Canon International Pricing
 

Canons latest releases have gone on Pre Order at the same price in Dollars as they are in Sterling. 1699 for the 7D and 1099 for the 100mm Macro IS. Now I know that these are at pre release prices and that they will fall, but that is as true for the UK as it is for the US market, and I know that in the UK we are taxed to death, but this example of rip off Britain is sad to see. Do Canon think we don't notice? I'm sure that other manufacturers are just as bad, but all it will do in my case is encourage me to buy my camera equipment in a foreign country.

One caveat - If you do buy gear outside of Europe Camera bodies are not guaranteed, but all other items carry international warranty.

I think you will find Canon will always quote RRP from their websites. When goods hit the stores they generally sell below RRP after the initial surge and prices level out. As most International corporations trade according to money market conditions, the divide between exchange rates becomes irrelevant.

I think Canon (more than the other manufacturers) have gone mad with their pricing recently.

When they released the EOS 500D it was more expensive, body only, than an EOS 50D. Yes the price fell but are the really that stupid?!

It has always been Rip-off Britain. It seems they think that 1$=£1, unfortunately we will still pay these inflated prices and they know it. Regretably I don't think it is likely to change in the near future

Canon Prices
 

I have seriously considered selling all my canon gear and going over to Nikon, Pentax or Ricoh. I am sick to death of shopping around for canon gear and finding the prices way outside my income budget. This week alone I have just received a wireless transmitter for my EX 580 MK2 FLASH GUN AND Canon 40D from Hong Kong total cost £24.99 the kit also includes shutter release and leads to fire studio flash. Now while I accept that the build quality of most of canons gear is superior a transmitter is just that and I think the cheapest I found the Canon transmitter for was £169, and it does the one job. I also have other examples I am using a battery pack for my 40D which is very tough and durable also from Hong Kong £80.00. I am now after a Pro camera with full size sensor and also a Pro lense and each item if I go with canon is going to take me a year or more to save for by which time something better will be out and I won't be able to afford it so I will have to save up for another year by which time something better will be out and I won't be able to afford it and so I will have to save up for a year................................

You're not really going to be any better off going to Nikon. Their prices are pretty much comparable for most accessories.

I thought comparable Nikon gear was somewhat cheaper. I am not sure but I think their 300s is comparable to the Canon 5D mk2 and it is about £1000.00 cheaper. I should point out that I don't follow Nikon that closely but I'm sure thats the case if I'm wrong could someone correct me and at the sametime tell me what is comparable to the Canon 5D

[QUOTE=frank231160;3324]I thought comparable Nikon gear was somewhat cheaper. I am not sure but I think their 300s is comparable to the Canon 5D mk2 and it is about £1000.00 cheaper. I should point out that I don't follow Nikon that closely but I'm sure thats the case if I'm wrong could someone correct me and at the sametime tell me what is comparable to the Canon 5D[/QUOTE]

The 300s is a long way from comparable to a 5D II. The new 7D is perhaps the closest competetor to the 300s (but pitched a little above it, with the 50D pitched a little below), while the closest match (if you ignore a few features on either side) to the 5D II is the D700 which are fairly similarly priced (5D II £1850 at Amazon, D700 £1724 at Jacobs). However it's worth noting that Nikon and Canon rarely go head to head with their camera bodies, as they tend to alternate each other based on both price and features.

For lenses, here's a few examples

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM available for around £940
Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G ED available for £1155

Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS USM £1340
Nikon AF-S VR 70-200mm f/2.8G IF-ED £1399

Canon EF 135mm f2.0 L USM £750
Nikon AF DC 135mm f/2 £935

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM £568
Nikon AF-S DX 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G ED £655

Accessories

Canon Battery Grip BG-E2N for 40D £116
Nikon MB-D200 Battery Grip £115

Nikon DR-6 Right-angle Viewfinder £208
Canon Angle Finder C £129

Nikon WT-2 Wireless Transmitter £412
Nikon WT-3 Wireless Transmitter £379
Canon WFT-E3 Wireless File Transmitter for 40D £699
Canon WFT-E2A Wireless Transmitter for 1D Mark III £699
Canon WFT-E4 Wireless Transmitter £799

As you can see, it's swings and roundabouts and by no means is either system cheaper than the other, so really not worth basing a decision on cost. Both systems are fantastic with great cameras and lens systems, but neither system is cheap and nor are their accessories.

Thanks for that I didn't realise that Nikon were no different than Canon but those numbers speak for themselves. I have a sneaky suspicion I've chosen an expensive hobby and the wrong country to practise in.
Thanks for your feedback, very helpful and informative.

Whats your opinion on Sigma pro lenses and do they match those of Canon ?

[QUOTE=frank231160;3330]Whats your opinion on Sigma pro lenses and do they match those of Canon ?[/QUOTE]

I've got a Sigma 10-20 and 30mm. They're both EX (and both for crop cameras), and build quality is great but no where near that of my 17-40L. Image quality is great too, but again not near the quality of an L lens. But they're also a lot cheaper, and if you compare them to similarly priced Canon consumer lenses they compete very well and I'm very happy with mine. So if you're on a budget then I'd say to definitely consider the EX range.