ahem…
Not all advertised sales, discounts, and price drops are in fact reductions to the normal price of a lens. B&H and Adorama are messing with you a bit before Black Friday and Cyber Monday fully hits the interwebs.
I have some examples below of when and advertised price drop is not in fact a price drop…
Pricing Guide for Canon Lenses
The Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens is priced at $749… that is its regular price and is not a discount or sale. Anything below $749 for a new 100mm macro is a good deal and anything above $800 is not. You are most likely not going to see this lens price below $749.
The Canon 24 – 70mm f/2.8L II is priced at $1699… that is its normal price, it is not on sale or discounted. If you see the lens for anything under $1699 new then you’re getting a deal. The price in 2017 has regularly flipped from $1699 to $1749.
The Canon 50mm f/1.2L is priced at $1299… that is $50 below its normal price. The lens normally sells for $1349. If you see the 50mm f/1.2L for $1299 or below then you’re getting a deal… not a great one, but still.
The Canon 85mm f/1.2L II is listed at $1849 which is the normal price… anything below $1849 is probably the best deal you’ll get. $1749 would be an okay price.
The Canon 17 – 40mm is listed at $749… which is again the normal price. It is always priced at $749 and is one of Canon’s ‘value L’ lenses. If you can get this lens for anything under $749 then you’re doing well.
The Canon 70 – 200mm f/2.8 L II is listed at $1899 which is the normal, full, price that Canon wants for this lens. This is the second, new, version of the lens so if you can find this lens discounted at all then you’ve got yourself a deal.
The Canon 70 – 200mm f/2.8 L is listed at $1249 which is again the normal price Canon wants for the older version of this lens. You should be able to find a better deal for this lens… maybe $200 off. If you can snag the lens for anything below $1199 you’re getting a deal.
Be careful out there guys… do your research, don’t be hasty, get real deals.