Release of Canon 500mm & 600mm f4 L IS II Lenses

[Babu]

I'm interested in well-founded rumours regarding the release dates for the new Canon 500mm & 600mm f4 L IS II lenses.
They were announced in late 2010 and scheduled for a 2011 release.
No projected prices were mentioned.
Can anyone help?

[Xenedis]

Only Canon knows when it is going to announce availability of the new 500mm and 600mm super-teles, and the RRP/MSRP.

[Babu]

Naturally your comment is correct, Xenedis ! Thank you for your prompt response.
However, I've seen some pretty accurate release forecasts for other photography products on forums in the recent past and was hoping some industry insider
could shed some light on this one.

[Wobbles]

Hi Babu,
according to B&H...
500mm II - US$9.5k - May 2011
600mm II - US$12k - June 2011
Not taking pre-orders yet so take with a grain of salt..

hmmm.. how to raise $10k in 3 months

Cheers
John

[Gollum]

For this type of question you should use the Canon Rumors site.

http://www.canonrumors.com/

Hope this helps

[Babu]

Hi John,
I'm regularly on the B&H site but I clearly missed this heads up.
Like you, I need to do some inspired budgeting, find a benefactor, or win Gold Lotto!
Hopefully, you're right with the release date and a grain of salt is not needed.

[Babu]

Hi Gollum,
Is the Canon Rumours site better than using a palantir?
My quest is to have one of these two lenses in the near future without being seen by the eye of Mordor ( my Minister for Finance).

[Gollum]

Hi Gollum,
My quest is to have one of these two lenses in the near future without being seen by the eye of Mordor ( my Minister for Finance).

If you think you can hide a few thousand dollar purchase from the MOF, you must have the brains of an Awk.

Confess your sins and plead for mercy.

[Art Vandelay]

Hi Gollum,
Is the Canon Rumours site better than using a palantir?
.

I doubt it. The new 200-400 with 1.4 converter was missed altogether by them until canon annnounced it. which means they don't have 'inside' sources, more like lots of internet wannabes.

[mongo]

..Can anyone help?

Maybe the bank of England --- if the bank can get a loan.

Mongo has been looking at mint second hand versions of the earlier models which are about $5000 to $6500 - much better value.

[Gollum]

I doubt it. The new 200-400 with 1.4 converter was missed altogether by them until canon annnounced it. which means they don't have 'inside' sources, more like lots of internet wannabes.

From watching CR over the years they seem to get the new camera bodies correct. After all, Canon have a number of Pro-photographers field testing them. You will often see at major sporting events (Australian Open etc) a couple of pros with a body that don’t look right. These are often test bodies that Canon is field trialing.

When it comes to lens Canon don’t do field trials so most people seem to be guessing. It wasn’t too hard to guess the new IS II primes, once they started the update everybody knew that they would be doing the entire family.

What Canon seem to do is develop the new lens in their top-secret labs and once they are happy with the product make the announcement. It will often be 6 to 12 months after the announcement before you will see the new lens.

There is one source of lens info that CR is good at finding and that is patents. The problem with a patent is that it may be about a new lens or something in the lens. So if they do a patent for a EF 1200 f4 IS USM, they may only be patenting a new technology within the lens and never release such a product.

With a radically new lens like the EF 70-200 f4 IS 1.4TC, CR didn’t see anything before hand, not even a patent.

If you watch the CR site you will often get a Canon pricing and delivery announcement within hours of Canon posting the press release. I don’t think the guy who runs the site sleeps.

Canon are very good a keeping secrets.

[Babu]

Hi again Gollum,
Thanks for the kick in the pants. However, I assure you that I don't do clandestine purchases.
Yes, it could be a bit hard to explain that line in the bank statement and the sudden appearance of the lens during a shoot could produce Auk-ward moments!
My Minister for Finance was amused by your comment.
I must admit I haven't been on the Canon Rumours site for quite a while but promise to do so soon.
What do they have to say about the impending release of the 1Ds IV body ( or should I ask this on another thread)?

[Gollum]

Hi Babu

I really liked the Eye of Mordor analogy, so I thought I would play along.

As for the new Canon bodies.

Canon has stated that what’s coming will be new, some have added radically different. There are some rumours that the new 5D will replace the 1Ds.

Current Rumors are:

Test bodies have been seen; but that always happens.
5D III - Anytime from spring 2011 to mid fall 2011 (US Time)
1Ds IV – 2012 with the 1D IV to follow.

So far the specs for each body have just shown more mega pixels and AF points, nothing that I would call new. As releases are almost always timed for trade shows like the PMA the speculation goes over the top just before each event.

I think the next trade show is in April... so we wait and see.

[Xenedis]

However, I've seen some pretty accurate release forecasts for other photography products on forums in the recent past and was hoping some industry insider
could shed some light on this one.

Those who know don't talk, and those who talk don't know.

[Babu]

Those who know don't talk, and those who talk don't know.

I thank you , Xenedis, for contributing - quite a few who viewed this thread didn't bother. However, it is easy (some call it wise) to bask in the security of old adages.
I give credit to the knowledge gathering capacity of the many people of many walks of life who contribute to this forum and who are prepared to go out on a limb and venture a considered opinion based on clues to hand. Ultimately, we may all be proved wrong by Canon but we at least had a bit of fun with our conjectures.

[MarkChap]

Hi Babu
Current Rumors are:

Test bodies have been seen; but that always happens.
5D III - Anytime from spring 2011 to mid fall 2011 (US Time)
1Ds IV – 2012 with the 1D IV to follow.

The 1D Mk IV has been available for a while now

[MarkChap]

I'm interested in well-founded rumours regarding the release dates for the new Canon 500mm & 600mm f4 L IS II lenses.

I thank you , Xenedis, for contributing - quite a few who viewed this thread didn't bother. However, it is easy (some call it wise) to bask in the security of old adages.
I give credit to the knowledge gathering capacity of the many people of many walks of life who contribute to this forum and who are prepared to go out on a limb and venture a considered opinion based on clues to hand. Ultimately, we may all be proved wrong by Canon but we at least had a bit of fun with our conjectures.

You first off ask for "Well Founded" rumour and then complain when very few people reply.
I would hazard a guess that not many people replied because they didn't have the information you were after, just as those that have replied, don't have the information either.
I will talk to my Canon rep tomorrow and see if I can glean any real information for you.

[Gollum]

The 1D Mk IV has been available for a while now

Sorry Typo... should have used cut&paste

[Xenedis]

I thank you , Xenedis, for contributing - quite a few who viewed this thread didn't bother.

I suspect that those who didn't bother posting here simply don't have the answers.

And those of us who did post also don't have the answers.

On the off-chance that anyone reading this thread actually does know when Canon is launching the new lenses, such a person would be extremely unlikely to say so, as it's information almost certainly subject to a non-disclosure agreement.