There is a brand new deal in USA: You can save up to $800 on MFT lenses. To see the deal click over at the Amazon deal page (Click here) or at BHphoto (Click on Buy Together & Save link).
You save $200 INSTANTLY on any of the four lenses below when purchased with an OM-D or PEN® camera. And you can go up to $800 off:
Buy one lens – save $200.
Buy two – save $400.
Buy three – save $600.
Buy all four – save $800!
Offer vaild between December 6 – 31, 2013.
P.S.: Still running, the Panasonic Lens savings (Click here).
47 Responses
Anyone know if you bought the E-M1 and 75mm lens together 2 weeks ago, would Amazon refund?
Just write to their customer services department politely, and ask if they could issue you a partial refund reflecting the offer, rather than you having to ship back and re-order.
Offer does not seem to be stackable. I added two lenses, and cart only reduced by $200.
Sorry, not stackable on Amazon. B&H works fine.
nice deal…why similar never in europe 🙁
Yeah, this sucks.
In Europe Olympus gear is way to expensive.
But dont people who live in europe countries get paid in euros? So they are worth more than our money so its the same really
Just because you earn 40k dollar per year doesn’t mean that the same job is paid with 40k Euro in Europe 😉
yeah I guess because of the tax
Umm, no, not because of tax, but because it just doesn’t work that way.
You’re right. In Switzerland you would get paid more, and in a currency even better than the Euro.
Sounds good, so in Switserland are cameras expensive and what other currency is there?
Yep, really getting sick of it.
For instance, Ii the US the Oly 75/1.8 is $850, or €650, while in NL in all shops you have to pay €1000. And in the US they give a further discount? Don’t understand it anymore 🙁
Cost of living and wages are lower in the US, sales tax is much lower (and not charged on internet sales) while VAT is included in the price(up to 20%?!) of many European countries. USA is a much, much larger market than any individual euro country, which all seem to have varying prices that are set by local branches of camera manufactures. These are the basic reasons why prices differ.
Norway for instance has the highest cost of living per country, the US is something like the 30th, and the values are not even close. http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/rankings_by_country.jsp
Plus you guys seem to pay the prices, so they are happy to continue charging them. Stop buying gear collectively and you’ll probably see the prices drop. =)
I just got my EM-1 today, have not opened the box yet. Wonder how B&H will do? as my 12-40 will come on Monday. And too bad they don’t open Friday afternoon and Saturday. Hope it’s OKAY if I open the camera box. Hope they will refund, also how about adding 9-18mm too?
My guess is if you call B&H they will credit you the $200. I doubt they would want to deal with a return. They are pretty good with that stuff.
I got the $200 rebate, but this would have certainly been easier. I would have even considered buying the 75mm, but I think I’ll wait for now.
@Berneck … thank you
USA getting subsidised by the rest of the world again.
If Oly pulled out of the US market altogether they could make more profit by avoiding the cost and loss of trying to buy a market share. A market share where a philosophy of ‘bigger is better’ prevails. Any profit made in the EU and Asia disappears into a big void in the US for no apparent return.
A big market does not guarantee profitability. A high volume of sales does not guarantee profitability. Concentrating in areas where your product is accepted and feteing your users in that area stands a better chance.
No guarantees of profitability, but even here Olympus sells WAY above marginal costs, meaning that their fixed costs get distributed between larger number of sales, increasing total profitability.
But a camera is a luxury toy. Your government taxes cameras to subsidize health care, which is an essential necessity. Want to compare costs of these things? And it is expensive here not for some good reason, but only so doctors and insurance companies executives can be rich.
My government does not tax cameras on import, as with most items there is no import duty. There is a 10% tax on all goods and services and all advertised prices must include the 10% tax, advertising any price without the tax is illegal. And yes, I, and every one here can get free health care as well, no questions, no form filling, no stigma. Though most have private health insurance as well.
I just bought an E-M1 and a 17mm lens total, US $1740 inc tax. No factory discounts, no rebates, no cost on anyone else. But I did not get a lens cap with the lens. Damn!
Looks like a good price, in the US you would pay $1,800 for that. Plus state taxes in many cases. So what are you complaining about?
If the world did not subsidise the US it would have been cheaper. If for example IF. If the US is such a vast market and 50% of the worlds product is sold there, then Oly giving $200 off each lens and with the body subsidies often given. I should have been able to buy the 17mm $100 cheaper and the body about $100 cheaper as well. Every one who bought in the EU should have got a 150 euro reduction each. These rebates are at the cost of product in other countries. They are not given by the retailer they are given by Olympus.
The market is also ‘boxed in’. This being illegal in most of the world. What do I mean ‘boxed in’. Amazon will not take orders for camera equipment for delivery outside the US, so the product is ‘boxed in’.
Then, Jim, if you don’t like Olympus policies don’t buy their product, and if you don’t like Amazon policies don’t shop there. You’re a free man, don’t put up with it. Or if instead you choose to put up with it, accept your choice without blaming everyone else. Life’s too short.
Ronin. go suck eggs.
I am commenting on price discrepancy and greed from some retailers/dealers.
If comments are never made there will never be any changes in the world. Just going somewhere else is not the answer. It seems to becoming a standard American reply to comments that are not liked.
Not disputing you Jim, but I always buy online out of Hong Kong from a few Ebay stores that I trust. I get free shipping and prompt time frames. Current US Olympus special deal for an E-M5 with weather sealed 12-50mm is $1099, Current best prices from Hong Kong for the same kit, new is $857. I understand people worry about warranty and the rest, but the savings really add up and so far I haven’t had a problem.
Hey Matt, do you mind mentioning which ebay store you Refer to?
Thanks!
I don’t want to post the links here because I feel that might be doing a disservice to the operator of this forum. But I like Dzone2 the best, but the current cheapest deals are from QD Shopping Centre.
In Argentina, you have el 35% tax to buy via internet or using your credit card abroad and 50% tax on import goods among other taxes and fees.
That’s totally wrong Horacio, if you can’t fight it rip off the system any way you can.
Well, that’s why I stopped writing; it would be self incriminatory.
Creativity is strong here my friend.
Hong Kong has lost a lot of its cost benefit. Years ago it was cheap. Today the operators tend to look at local world pricing and use that as a guide. Hence some sellers having different ebay sites for different locations. For me many of them (ebay and on line) have priced themselves out of the market, Digital Rev being an example. Just the same, many US companies have hiked their post prices so high they are out of the market as well. Its not just post price making the cost as some others quote reasonable post prices. Adorama post price for a small item $130 a smaller competitor $35 When I questioned the post they said it was government regulation. When I pointed out the other companies price, they chose not to respond.
There are some great deals on line in the most unexpected places though. Some UK companies will sell ex VAT that makes some products very competitive. Here in Australia I got my EM1 and a 17mm 1.8 for US1740 including local tax. Thats competitive with most US sites and supports our local sellers and ‘pays ma tax’
You are right about that world wide shopping thing, I have seen a Sony A7 for sale in Australia for USD$1458 (free global shipping). The Australian dollar has dropped more than 10% against the US in the past 2 months, I suspect these camera orders were locked in when the AUD was higher and now they can afford to discount considerably.
$200 off on E-M5 body, and stackable $200 off on any of the 4 lenses with any OM-D or PEN on getolympus.com too.
E-M5 with 12-40 suddenly becomes very decent value.
BTW, black 45mm/1.8 for $350, 17/1.8 for $400, 40-150/4-5.6 for $120, 75-300 II for $500, no body purchase even needed – all very decent values (especially that 40-150 as usual). 60 macro for $450 is not bad but I have seen $399 already.
I have to say that Olympus PEN looks very nice, why don’t they make the new OMD look like that.
EVF. Grip.
I see comments like this a lot, and I don’t understand it. If you want the OMD to look like a PEN why dont you just buy a PEN its essentially the same camera. Please make an OMD without the EVF, they have! Please make a PEN with an EVF they have! What do people want!! you people are never happy!!!
Calm down little fella, it’s ok, not everyone is an expert, and sometimes people say silly things, it’s ok. Remember your teacher at school said there are no dumb questions and that is how you learn.
HELP PLEASE: I’m very interested in the EM1 and the EM5. One of the many draws is the weather sealing. But I’m wondering:
The weather sealed EM5 body is approaching two years old, yet we’re just first seeing weather sealed “Pro” lenses, with the exception of the 60mm macro. It seems odd that they would have weather sealed the body and not released lenses for it. Anyone know the back story? I own cameras by Oly and Panny, so not a fanboy of either brand, but fast becoming a fanboy of M43. But…
Why is there no weather sealed fast prime? The Leicasonic 25, the Oly 12 and 17 and the Panny pancakes all seem logical choices for weather sealing. Why did Oly do a weather sealed camera without lenses to match? AND: is the lens cap lens sealed? Sounds like no, but that’s REALLY nuts: its all plastic!
The E-M5 was released together with the 12-50 ‘kit’ lens, which is weather sealed. No, its not a ‘pro’ lens, but neither is the E-M5 a ‘pro’ body.
Thanks. I didn’t realize that the other kit lens was sealed. Makes a little more sense now. But I’d love to see them seal all of the primes with a refresh.
That would be very desirable indeed.
Any chance something like this happening first week of February?
I’ll be in the US wanting to get into m43…this would be perfect!
Yesterday, the 75mm was offered on Amazon (by UniquePhoto) for $699, without the need to buy anything else. I regret not hitting the Buy button.
psssttt it’s still on sale on the UniquePhoto web site for that price, free shipping, continental US only, don’t tell the Europeans, they’re still paying $900 even on the cheap eBay sites 😉
Haha the Europeans are asleep right now they read this in the morning. They sleep when the rest of the world is wake!
Nice to see that they still ship something from Japan to the US. Canon meanwhile is discontinuing sales of mirrorless there, poor things 🙂
I bought a 75 f/1.8 on an ebay-shop and payed €740, with taxes and free shipping. It shure was a bargain, especially for a guy from Europe.