Should we stop waiting for the Canon Spring rebates now?

[joelh47]

May 15th has come and gone, and I can't find any mention of an actual Canon

spring rebate program for 2007 anywhere. I had hoped to save $200-$300 on a 5D,

and I would still wait until the end of May if I thought it would do any good.

Bob Atkins mentioned in another thread that we should give up all hope of a

rebate this spring if it wasn't announced by the 15th, but even Bob doesn't

claim to know everything that Canon has planned. Maybe the fact that no one

else has asked this question after the 15th should tell me something, but I

would appreciate a couple of opinions anyway.

 

Joel

[jang_soo_lee]

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1029&thread=23221625

 

Looks like lens rebates only.

[davyjo]

Glad I didn't wait to buy the 17-55mm. I have extracted more than $50 use out of it in the last six weeks.

[erictomenga]

I was going to buy the 400mmL or the 100mm-400mmL but decided to get the 100m macro lens instead. If I did buy the L series I would have been upset that I missed the rebate. Maybe I'll try to pick up the 400mm before the end of the rebate.

[ci_p]

My opinion is that rebates are not in my best interests. I think rebates are evil, and are an invention of a marketing devil, to frustrate and annoy customers. I've never bought anything with a rebate, and hope never to do so in the future. I also wonder why US people are such rebate masochists, willing to undergo such uncertainty, doubt, abuse and tribulation in the hope their rampant consumption is rewarded with a small cheque from the manufacturing gods.

[brucecyr]

"I also wonder why US people are such rebate masochists, willing to undergo such uncertainty, doubt, abuse and tribulation in the hope their rampant consumption is rewarded with a small cheque from the manufacturing gods."

 

Have you not heard we are the most religious Western society :-)

 

They be false gods, but by God, they're our gods!

[joelh47]

Ah well, you snooze, you lose (re: the rebates thst ended in February). But it looked like B&H has dropped their price on a 5D by $100 from what it was last week, so it was a little less painful when I placed my order for one a few minutes ago.

 

ci p, I agree with much of what you say about rebates, but I disagree about two things: Rebates that save 10-20% off an item that costs around $3000 is a pretty significant savings, and in my case would have covered the cost of the battery grip and CF card that I purchased with it, and therefore would be in my best interest. Also, I don't think purchasing an item that is intended for professional use, i.e. a tool for generating income, would be considered "rampant consumption."

 

Joel

[miklosphoto]

Hi ci p,

well, here's a good reason why buy something with a rebate. I am planning to buy the 85mm f/1.2. Now if I get it $100 cheaper, I can spend those bucks on insuring my equipment for example, buying extended warranty or just buying whatever I like or just keep those extra bucks on my savings account. Anyone out there wants $100 bucks?

Oh and by the way, I have been purchasing Canon equipment with rebate for the last three years and never ever had any problem with receiving the rebate check form Canon in a timely manner.

I guess if you are buying a Canon lens without a rebate you are contributing more money to the "manufacturing gods".

And by the way, I think it has nothing to with western society. I think people count money the same way in East and West, South and North.

Miklos

[PuppyDigs]

"CI ponders, "I also wonder why US people are such rebate masochists, willing to undergo

such uncertainty, doubt, abuse and tribulation in the hope their rampant consumption is

rewarded with a small cheque from the manufacturing gods."

 

Why waste deep thoughts on such? Instead, consider the ramifications of world peace and the

plight of less fortunate humans. You could be saving the whales...

[bobatkins]

The "instant rebate" scheme on lenses will be officially announced tomorrow. As far as I know there will be no rebates on any camera body.

 

I don't have full details of the "instant rebate" scheme but it looks like you'll get the discount when you buy the lens and the dealers will get the rebate back from Canon. That should please those who are tired of chasing rebates administered by shady 3rd party fulfillment centers.

 

Sad to say, if you wanted a 5D you should have bought it in January.

[ci_p]

I see rebates as an unnatural perversion of a traditional consumer relationship where you PAY MONEY and you GET STUFF. No, with mail in rebates, the manufacturer, gets to set up a nice obstacle course, with a nice piece of cheese for the nice little mice that are lucky enough, or persevere enough to make it through.

 

Personally, if I were running a rebate scheme in the USA, I'd raise the bar a bit, make the instructions difficult to understand, or maybe require the correct solution to an enclosed puzzle or a handwritten essay on some topical subject as a pre-condition for successful rebate processing. The bar would start really low to begin, but become higher over time, until at last I'd never have to send out any rebate cheques at all.

 

As a consumer, I don't want the trouble / risk of doing the rebate song and dance, and I don't want to pay an obviously inflated price for something, so I end up not buying that thing. I buy something else, or buy it used, or whatever.

 

Is there a difference, though between an "instant rebate" and a lower price?

[m_barbu1]

<p><i>Why waste deep thoughts on such? Instead, consider the ramifications of world peace and the plight of less fortunate humans. You could be saving the whales...</i></p><p>I prefer to eat my marine mammals and porpoises with whole peas, not those of the whirled variety. ;-)</p>

[joelh47]

I wonder if this is an indicator that there will be an update to the 5D and/or the 30D in the fall?

[14mm 2.8l]

I follow a variety of new equiptment. B&H had the Nikon D200 for $1348. Nikon now has a $100 instant rebate and B&H raised the price to $1449. So now its just a buck more than last week, after $100 "instant rebate". Seeing this, I expect the same exact upward price bump will occur at B&H for eos glass. About once a month I write down all the Eos lens prices. Write down B&H prices for your self and lets see what happens when the eos "instant rebates" happen. Kinda pointless waiting for this promo, maybe this fall canon and B&H will fill my $5K want list? Not a need list so I can continue to wait and watch. 300 2.8L IS was $3750 on February 23rd and now its $3899. Whereas 5D dropped $100 past few days to $2699.

 

Looks like hassling with the canon rebates likely provides a better deal. Live & Learn.

 

Lindy

[PuppyDigs]

CI chrirps, "Personally, if I were running a rebate scheme in the USA, I'd raise the bar a bit,

make the instructions difficult to understand..."

 

Canon thought of that already. Many Americans have difficultly reading at grade school

levels, so making a camera manual or rebate instructions difficult to understand is a piece of

cake. In fact, many lose their rebates for that very reason. If that doesn't get you, the fine

print will nail the sight impaired.

[14mm 2.8l]

I've updated my B&H eos pricing list.

 

About 1/2 of the eos glass I track is already up! Biggest jump 600mm f4 IS was $6999.95 now $7200 and 400 2.8 IS was 6299 now $6500. Most increases are $20 to $50 per lense like the 70-200 2.8 L was $1089 now $1140 so its up $51 since Feb 23rd 2007.

 

Lindy

[jacob_brown]

"I wonder if this is an indicator that there will be an update to the 5D and/or the 30D in the fall?"

 

Probably both. Right around the time Nikon comes out with the D3.

[mark u]

See this thread:

 

http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00LBEo