If you follow general photography industry news, (not just nerdy camera press releases, but the boring financials and other stuff) …then you’ve probably already heard about Canon’s MAP (Minimum Advertised Price) rules that were going to go into effect.  Well, yesterday it became offiicial, and so those latest  slashes in Canon pricing have gone back up to their original prices.  To be specific, $2,200 and $3,500 respectively.  OUCH!
Discussions on Amazon.com and CanonRumors.com have shed a little more light on this practice.  Actually, it happens in many industries now.  So while Canon buyers may throw up their arms in rage and hope to be able to bring about some sort of change, this new MAP policy is probably here to stay.
From here on out, it is going to be very important to keep an eye out for official rebates and other potential sales. Â Currently on B&H, there is in fact still a $400 instant rebate for the 5D mk2, and a $200 instant rebate for the 5D mk3, among others including a $400 rebate on the now $2500 Canon 70-200 2.8.
Speaking of rebates, Nikon just announced their November rebates, as if they’re trying to sprinkle a little salt on the wounds of Canon buyers.  Nikon has a nifty little chart for it’s rebates, for those who like neat visual organizations of all their money-saving opportunities.  😛  (BTW, for those of you who are wondering, Nikon has already been enforcing a MAP policy for a while now, so we are not at risk of a similar price hike-  We’ve already taken that painful hit!
Click HERE to see the rebates on B&H. Â Or, for those of you in the UK, click HERE to visit their new official cashback page…
Take care,
=Matt=
