Prices of photo equipment go up, limited supply in upcoming months

The price of some cameras and lenses produced in Japan has gone up since the earthquake in Japan (see Nikon for example). At the same time, supply is limited and will probably stay this way in the foreseeable future. Most of the factories are open in Japan, but things are still far from being normal.

MSRP price and shortages are my expectations for this summer, especially for popular Japanese made photo equipment. Some products are already officially delayed (see Canon’s latest announcement), others like the Fuji X100 are currently in a very high demand and very short supply (Fuji halted the X100 production). FujiFilm Europe also announced potential X100 delays till late April/early May. Some units were sold on eBay for $2600 (original price: $1200). Here are the current X100 listings:

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Zeiss now shipping Compact Prime CP.2 F & MFT lenses

Zeiss today posted on their Twitter account that shipment of the Compact Prime CP.2 F & MFT lenses will start this week. The CP.2 product line was introduced in September of 2010. The different lens versions cost between $3,900 and $ $4,900. More info from zeiss.com:

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Sony NEX FS-100 video camera with E-mount

Sony announced the development of the NXCAM HD camcorder with E mount back in November of 2010. This camera is now “almost” official – the final name is Sony NEX FS-100 and it will have the same sensor as the Sony PMW-F3 camera. The kit will include an E-mount 18-200mm f/3.5–6.3 AF lens. The price will be around 4500USD.

Main specs:

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Nauticam announces NA-60D underwater housing for Canon 60D

Nauticam today announced NA-60D underwater housing for the Canon 60D DSLR camera. The USA retail price will be $3,000a and the estimated shipping date is March 31, 2011.

Full press release and images after the break:

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Is this invisible camera possible?

Updated – this is a 100% hoax since the camera will be “shipped” a week form Friday – on April 1st…

This video describes “The Invisible Camera” which is a see-through plastic box with a pinhole that can completely isolate the film from the ambient light and take a correct exposure. What do you think, it this real or a hoax?

Posted in Future of Photo Equipment| 16 Comments

Canon EOS 7D Mark II gets listed on Norwegian online store

Online store listings of unannounced products are usually not very reliable indicator of what’s coming next. Here is a Norwegian online retailer that listed the Canon 7D Mark II camera with a release date of April 20, 2011. The price is
17486 NOK (3140.30 USD). The product number 3814B031 seems to be for the existing Canon EOS 7D + 15-85mm lens combo.

Maybe another April 1st joke?

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A closer look at the RED Epic-M camera

The first RED Epic-M camera was shipped back in December of 2010 and got stolen a week later.  Here is a closer look of the $58,000 monster (this one has a serial# 98, in case it gets stolen again):

Via Engadget

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Canon patents 42x zoom lens

Canon filed a patent for a 42x zoom lens or the equivalent of 27-1116mm. This lens is obviously designed for a point & shoot camera and if Canon releases such model, it will be biggest zoom available.

Patent details:

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Zeiss 85mm f/2.0 T* ZM Sonnar lens to be discontinued?

A reader sent me a tip that the Zeiss 85mm f/2.0 T* ZM Sonnar lens is no longer listed on zeiss.com website:

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First FujiFilm X100 shipment arrives in the US, Canada and Australia

The Fujiguys got the first X100 with serial# 00001

Fujiguys tweeted today that the first Fuji X100 shipment has landed in the US, Canada and Australia:

The timing makes sense because B&H started taking X100 pre-orders three days ago and they usually  don’t release an item for sale unless there is a shipment on the way. B&H is currently sold out and are no longer taking pre-orders. Amazon is still taking pre-orders.

Posted in Fuji| Tagged | 8 Comments