On what timeline were they late to develop it and announce it? Did someone at Canon tell you their internal timeline, and then Canon missed it? Or are you just basing this on rumors or your own expectations? Pretty sure that’s it. So no, they weren’t late.
As a Canon and Nikon user, I've not only heard of delayed shipments and limited inventory with Nikon but have suffered through agonizingly long waits. The z9 launch took over a year to meet initial demand, and I received my 500mm PF prime lens more than a year after my initial order date. In addition, my wait for the Z400mm TC was several months even though I was an NPS member when I ordered (non-NPS members had much longer waits).
That's because you only look at one manufacture and glance at the other two, well the other two aren't any better.
As I recall, that same information included a statement that the delay was specifically to allow additional time to build up inventory and have ample cameras, available to meet demand. If my recollection is correct, then at least one part of that statement was incorrect.
I ordered 2 weeks after the initial announcement and was told prior to the initial shipment I was 300 and something in the Q for pre-orders at WEX. I’m assuming that WEX are the UK retailer who CR was referring to getting enough stock for around 25% of preorders in batch 1.
I've just switched from Nikon Z8 to R5MKII. Maybe Canon has some delays, but at least they deliver outstanding products. Nikon Z8: There was a huge hype initially, and then: Eye AF which worked only in 70% of cases. The lack of a mechanical curtain means banding when using HSS and two service repairs
That information is what I remember as well. Is it possible that the orders for the R5 Mk2 were significantly higher than anticipated and therefore the inventory was depleted faster than expected? Frankly, I would have expected Canon to be able to more accurately predict the demand for the R5 Mk2.
