Are there good Black Friday deals on Canon RF lenses?

Question

im losing my mind trying to figure out if waiting for black friday is actually worth it for canon rf glass or if im just gonna get burned by fake discounts.

ive been shooting with a beat up old rebel t6 for like five years now and finally pulled the trigger on an R6 Mark II body last month. my bank account is already crying. but now i just have the kit lens and its driving me nuts because i mostly shoot landscape and occasional low light stuff on my hikes around upstate new york. i really need something wider and sharper.

right now im torn between two options and cant decide what to do. option A is just biting the bullet today and buying the RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM at full price because my big fall foliage trip is in three weeks and i actually want good photos. option B is waiting it out until black friday and hoping canon or bh photo drops the price, maybe picking up the RF 15-35mm f/2.8L instead if the discount is deep enough, though honestly even on sale the 2.8 is pushing my absolute max budget of like 1800 bucks.

everyone online says black friday is amazing for camera gear but then i check camelcamelcamel and half the time the holiday deals are just the exact same prices they have been all summer with a red sale tag slapped on them. plus im worried if I wait too long everything will go on backorder and ill be stuck with nothing for my trip.

has anyone actually tracked rf lens prices during past black fridays? am i an idiot for waiting or should i just buy the damn lens now so i can stop stressing out

Eli Stehlik · Accepted Answer

Saw this earlier but just now getting back to you. Congrats on the R6 Mark II upgrade anyway, huge step up from the Rebel. Regarding the glass situation, do not wait for the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM or the Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8L IS USM to drop on Black Friday. Canon's pricing control on L series stuff is notoriously tight. Here is what you actually need to consider:Retailers usually just recycle standard instant rebates during November. You are looking at fifty to maybe a hundred bucks off, not massive clearance savings.The fall foliage trip in three weeks is your main constraint. Missing the photos you actually want just to save a tiny fraction on a backordered lens is not worth the headache.If the 2.8 version pushes your max budget to eighteen hundred bucks, taxes will likely break that limit anyway since MSRP sits well above it even used. Check out Canon's official Refurbished store if you want a reliable alternative. They restock the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM fairly often with the exact same one-year warranty as new gear, which is how I got mine cheaper without waiting around for fake holiday sales. Grab the lens now, enjoy your hike up north, and dont stress over the nonexistent holiday discounts.

EHDevin · Answer

Congrats on the R6 Mark II upgrade, thats a massive jump from a Rebel. Honestly, do not wait for Black Friday on Canon RF glass because the discounts are usually pretty weak. Canon keeps tight control on pricing for their L series stuff, so you rarely see massive drops. Since your foliage trip is in three weeks, just grab the Canon RF 14-35mm f/4L IS USM now so you actually have it in hand. The f/4 version is insanely sharp for landscapes and way lighter for hiking anyway. You really dont want to be refreshing tracking numbers stressed out the night before your trip. Buy it, use it, and enjoy the views up in upstate NY without any regrets.

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Are there good Black Friday deals on Canon RF lenses?