Nikon Rumors is abuzz with the news of a new Nikkor AF-S 80-400 f/4.5-5.6G ED VR lens ... could this prompt Canon to announce a new version of 100-400 L IS in the near future? ... personally I doubt that Canon would.
As posted at http://nikonrumors.com/2013/03/04/nikon-announcement-this-week-2.aspx/#ixzz2MbGnbQ1z
nikon press center Nikon announcement this week
A quick update: the March 14 date is the actual Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR release date for Japan. I expect the shipping date for the two new Coolpix cameras also to be before the end of March. This means that the official announcement should be this week - probably on Wednesday or Thursday (for some reasons Nikon prefers to introduce new products in the middle of the week). The quick availability of the newly announced products makes sense - Nikon wants to sells as much as possible before the end of this quarter (March 31). This is also probably the reason why the Nikon D7100 will be available a week earlier (March 14th). The Nikon instant lens rebates were also extended till March 31st.
This lens has been long overdue for replacement - numerous patents were filed in the past and the lens had a designated internal number for years. My guess is that Nikon had this lens ready for a long time, but their current financial situation pushed them to release in now (together with the D7100 and the new DX compact camera) in order to meet their financial goals. The expected price is ¥275,000 (around $2,900, US price will be lower).
http://nikonrumors.com/#ixzz2MbHdyz00
As posted at http://nikonrumors.com/2013/03/04/nikon-announcement-this-week-2.aspx/#ixzz2MbGnbQ1z
nikon press center Nikon announcement this week
A quick update: the March 14 date is the actual Nikkor AF-S 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6G ED VR release date for Japan. I expect the shipping date for the two new Coolpix cameras also to be before the end of March. This means that the official announcement should be this week - probably on Wednesday or Thursday (for some reasons Nikon prefers to introduce new products in the middle of the week). The quick availability of the newly announced products makes sense - Nikon wants to sells as much as possible before the end of this quarter (March 31). This is also probably the reason why the Nikon D7100 will be available a week earlier (March 14th). The Nikon instant lens rebates were also extended till March 31st.
This lens has been long overdue for replacement - numerous patents were filed in the past and the lens had a designated internal number for years. My guess is that Nikon had this lens ready for a long time, but their current financial situation pushed them to release in now (together with the D7100 and the new DX compact camera) in order to meet their financial goals. The expected price is ¥275,000 (around $2,900, US price will be lower).
http://nikonrumors.com/#ixzz2MbHdyz00