Sunday, April 11, 2010

Canon Lens Prices


The Lady Bug House in Leslieville -- Canon T2i & Pentax-M 20mm f4. Larger Picture.

Last time I wrote about Panasonic lens prices, I was dismayed at the high $500 price for the 20mm f1.7 when sold by itself. Yesterday my friend Cliff showed some interest of buying the Nikon AF-S 300mm f4, and I checked the price of that lens, and then compared it to the Canon 300mm f4 IS. The $1660CAD price of the Canon version struck me like lightning. Couple years ago, this lens was $1200-$1300 CAD. The price has gone up $300 in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, this is not just one lens, but all of Canon's premium lenses.

Inflation does not increase this fast in North America. I understand the raw materials cost have gone up, but to this amount? The amount of increase can only be contributed to greed. I looked at my receipt for the EF 100-400mm L lens I bought couple years ago, and it was under $1600, today, the regular price of this item at Henry's is $1950, again, more than $300 increase. For most people, these kind of prices are just too high to afford.

For those who are on a tight budget, and want to get decent image quality, the only way to go is manual focus lenses through adapters.

2 comments:

  1. perhaps its because there actually is increased world demand at the moment.

    and of course because they can.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Yu-Lin,

    Please check your Facebook for private mail msg. :)

    As you've noted the price of new lenses, especially a Canon L series, will give you a heart-attack. Wah, you got a 100-400mm for so cheap!!

    Help me make an inherited Vivitar Series 1 - 70-210mm 1:2.8-4.0 work wonders on my Canon EOS.

    Cheers

    ReplyDelete