New Canon EOS R3 orders may be delayed for more than 6 months

Canon updated its uniquely-Japanese “Apology and Guidance” announcement, revealing that new orders of the EOS R3 body and also the RF 14-35 f/4 lens can take more than half a year to deliver due partly to supply constraints, but also because of demand “in excess of expectations.”
A list of products taking merely “longer than usual” to deliver includes the RF 16mm f/2.8, the RF 400mm f/2.8, and – interestingly – the not-yet-released RF 800mm and the RF 1200mm.

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f119a

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Crud. How can they announce new products, when they can't even deliver what they have already announced? I suppose it will be another year when there isn't a single new-affordable camera model.

The cheapest camera you can still order from Nikon and Sony are... Zf c ($1100 kit) and a7 III (!). Canon is not a company with a history of going against the tide and they abandoned ships quicker than most of the manufacturers. I'm afraid "afforable cameras" (sub $1000) are gone like forever. Maybe there will be one or two released (and if they do that's great), but I don't EXPECT anything.
 
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AJ

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With only so many chips to go around, there was a theory that Canon would prioritize high-value items. In other words, a chip in a 1200/8 would yield more profit than one in a 16/2.8, and one in R3 more than one an RP. But the 800/5.6 and 1200/8 are already on the backburner, so clearly the prioritizing process must more complicated than simply the retail price.
 
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How can they announce new products, when they can't even deliver what they have already announced?
If the development of that product is complete, it makes sense announcing it.
Most likely, they already know they'll have issues delivering it, because the new products will probably require parts that are similar or equal to those in the other products suffering with the global supply shortage.
 
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My R3 arrived yesterday, February 28. I preordered it on September 14th, a couple of hours after preorders were first accepted. If I'm interpreting the serial number correctly, it is surprisingly low - just over 500. Is the number of units produced so far really that low?
Are you simply assuming the last six digits are sequential? If so, my R3 received in late November was produced after yours. And my EOS R ordered about four months post-launch (and delivered the next day) was about the 2000th one produced. I’m skeptical of that interpretation.
 
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Is it just me or are these camera and lens announcements from the Big 3 starting to feel like Kickstarter rollouts? Announce a tease now, get a sense for the market, tease some more, future rollout imminent, “okay! Here it is!,” orders roll in, demand is higher than expected!, we’ll get you that product anywhere from 6 months to a few years from now. I realize there’s a global pandemic and supply issues and inflation, but it sure seems to me like these corporations milk these excuses in times like this to jack up prices, get a sense for the market, have early rollouts, avoid carrying inventory, etc. Reminds me of just-in-time manufacturing, except it’s always late.
 
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calfoto

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My R3 arrived yesterday, February 28. I preordered it on September 14th, a couple of hours after preorders were first accepted. If I'm interpreting the serial number correctly, it is surprisingly low - just over 500. Is the number of units produced so far really that low?
Curious - I ordered mine from Canon USA on Dec. 6th and received it on Feb. 2nd - it’s in the 300s serially speaking.

PS - Picked up the 14-35 back in December and have been putting it to good use on the R5
 
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Are you simply assuming the last six digits are sequential? If so, my R3 received in late November was produced after yours. And my EOS R ordered about four months post-launch (and delivered the next day) was about the 2000th one produced. I’m skeptical of that interpretation.
My assumption may very well be wrong. A couple of web sites suggest that at least for EF lenses the first couple of digits of the serial number encode the month when the unit was produced and the factory where it was made. The remaining digits reset to zero each month. Maybe this is true for camera bodies as well.
 
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unfocused

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Are you simply assuming the last six digits are sequential? If so, my R3 received in late November was produced after yours. And my EOS R ordered about four months post-launch (and delivered the next day) was about the 2000th one produced. I’m skeptical of that interpretation.

My assumption may very well be wrong. A couple of web sites suggest that at least for EF lenses the first couple of digits of the serial number encode the month when the unit was produced and the factory where it was made. The remaining digits reset to zero each month. Maybe this is true for camera bodies as well.

I think your assumption is wrong. My R5 and my wife's R5 were both ordered and delivered on the same day (about a year after the R5 was introduced) and have a difference of over 200 in the serial numbers. Mine has a serial number ending in the 1500s, which means that by your calculation only 1,500 R5s were sold in the first year after they were introduced. Not bloody likely.

My R3, preordered within 10 minutes of orders being taken and shipped on opening day, has a higher serial number than yours.

Check the dates on those websites you looked at. As I recall, Canon changed it's lens numbering system several years ago and no longer identifies the city where they were assembled.
 
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Is it just me or are these camera and lens announcements from the Big 3 starting to feel like Kickstarter rollouts? Announce a tease now, get a sense for the market, tease some more, future rollout imminent, “okay! Here it is!,” orders roll in, demand is higher than expected!, we’ll get you that product anywhere from 6 months to a few years from now. I realize there’s a global pandemic and supply issues and inflation, but it sure seems to me like these corporations milk these excuses in times like this to jack up prices, get a sense for the market, have early rollouts, avoid carrying inventory, etc. Reminds me of just-in-time manufacturing, except it’s always late.

The risk they take with that is people jumping ship rather than waiting, a few months of buzz is one thing, 6months + is another story. I think the simplest explanation is the obvious, ie supply issues.
 
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bbasiaga

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Is it just me or are these camera and lens announcements from the Big 3 starting to feel like Kickstarter rollouts? Announce a tease now, get a sense for the market, tease some more, future rollout imminent, “okay! Here it is!,” orders roll in, demand is higher than expected!, we’ll get you that product anywhere from 6 months to a few years from now. I realize there’s a global pandemic and supply issues and inflation, but it sure seems to me like these corporations milk these excuses in times like this to jack up prices, get a sense for the market, have early rollouts, avoid carrying inventory, etc. Reminds me of just-in-time manufacturing, except it’s always late.
Have you noticed the pandemic? Lol. Even the grocery stores aren't fully stocked anymore.

Your 'a few years from now' comment is a bit hyperbolic. But imagine this - Canon, Sony, Nikon see the supply chain issues. Decide to hold all launches for 2, now maybe up to 3 years. What would this forum look like? "Photography is dead". "The big 3 have abandoned us" "Wow the iPhone killed the camera market way faster than we thought it would" "Better sell my gear now and find a new hobby before any more resale value is lost".
Meanwhile, Canon, Nikon and Sony camera divisions lose income, reduce development, new products take longer to develop and get released in to a market that convinced itself the sector was dead, sales go down further...

Or you can see the development advancing, but you have to wait a few months for your gear. Which is better?

You have correctly identified that just in time production is part of what caused this situation. When every part is on the critical path (is a rate-limiting part), a supply chain disruption is devastating. Add to that the consolidation to these huge/giga factories, where now parts only come from one place. Lose that and its a big problem for everyone. We've discussed this academically at work a lot . Will the business world change away from JIT and try and look to diversify suppliers to avoid this type of disruption in the future? Time will tell.

Brian
 
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Will the business world change away from JIT and try and look to diversify suppliers to avoid this type of disruption in the future? Time will tell.

Brian
Toyota invented JIT, the idea has been bastardized to not account for supply issues. If you don't get the required items in time, your 'just in time' concept failed. Most companies don't manufacture to a true JIT strategy, they manufacture to a 'don't hold any stock of any components' strategy.

Toyota know this well and have months of stock/manufacturing capacity of some critical items that can only come from one supplier.

The problem with todays supply issues is not the JIT policy, it is the fact that items normally available from several sources are not available from any source, not just microchips.
 
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Have you noticed the pandemic? Lol. Even the grocery stores aren't fully stocked anymore.

Your 'a few years from now' comment is a bit hyperbolic. But imagine this - Canon, Sony, Nikon see the supply chain issues. Decide to hold all launches for 2, now maybe up to 3 years. What would this forum look like? "Photography is dead". "The big 3 have abandoned us" "Wow the iPhone killed the camera market way faster than we thought it would" "Better sell my gear now and find a new hobby before any more resale value is lost".
Meanwhile, Canon, Nikon and Sony camera divisions lose income, reduce development, new products take longer to develop and get released in to a market that convinced itself the sector was dead, sales go down further...

Or you can see the development advancing, but you have to wait a few months for your gear. Which is better?

You have correctly identified that just in time production is part of what caused this situation. When every part is on the critical path (is a rate-limiting part), a supply chain disruption is devastating. Add to that the consolidation to these huge/giga factories, where now parts only come from one place. Lose that and its a big problem for everyone. We've discussed this academically at work a lot . Will the business world change away from JIT and try and look to diversify suppliers to avoid this type of disruption in the future? Time will tell.

Brian
You are 100% right about the competition from the iPhone. It is better to sell everything before it is too late.
However Mister Canon, let's be serious, how can you announce two super tele lenses and even start talking about a presentation of the R1 at the end of the year when orders for the R3 are still not delivered.
By delivering one R3 per month in France to retailers, most professionals will never wait another 6 months.
Who can trust Canon if an R1 is announced?
 
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By delivering one R3 per month in France to retailers, most professionals will never wait another 6 months.
Who can trust Canon if an R1 is announced?
As far as I've heard, Denmark has only received two R3 bodies - which were delivered on launch day (Nov 26).

If Canon only delivers 1 body/retailer/month, it'll be a couple of years before I get offered one, and the poor people at the end won't see an R3 for 15+ years.

I'm starting to consider if a used 1DX3 would be a good choice for me over waiting for the R3.

With the freeze problems of the R6, R5 and R3, I would think that Canon wants to iron out these problems before putting out an R1.

Personally, I don't think that we'll see an R1 this year. Not even as a development announcement.
 
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As far as I've heard, Denmark has only received two R3 bodies - which were delivered on launch day (Nov 26).

If Canon only delivers 1 body/retailer/month, it'll be a couple of years before I get offered one, and the poor people at the end won't see an R3 for 15+ years.

I'm starting to consider if a used 1DX3 would be a good choice for me over waiting for the R3.

With the freeze problems of the R6, R5 and R3, I would think that Canon wants to iron out these problems before putting out an R1.

Personally, I don't think that we'll see an R1 this year. Not even as a development announcement.
Two years ago the MkIII was the top of the line camera. According to the different photo magazines, suddenly it is not worth anything anymore, the R3 is the new reference.
I think this is pure marketing and Canon's attitude is not very clear about the delivery of the R3.
I really doubt that there is no stock somewhere.
What is certain is that the best deal at the moment is to buy used MkIIIs, also the prices of used EF lenses are falling.
MkIII is a great camera.
 
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