All of us have sensed the disruptions caused by the disasters in Japan in one way or another. Photo District News Online has an extensive article describing some of the photo related shortages and complications it is creating for some photographers. Other commentators have suggested these events are likely to skew sales data as well, and if company executives don’t interpret the information carefully they may make unfortunate decisions that won’t pan out very well in the long run.
But there is some good news. Canon has indicated they expect their supply chain to return to normal by the end of June. In addition, they have updated their USA release plan for several new lenses as follows:
EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM – Late July 2011
EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM – Late August 2011
EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM – Late August 2011
EF 500mm F4L IS II USM – December 2011
EF 600mm F4L IS II USM – December 2011
Even though the prices of these new lenses (particularly the telephotos) will be stratospheric, I expect demand to be intense. Just another example of equipment getting better all the time even as the cost of ownership escalates.