Lenses Officially Delayed

[st sebastian]

Unfortunately the Utsunomiya is only about 100km from the nuclear reactors that are still spewing radiation. Although the official evacuation distance is 30km I really suspect that people aren't that keen to risk any more exposure than they have to just to keep to a timetable for getting new lenses out.

Of course they aren't.

The point is that, prior to announcing the lenses, Canon management should have taken into consideration that something might happen to prevent it from releasing the lenses on time, such as a new factory not being completed on time.

When the EF 200-400mm was announced, Canon already knew three lenses were not delivered on the announced schedule.

So Canon made an announcement that 2011 would be the year of the lens. As my grandmother used to say - man plans, and god laughs.

 

[gmrza]

You can also count on any of these "new" dSLRs to also see significant delays due to the situation in Japan. The nuclear reactors are getting worse not better. The media has just been downplaying it, especially with everything else going on. I won't doubt it if we do not see any new lines coming out until 2012 unless they were already complete to begin with. I wouldnt be surprise if canon has to move their manufacturing plants out of Japan entirely.

Even the simplest things seem to be hitting delays - I have a lens hood for a 50mm f/1.4 on backorder (the company I work for is a Canon distributor in Australia). At the moment, there is no ETA even on a simple lens hood! As of this morning, when I checked, there were 4 lenses (across the EF-S and EF ranges) and about 30 cameras in stock... not a good prognosis. I was really struck by the fact that there were only 4 lenses in stock!
(Contrast that with over 200 Apple iMacs in stock!)

 

[ronderick]

Even the simplest things seem to be hitting delays - I have a lens hood for a 50mm f/1.4 on backorder (the company I work for is a Canon distributor in Australia). At the moment, there is no ETA even on a simple lens hood! As of this morning, when I checked, there were 4 lenses (across the EF-S and EF ranges) and about 30 cameras in stock... not a good prognosis. I was really struck by the fact that there were only 4 lenses in stock!
(Contrast that with over 200 Apple iMacs in stock!)

Yeah, I am very weary of Japanese company's tendency to downplay things and their overly conservative estimation as seen from TEPCO's handling of the nuke plant crisis. Given the fact rolling blackouts are becoming a norm for Eastern Japan (and summer is quickly approaching - imagine the drain on power there), I'm most certainly not placing by bet on lens supply (or prices) normalizing anytime soon.