Nikkor 70-200 F/2.8. Old lens, nw prices?

[JerryPH]

Has anyone looked at the prices of the Nikkor 70-200 F/2.8 lately? I bought mine NEW for $1710Cdn delivered to Canada just before Christmas '07 (no, its not a greymarket one either, I have the full warranty). Amazon is showing prices of $2298US plus delivery!

What the heck? I feel bad for all the people that want to get this lens now. I wonder what happened to drive up the prices that much. I mean, we are looking at a 35% increase in a 3 month period (currency conversion not included, but border fees, and all taxes are in the price I paid). Yikes! :shock:

If I was still in the market today (and I am *SO* glad I bought it before Christmas!), I would be seriously looking at the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 EX DG APO HSM for under $700. Already at a $1000 difference, I was borderline hard pressed to make the decision, but at a $1400 difference, I think Nikon *deliberately wants* to shoot themselves in the foot.

What do you guys think?

 

[Mav]

It's been widely rumored that there's a new Nano coated version of this lens coming out, and supply has been drying up which supports the theory I guess. They've been hard to find. A quick Google shopping search shows that most places are selling at around US$1700-1800 which is normal. It's another question if they have any stock or not, though. The Amazon price was not through Amazon directly but through a third-party seller which I've never heard of, so I'd take that like a grain of salt.

The sagging dollar isn't going to help those in the US with equipment prices, but I hear it's far worse in Europe and the UK. A lot of that is VAT though I think.

 

[KOrmechea]

Some where, I read that these lenses aren't produced year-round. That may have something to do with it.