If you weren't already invested would you

I already did this once.......and came back.

No comparison between Nikon and Canon.

I would go Nikon. It's worth every penny more.

GenoP

 

My eyebrows went up when I saw $2399 MSP last night. And from what I read (although this may have changed), we get a relatively good deal in the US compared to other countries.

Like tuitions and health care, where will this end? When we can't or won't afford the gear and Nikon's sales plummet?

 

I would pay more for better quality.

Trouble is I don't have the extra money.

Sell a few at a nice profit or sell many at a lower profit?

I think Nikon is making a big mistake by not trying to sell many at a lower profit.

I guess I will have Lens Lust for the foreseeable future and not the actual lens...

 

a couple of points:

-this price hikes are due to global events affecting all companies. there is no indication canon won't follow. In fact they have raised prices, not as severely as nikon but I think nikon is overeacting more.

-just like the global events came they will eventualy go and hopefully things should return back to normal. There is no reason to freak out much.

Now by all accounts I'm not invested, but I'm indeed dissapointed and have put off buying decisions until things return to normal. hopefully they will. It's a shame really, nikon should be enticing customers with rebates and more competitive prices.

I can tell you this, nikon has far nicer products which canon doesn't, even if they do have some nikon lacks. Until that doesn't change there is little reason for me to look at their stuff. Having said that, if the price difference continues to grow and extend over more than a year, I may have to revise my priorities. If nikon wants to outprice me they can, and will. But again, I see this as an isolated spike that should soon clear out. or maybe I'm too optimistic....

 

Just saw that that 600VR is $10,299 at B&H and Adorama! And the Canon is $7,900. A $2,400 difference is quite considerable. Think I'll hold on to my 600AFSII I got for $5,900 which is in great shape.

 

The way i justify buying Nikkor is by looking at prices of Leica & Zeiss lenses.
Nikkor is a real steal in comparison.

 

Randy,

I'm in the "starting out" boat and I'm in a position right now where I can make the switch to Canon without any financial hardship. I'm really considering doing it...

 

I see more ads on Craigslist saying they are switching from Nikon to Canon, in fact I don't recall seeing it the other way ever. I used to think they were crazy but they may be on to something here. I think the price hike has hindered my growth with Nikon and that is a shame because I love my gear. The late 2008 price for a 70-200 was possible for me, its simply too high now and has been since Feb 09.

 

Have you compared prices of new Canon lenses? How much does a Canon 200/2 cost compared to Nikon? Or Canon 800mm compared to Nikon's superteles?

When Canon gets around to updating their superteles, the prices will be as high as Nikons. Both companies are raising prices, it's pretty obvious, just look at the newly released lenses, like Canon's tilt shifts, or their new 24/1.4, all of them are much, much more expensive than the previous versions.


One more thing, 99,9% of users, will never own a 400/2.8 or 600/4. For me personally, the problem with Nikon is not the prices, it's the pathetic lens lineup.

 

In my area, all I see for sale on CL is Canon stuff.. Does that mean that it is more popular, and being traded more, or that they are getting rid of it to switch?

 

I do so by telling myself (and my wife who's getting tired of this) by saying this is the last time for awhile. Now my pocketbook is starting to talk to me..
Pretty soon my wife won't.

 

The "but, but, look at the economy!!" explanation only goes so far... It's starting to get somewhat ridiculous.

Nikon really is pricing themselves out of the market.

Some examples:

Nikon D300+16-85VR vs Canon 50D+17-85IS: €1860 vs €1312. That's a 548 euro difference!! Hell, you can buy a 50D+17-55 2.8 for 1700 and some change.

Nikon D90+18-200VR kit vs Canon 500D+18-200IS kit: €1494 vs €1078. That's a €419 difference.

In the high end things somewhat even out. D700+24-70 vs 5DmkII+24-70 is still a €200 difference in favour of the 5D.

Consumers really do NOT care about the minute optical and ergonomic differences, that may or be not be superior on the Nikon side. Those price differences cancel out ANY advantage that Nikon may or may not offer for the average consumer.

I don't think I need to give any examples when it comes to lenses. We all know the price differences...

As for the prices coming down again... I doubt it. They use the current economic climate as an excuse to increase prices (EXTREMELY overinflated price hikes if I may add). Once people are used to the higher prices and if they reach their projected sales and profit (and don't loose to much market share). Why lower the prices ?

Conclusion: if I were to buy into a new system today, as a consumor that doesn't really have any loyalty to a certain brand, it would take a lot to convince me to buy into the Nikon system.

Even as a life long Nikon user I'm putting off buying new stuff. I buy second hand whenever I can though*. Buying new is useless. Lenses rarely break.

* I always buy bodies new, lenses second hand, save for a few exceptions like 35/2 for the oil-issue.

 

I think I'm clinging to the possibly ridiculous notion that prices might come down a bit...