Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L II Delayed Again

[keithfullermusic]

I'm all for waiting until the product is ready for release, but they really need to stop announcing release dates before they are ready.

Makes sense, but obviously Canon screwed up so badly that they stopped producing the 24-70mk1 with only the hope that the mk2 will be ready. So they resorted to salami tactics - what else should they do? Tell people to get a Tamron lens during this nearly half-year time period :-o

What they can do is announce the product, but not announce any sort of release date.  If they NEED to announce a date for some reason, they should expect the worse, because that's what usually seems to happen.  Telling people that a product will be ready by a certain point, and delaying it multiple times is just unacceptable for a bigtime company like that.  If it happened once then fine, but this happened with the 1DX, the 5Diii, and now this...

[Marsu42]

Telling people that a product will be ready by a certain point, and delaying it multiple times is just unacceptable for a bigtime company like that.  If it happened once then fine, but this happened with the 1DX, the 5Diii, and now this...

I'm sure, Canon management would subscribe to that view, at least internally. Announcing and delaying one product might work to torpedo the competition's sales, but this might undermine the trust in Canon as a whole. You could add the slow introduction of the new radio tech to the list.

My only explanation is that there are still aftermaths from the natural disasters in Japan on design facilities and staff, so that by prioritizing other research like mirrorless and video (af,stm) they're screwing up in their old back yard.

[RunAndGun]

If it happened once then fine, but this happened with the 1DX, the 5Diii, and now this...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the "official" release date of the 5DMKIII March 22nd?(approx. a month after announcing it)  There were many who received their copies before that date and MANY, MANY others like myself who received it the day after(it shipped on the release date).  No, not everyone who had a pre-order received one, but it was initially released in fairly sufficient quantities and "on-time".

[cliffwang]

I can see Tamron smiling right about now!   

And not me

I was hoping the Tamron's price would break a bit . . . guessing this is NOT going to happen.

I also expected Tamron drop its 24-70 price.  Now I may just go ahead to order one from Amazon.

[Marsu42]

I also expected Tamron drop its 24-70 price.

Realistically, since only the non-IS 24-70ii will be the competition, I expected the Tamron not to get much cheaper. But now with the new delay, I'll grab my Tamron first thing in the morning tomorrow :->

[robin]

I was the owner of a V1 24-70 and sold it when the date was set for release on the mark II. I didn't expect it to start shipping the exact day they had posted, but certainly not 6 months late. I've been checking CR almost every day DREADING this notice. I figured Canon's recent track record painted a good picture that I wasn't going to receive this lens, even by the end of July. Photographers and videographers make business decisions based upon new arrivals and I chose to sell something early to stay ahead of the game. In the future, I wish Canon would announce something with a large window (expected to start shipping April-October 2012). Why put a date on something if it means nothing and upsets their customers? I own many primes and will get by, but I wanted this lens for a trip in August and wanted the versatility.

I guess you did sell the lens so early, because you wanted to get the high prize, before there is a drop when the Mark II is available.  So don't complain, you've got it!

[samueljay]

If it happened once then fine, but this happened with the 1DX, the 5Diii, and now this...

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the "official" release date of the 5DMKIII March 22nd?(approx. a month after announcing it)  There were many who received their copies before that date and MANY, MANY others like myself who received it the day after(it shipped on the release date).  No, not everyone who had a pre-order received one, but it was initially released in fairly sufficient quantities and "on-time".

That's what I thought, I don't think the 5D III was delayed? I got mine in the second batch in Australia, and got it on the 4th of April. There was only delays to shipments during the light leak debacle

[Dylan777]

I can see Tamron smiling right about now!   

And not me

I was hoping the Tamron's price would break a bit . . . guessing this is NOT going to happen.

I also expected Tamron drop its 24-70 price.  Now I may just go ahead to order one from Amazon.

Friend of mine has Canon 24-70 V1 and decided to try the new Tamron 24-70- bought it from BH 2weeks ago.

Today, I called and asked him if I can borrow the new Tamron to try out on my 5D III. The answer I got is "NO". The lens is on the way back to BH and he asked for his money back.

Reasons the lens is going back to BH:
1. Focus is slow
2. CA is terrible
3. VC(is) is not that great compared to Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS
4. Sharpness - not so good, but not so bad. just OK

What he likes about Tamron:
1. Price
2. It feels solid

At the end, he decided to keep his Canon mrk I and wait for mrk II.

[Razor2012]

I can see Tamron smiling right about now!   

And not me

I was hoping the Tamron's price would break a bit . . . guessing this is NOT going to happen.

I also expected Tamron drop its 24-70 price.  Now I may just go ahead to order one from Amazon.

Friend of mine has Canon 24-70 V1 and decided to try the new Tamron 24-70- bought it from BH 2weeks ago.

Today, I called and asked him if I can borrow the new Tamron to try out on my 5D III. The answer I got is "NO". The lens is on the way back to BH and he asked for his money back.

Reasons the lens is going back to BH:
1. Focus is slow
2. CA is terrible
3. VC(is) is not that great compared to Canon 17-55 f2.8 IS
4. Sharpness - not so good, but not so bad. just OK

What he likes about Tamron:
1. Price
2. It feels solid

At the end, he decided to keep his Canon mrk I and wait for mrk II.

It's worth the wait.   

[Fatalv]

Ugh... more wait time. I'd love to see the internal gantt charts for canon products as of late. At least then I'd have a good laugh and it would put a smile on my face.

[canonian]

I'm another person who sold my original 24-70 shortly after the version II was announced because it was so damn unreliable - soft at wide apertures all the way through f/4.  Just could not depend on it for jobs.  The new lens was supposed to ship about 2 months after announced so I was willing to wait.... but not this frickin' long.  Really PO'd that Canon hasn't started shipping this lens yet BUT they have been able to get the new 24mm, 28mm and 40mm lenses out.  WTF Canon! 

[Luke]

Yup... I sold my 24-105 for this and am patiently waiting..
Decided to get the 5d III + the 24+70 II and 70-200II for a big trip I'm taking in august. Thought I'd be safe...

I'm also waiting for the 5D III SDK to be released for some software I use..... It was supposed to be out in June.

[bdunbar79]

Here's a rule I live by in photography, and this goes for the 1D X and the 24-70L II.  I have seen this happen over and over again.  Never sell anything because something new is coming out UNTIL you have the new item in your hand, at home.  Then sell.

[Erik S. Klein]

Oh the irony. 

I have one on pre-order as the expected "walk around" lens for my 1Dx.  So as the 1Dx is delayed and delayed I start to think that the actual ship times will get close.  Now my 1Dx is likely to ship "any day now" and BOOM - the 24-70 II jumps out another 6 weeks...

/sigh

[gmrza]

Here's a rule I live by in photography, and this goes for the 1D X and the 24-70L II.  I have seen this happen over and over again.  Never sell anything because something new is coming out UNTIL you have the new item in your hand, at home.  Then sell.

This issue is not unique to Canon (or any camera maker).  If you want to find a bad track record for delivery on a product roadmap, you need look no further than the software industry.  Microsoft has been pretty bad.  EMC is terrible with its Ionix product suite, with product releases being delayed sometimes by years!