Best time to buy?

I was hoping someone could shed some light on if black friday/cyber monday, Christmas sales, etc. are actually beneficial for someone looking at higher end camera gear? For the first time (now that I am out of school) I can start to actually think about purchasing some of the more costly higher end gear. I am looking into a Canon 300mm f/2.8L specifically (and debating internally between picking up another 7d mk II or saving a bit more to snag a used 1dx) but wasn't sure if these sales were geared generally more for point and shoots, rebels etc. Could someone offer some insight?

Thanks,
Ben

PS if this is in the wrong forum I am sorry

You can see if there are seasonal trends to pricing for any items you're interested in on CanonPriceWatch. Below all the vendor's prices is a historical price graph. Here, I can see the 300mm is at an all time low.

As for the Cameras... save a bit. Also consider the 5Ds in addition to the 1Dx. If you don't need sports AF, consider the 6D instead. It's kind of the Rebel of the full-frame lineup, but unless you actually need sports AF tracking, or fast burst rates, you can save yourself a lot of money and have an awesome camera.

David,
That will be a very useful tool. Thanks for sharing that. Regarding that camera, I am generally shooting sports for the most part. I appreciate the advice

Ben

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Originally Posted by bludeman

I was hoping someone could shed some light on if black friday/cyber monday, Christmas sales, etc. are actually beneficial for someone looking at higher end camera gear? For the first time (now that I am out of school) I can start to actually think about purchasing some of the more costly higher end gear. I am looking into a Canon 300mm f/2.8L specifically (and debating internally between picking up another 7d mk II or saving a bit more to snag a used 1dx) but wasn't sure if these sales were geared generally more for point and shoots, rebels etc. Could someone offer some insight?

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My opinion and mine alone: skip right past the 7D2 and find a way to put a 1Dx in your bag. Night and day differences. 7D2 with 70-300L was absolutely no match for a 1Dx with 100-400II when photographing whales (admittedly in light fog) during the day on one of our cruises. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't been there myself...my wife grabbed the 1Dx/100-400 and all of a sudden I heard lots of clicking, so I grabbed the 7D2/70-300L and went out on the balcony. Lots of other times I saw or felt the 7D2 just bog down hard trying to do AI Servo when the 1Dx would hammer right through. Couple that with what I consider to be rather weak high ISO performance in the 7D2, and the little chance 7D2 had to make its way into my bag just evaporated. Not that he's a god of all things camera choice, but Peter Read Miller (a longtime Canon guy) had a 7D2 as his backup body alongside three 1Dx bodies. Did he use the 7D2 for anything "front line"? Nope, only if a 1Dx went down would he swap in the 7D2.

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Originally Posted by DavidEccleston

As for the Cameras... save a bit. Also consider the 5Ds in addition to the 1Dx. If you don't need sports AF, consider the 6D instead. It's kind of the Rebel of the full-frame lineup, but unless you actually need sports AF tracking, or fast burst rates, you can save yourself a lot of money and have an awesome camera.

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Having just said to get the 1Dx, this is actually the real story here. Think long and hard about a 5Ds/5DsR. IMHO, it's got sports-grade AF that'll match the 1Dx (it far outperforms the 5D3). I was a die-hard 1-series guy since about September 2007 when I got my 1D3, and stayed that way with a pair of 1Dx bodies in late 2013. Nowadays, though what I shoot has changed a fair amount, it's always 5DsR first, 1Dx as the spare cam. I shot a rugby tournament from the endzone with 5DsR/100-400II, while everyone else shot from the sidelines. I got the plays coming at me, and they all got sides of faces and the occasional cross-field play. I'll get a 1Dx2, but not until after I get a second 5DsR.

The generic answer for electronics is.... next month....

I have the 5d3 and rented the 5dr and side by side it feels better. I really miss the resolution as odd as thay sounds.

The endzone point is similarly made in landscapes, I can more loosely frame and then finely crop in oost if I am pondering composition.

At 5 fps and a buffer that will fill quickly one cant be as blast happy so therebus a compromise there.

If you are in need of fps the 1d is the better choice. Animals, sports etc. The other is the size. Perhaps rent a 1d for a weekend... happy clicks