Canon Appears To Plan 10% RF Lens Price Hike in Japan

unfocused

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...Today I'm a full time professional photographer and there is no way I can afford any of pro series cameras. The 5D series is the best I can afford on my income.
Camera manufacturers are going where the money is and the money is in enthusiasts not professionals. Enthusiasts have more discretionary income, their income is less sensitive to economic downturns and they are willing to spend more because it is for personal gratification. Professionals must justify purchases based on their income and with the shrinking professional market there is less and less of that income to go around.
 
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Camera manufacturers are going where the money is and the money is in enthusiasts not professionals. Enthusiasts have more discretionary income, their income is less sensitive to economic downturns and they are willing to spend more because it is for personal gratification. Professionals must justify purchases based on their income and with the shrinking professional market there is less and less of that income to go around.
There has been a couple of recent reports that would challenge your assumption. Prices across the board are increasing at a rate not seen in recent times mainly created by energy increases including gasoline but also by shortages due to the Covid 19 closures. Depending on who you believe these are translating into between 6-8% on an entire household budget so even enthusiasts have less discretionary income to spend. Evidence of this are recent falls in share prices. This will lead to at best a stagnation of sales or a slight fall especially the more expensive an item is as the basket of price increases feed through to wallets.

Right now Canon would do well to concentrate on the APS-C and non- L lenses that it manufactures in its Taiwan and Malaysia factories where labor costs are cheaper. Some of the current non-L RF lenses such as the RF 16mm, 35mm, 50mm, 24-105mm f4-7.1, 100-400mm f5.6-8 punch above their weight and whilst not as good as L lenses give perfectly acceptable results. In the case of the RF 100-400mm it may not be a 100-500mm but at a 1/4 of the cost it doesn’t give a 1/4 of the results and is far lighter.

Similarly Professionals don’t always buy lenses they rarely use but rent. Having been in the camera, lens and lighting rental business for over 40 years there has never been a time as busy as now for the rental sector and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. It’s not immune however to supply issues which is good and bad. Good because utilisation is high, bad because demand outstrips supply so money is left on the table.
 
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fox40phil

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Canon has loyal customers but they are “testing” the loyalty with the price creep of already expensive L lenses. With so many pressures on fuel, food, heating etc. disposable income for luxuries like camera equipment will only be pushed further away by ever increasing prices.
They tested it very successful with the overpriced 100-500 7.1.... >3000€ here. So many ppl have this lens in the photo groups/forums o_O thats crazy! Als private people. And bounded with the R5. So near to 10k€ for gear for the hobby. They could easily buy a R6 or R with a 150-600 or 100-400 II.
 
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AlanF

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They tested it very successful with the overpriced 100-500 7.1.... >3000€ here. So many ppl have this lens in the photo groups/forums o_O thats crazy! Als private people. And bounded with the R5. So near to 10k€ for gear for the hobby. They could easily buy a R6 or R with a 150-600 or 100-400 II.
Why is it crazy? The R5 + 100-500 is a fraction of the price of the R3 + RF 600 f/4 and RF 400 f/2.8, which are being bought by some enthusiastic birders, and I don't think they are crazy.
 
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LogicExtremist

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They tested it very successful with the overpriced 100-500 7.1.... >3000€ here. So many ppl have this lens in the photo groups/forums o_O thats crazy! Als private people. And bounded with the R5. So near to 10k€ for gear for the hobby. They could easily buy a R6 or R with a 150-600 or 100-400 II.
Definitely not a representative sample! Very few photography professionals shoot wildlife, it's one of the smallest subcategories of photography, see table below, from https://petapixel.com/2020/12/02/br...nsights-from-2020-to-project-trends-for-2021/ which also indicates that it's one of the lowest paying photography niches alongside portrait and family. Yes I know the stats are based on online searches instead of surveys, but they're reasonably indicative otherwise they wouldn't be used!

top-photography-niches-according-to-Currys-1536x1113.jpg

The majority of people buying wildlife lenses are enthusiast, and they're predominately retired old men, these lenses really aren't representative of all other lens categories and photography genres. Just because this demographic has money to spend on their hobby does not tell us anything about most pro photographers and the majority of enthusiast photographers and their inability to afford overpriced Canon gear.

Now, consider that a RF 100-500 L is usually mated with a Canon R5, we're talking about a very expensive setup for the privilege of photographing birds at a fairly professional level with what would be considered as the entry level Canon lens that can provide what would be regartded as excellent image quality at such a long focal length. Wildlife lenses of this quality and higher are bigger and way more expensive.

EOS R5 Canon Store US: $3899.00
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Canon Store US: $2899.00

lens + camera = US $ 6,798 (9.89% of median annual income)
median household income in the US in 2019 was $68,703


EOS R5 Canon Store UK: £ 4,299.99
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Canon Store UK: £ 2,979.99

lens + camera = UK £ 7,279.98 (24.76% of median annual income)
median household income in the UK in 2019 was £29,400


EOS R5 Canon Store AU: $5,999.95
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM AU: $4,999.95

lens + camera = AU $ 10,999.90 (21.40% of median annual income)
median household income in the Australia in 2019 was $51,389

These calculations show that an EOS R5 coupled with the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM will cost a US buyer around 10% of the median annual income, whereas in the UK it's a whopping 25%, and around 21% in Australia.

Considering inflation, COVID hardship, and increasing prices, that's a heck of a lot to be shelling out for non-essential leisure, for the everyday person. The fact that the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM is selling probably tells us there are quite a few retirees and people in well-paid jobs that want to venture into nature and take photos. We can't draw any inferences about Canon pricing itself out of the enthusiast market or not from the popularity of that lens.

Also, some brands differentiate themselves on price (and prestige), high prices make a product less affordable, and therefore more exclusive in the eyes of the market. Here, they rely on lower sales volumes and higher margins. That's another possibility that a company can take depending on their market position, status, and the size of the market.
 
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unfocused

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There has been a couple of recent reports that would challenge your assumption. Prices across the board are increasing at a rate not seen in recent times mainly created by energy increases including gasoline but also by shortages due to the Covid 19 closures. Depending on who you believe these are translating into between 6-8% on an entire household budget so even enthusiasts have less discretionary income to spend. Evidence of this are recent falls in share prices. This will lead to at best a stagnation of sales or a slight fall especially the more expensive an item is as the basket of price increases feed through to wallets.

I'm not sure how that would challenge my assumption. I wrote:

Camera manufacturers are going where the money is and the money is in enthusiasts not professionals. Enthusiasts have more discretionary income, their income is less sensitive to economic downturns and they are willing to spend more because it is for personal gratification. Professionals must justify purchases based on their income and with the shrinking professional market there is less and less of that income to go around.

Yes, enthusiasts may have less discretionary income to spend right now due to market losses and inflation, but they still have more discretionary income than most. So, while it may cause a temporary slowdown in sales, it isn't going to reverse the overall trend of camera manufacturers going after enthusiasts. If enthusiasts have less discretionary income now, professionals have even less because customers are pulling back due to inflation and financial uncertainty. Photography is, unfortunately, one of the first places that gets cut when companies and individuals scale back their spending.

Right now Canon would do well to concentrate on the APS-C and non- L lenses that it manufactures in its Taiwan and Malaysia factories where labor costs are cheaper. Some of the current non-L RF lenses such as the RF 16mm, 35mm, 50mm, 24-105mm f4-7.1, 100-400mm f5.6-8 punch above their weight and whilst not as good as L lenses give perfectly acceptable results. In the case of the RF 100-400mm it may not be a 100-500mm but at a 1/4 of the cost it doesn’t give a 1/4 of the results and is far lighter.

1) What makes you think Canon isn't doing that? You just provided a whole list of low cost R lenses.

2) I don't give advice to Canon on what they should concentrate on. They seem to know that better than I do.

Similarly Professionals don’t always buy lenses they rarely use but rent. Having been in the camera, lens and lighting rental business for over 40 years there has never been a time as busy as now for the rental sector and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. It’s not immune however to supply issues which is good and bad. Good because utilisation is high, bad because demand outstrips supply so money is left on the table.

Not sure what you point is here. It certainly doesn't conflict with what I wrote.
 
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AlanF

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EOS R5 Canon Store UK: £ 4,299.99
RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM Canon Store UK: £ 2,979.99

lens + camera = UK £ 7,279.98 (24.76% of median annual income)
median household income in the UK in 2019 was £29,400



These calculations show that an EOS R5 coupled with the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM will cost a US buyer around 10% of the median annual income, whereas in the UK it's a whopping 25%, and around 21% in Australia.
These figures are more relevant for the UK for 2018: https://equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk
For the top 20% of households, and that's quite a lot, it's 5.5 weeks of disposable income.

Household income by quantile.png

Also the median annual earnings for full-time employees in the United Kingdom was approximately 31.28 thousand British pounds in 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1002964/average-full-time-annual-earnings-in-the-uk/
 
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LogicExtremist

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These figures are more relevant for the UK for 2018: https://equalitytrust.org.uk/scale-economic-inequality-uk
For the top 20% of households, and that's quite a lot, it's 5.5 weeks of disposable income.

View attachment 202753

Also the median annual earnings for full-time employees in the United Kingdom was approximately 31.28 thousand British pounds in 2021, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1002964/average-full-time-annual-earnings-in-the-uk/
Thanks for the additional information Alan, it's incerdible how much people in the UK have to pay for their photography gear. I'm guessing Canon gives people in the US better prices because they're a larger market as they have a higher population, which translates to a greater volume of sales perhaps...
 
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AlanF

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Thanks for the additional information Alan, it's incerdible how much people in the UK have to pay for their photography gear. I'm guessing Canon gives people in the US better prices because they're a larger market as they have a higher population, which translates to a greater volume of sales perhaps...
It's horrible - I've brought it up several times, we are price gouged about 10% over the EU whereas Sony and Nikon are much better. The prices are decided by Canon Europe, not Canon UK or Canon Japan. But, there are reliable grey market importers. Canon LP-E6NH batteries cost at current exchange rates $150.
 
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These calculations show that an EOS R5 coupled with the RF100-500mm F4.5-7.1 L IS USM will cost a US buyer around 10% of the median annual income, whereas in the UK it's a whopping 25%, and around 21% in Australia.
If the 25% of median income is representative of the EU as well, then we have a fairly good reason why Canon choose to give preference to the US market over EU & GB.
 
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I never post much but I have sold off my 1DX and 1DXII, 100-400 L
Been using Canon since 1971 it was good run but I am done now
Tired of changing out gear to keep pace with "new" stuff that keeps getting dearer every year
change camera, lens, even flash/mount is newer on mirrorless I think
Keep what you got DSLR ? by planned outdating it'll be worth little in awhile as will these new mirrorless ones even worse
Canon basically changed their lens again now with introduction of new mirrorless cameras we can debate the necessity of this
Then you are basically testing the new mirrorless units and they respond with FW fixes
For me its just to much to invest for casual shooting, i never shoot video........... I just can't justify the cost any more and I certainly could manage to do so
 
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LogicExtremist

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With the mess that the world is in currently, everyone is raising prices on everything because of cost increases in the supply chain, raw materials, freight and logistics.

The problem with Canon is that they came into the game with an RF platform that was mostly overpriced. When a a price is increased by 10%, affordable items become a bit less affordable, and overpriced items become 10% more overpriced than they were before, its simple math.

It's early days yet to claim a Canon victory over its current leading market share, as we have no idea what the RF platform will offer at the entry and mid levels, which is the majority of the photography market. The uncertainty may be working in Canon's favour in the short term, as the potential in what they might deliver is still alluring, but as time passes, that turns into a negative.
 
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I never post much but I have sold off my 1DX and 1DXII, 100-400 L
Been using Canon since 1971 it was good run but I am done now
Tired of changing out gear to keep pace with "new" stuff that keeps getting dearer every year
change camera, lens, even flash/mount is newer on mirrorless I think
Keep what you got DSLR ? by planned outdating it'll be worth little in awhile as will these new mirrorless ones even worse
Canon basically changed their lens again now with introduction of new mirrorless cameras we can debate the necessity of this
Then you are basically testing the new mirrorless units and they respond with FW fixes
For me its just to much to invest for casual shooting, i never shoot video........... I just can't justify the cost any more and I certainly could manage to do so
That makes sense. Better also sell off your car, computer, phone, TV, and anything else electronic. They’re all improving over time and the current models are quickly becoming outdated and worth less. #Luddite
 
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LogicExtremist

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Sep 26, 2021
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I never post much but I have sold off my 1DX and 1DXII, 100-400 L
Been using Canon since 1971 it was good run but I am done now
Tired of changing out gear to keep pace with "new" stuff that keeps getting dearer every year
change camera, lens, even flash/mount is newer on mirrorless I think
Keep what you got DSLR ? by planned outdating it'll be worth little in awhile as will these new mirrorless ones even worse
Canon basically changed their lens again now with introduction of new mirrorless cameras we can debate the necessity of this
Then you are basically testing the new mirrorless units and they respond with FW fixes
For me its just to much to invest for casual shooting, i never shoot video........... I just can't justify the cost any more and I certainly could manage to do so
Hmm, Neuro's comment was a bit harsh, but I get where he's coming from... :oops:

I've noticed people in various posts mix up a products obsolescence with the product being superseded, but these are not the same thing, and there's a huge difference.
  • When a product is obsolete, it's no longer usable, the dictionary definition is "no longer in use or no longer useful". This is a descriptor of functionality.
  • When a product is superseded, that just means that it's been replaced by something newer, and implies nothing about functionality. This term only describes an event in time.
If people listen to the marketing hype from Canon, the usual menagerie of YouTube 'influencers' and all the gear heads out there on forums, they would quite likely be under false impression that they must keep up with the latest gear, that mirrorless cameras do everything better than DSLRs, and that old gear is no good.

Marketing is a devious and manipulative game; create the demand that doesn't exist, and then provide the products to satisfy the artificially created demand.
The only pressure to buy RF gear comes from the self-imposed need to keep up with the latest. That's fine for tech buffs who enjoy owning the latest gear, or for anyone who gains a benefit from upgrading. When the need to have the latest gear just stems from the psychological fear of missing out, that's when the emotional manipulation of marketing does its dirty work.

If a person is upgrading from EF-S of M crop sensor gear to full frame, or just coming into photography as a serious hobby and wanting to start on full frame gear (lucky you), Canon forces them onto the RF platform, as it makes no sense to start off and invest in a superseded platform that won't go anywhere. Even then, they may buy an RF body, and there are plenty of really good EF lenses that can be bought second-hand from people selling off their gear to buy RF equivalents.
 
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