR as high quality low light 8.7MP camera with the AF/viewfinder of the 7D. I'd take 2.

[moreorless]

I could see a price reduction, Canon needs a winner. I don't know how many people love this camera, but if you looking around the web, its getting slammed. There are some core canon folks defending it, but mostly unhappy people/Nikon fans posting. Which if, I was new to canon and researching this camera it would be moving me toward a different camera. You'll really never see posts in forums from happy people, unless they are helping someone.

"The Net" really isnt a very good guide to how sucessful a camera is going to be I'd say, on camera forums it tends to be those who didnt get what they wanted and fanboys of rival brands that shout the loudest, if you went by DPR espeically pretty much every camera would be a disapointing failiure.

My guess would be that prices drop a little quicker than the 5D mk2 though, the mk3 to me seems like a camera more focused on the professional market so I'd guess Canon believe that pro's who've been waiting for improved AF, FPS, ISO etc will buy even if it a bit more expensive. Even with the disasters in asia supply will probabley be better this time around as Canon likely have much higher expectations than they did with the somewhat supprizing sucess of the Mk2.

[unfocused]

From Canon Rumors Guy: It’s also rumored Canon will regulate the price of this camera starting in May. Which means, there will be a certain price point that a retailer cannot go below to sell the camera. This sort of regulation will also make such things advertising “free” things to bundle with the camera not allowed. This is good for retailers if true.

See my previous post on this thread. It looks like Canon may indeed be trying to protect and incentivize the dealer network.

[dstppy]

From Canon Rumors Guy: It’s also rumored Canon will regulate the price of this camera starting in May. Which means, there will be a certain price point that a retailer cannot go below to sell the camera. This sort of regulation will also make such things advertising “free” things to bundle with the camera not allowed. This is good for retailers if true.

See my previous post on this thread. It looks like Canon may indeed be trying to protect and incentivize the dealer network.

Far be it from me to complain, but the last rumor that they'll be enforcing a minimum price, even on bundles, but I think that's going to shoot them in the foot.  Price it how you have to make a profit, but not letting free-market take over makes me think that Nikon understands marketing better (not that I'm going to sell everything and transfer but still . . . ).

I honestly don't think it will help, it'll just just catalyze the 5DmkII market.

[Mt Spokane Photography]

From Canon Rumors Guy: It’s also rumored Canon will regulate the price of this camera starting in May. Which means, there will be a certain price point that a retailer cannot go below to sell the camera. This sort of regulation will also make such things advertising “free” things to bundle with the camera not allowed. This is good for retailers if true.

See my previous post on this thread. It looks like Canon may indeed be trying to protect and incentivize the dealer network.

Far be it from me to complain, but the last rumor that they'll be enforcing a minimum price, even on bundles, but I think that's going to shoot them in the foot.  Price it how you have to make a profit, but not letting free-market take over makes me think that Nikon understands marketing better (not that I'm going to sell everything and transfer but still . . . ).

I honestly don't think it will help, it'll just just catalyze the 5DmkII market.

Nikon started enforcing the full msrp a few months ago. 

In any event, there is a small markup on lenses and bodies, so sellers are very limited in any price reductions they make.

[canonian]

I don't see any significant price drop for years... maybe not until the next 5D (mark IV or whatever) gets close to being released.  Might drop about $100 by next year, but that's chump change.  The Mark II came out at $2700, I think, and I bought one a year-and-a-half later for $2400. 

However, I would guess that there's a reasonable chance that Canon will offer one of their rebates within a year or so - perhaps around the holiday season or early 2013

I hope the glowing reviews and the specs for the 5D III live up to the hype.  If so, the 5D III is definitely on my must have list.  Just want to wait a while to justify the cost.

[photosites]

1. When will Canon drop the price of the new 5D Mark III?
When the 5D Mark IV is released.

2. What price will it drop to eg. $2999

Depends on the exchange rate of the USD to JPY at that time. If it were 10JPY to $1USD, then the price would be $10,000.

3. Your thoughts

I think the 5D3 will be a great upgrade to the 5D2. The 5D3 samples at imaging-resource are great compared to the 5D2's. Check out the ISO3200 (and higher) samples... much better than the 5D2... and may even be better than the D4.

I think it is great that Canon let the images show the true upgrade from 5D2 to 5D3 rather than a bunch of specs and numbers, which is usually the easy path for manufacturers. It would definitely have been easier to just write a headline such as "The 5D3 has 3 times as many pixels as the 5D2".