Non-Pro Lens Price Increase?

[Glevum Owl]

I've been watching the Oly 45 1.8 lens for a while on Amazon UK ready for a birthday purchase next month. I checked the price earlier today and it showed at 149GBP. This evening it's jumped up to 199GBP on Amazon and 219 GBP on my favourite local dealer's site. Even taking into account sterling's falling value over the last few years, this seems a very steep increase which I calculate at 33% based on pre VAT (UK sales tax) prices.

Does anyone have any insight into this, please? Did I miss a press release?

EDIT: I think I might be going gaga (the next birthday is a big '0' one). According to the rather excellent Keepa browser plugin for Amazon, the price of the has always been circa 199 GBP. I'm going for a lie down.

 

[joerg218]

Maybe it is affected from the Brexit?
I don't know how the Exchange is from $/€ to £ and if there is some movement in the moment.

 

[RichardC]

Maybe it is affected from the Brexit?
I don't know how the Exchange is from $/€ to £ and if there is some movement in the moment.

I think if we see a 30% movement in the Sterling/Euro/USD exchange rates due to Brexit, I will eat my shoes.

PS. Don't mention the Brexit

 

[Holoholo55]

Brexit doesn't seem to have had that much effect on GBP to Euro exchange rates. I'm no expert, so forgive if this is incorrect.
https://www.xe.com/currencycharts/?from=GBP&to=EUR&view=1M

Might not just be exchange rates. Other factors could come into it.

 

[archaeopteryx]

Does anyone have any insight into this, please?

Not familiar with Keepa but more extensive sampling is indeed useful in understanding Amazon demand steering.

Price histories for the 45 1.8 in black, silver, and the other black below. Perhaps you'd also be interested in some airplane tickets?

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[retiredfromlife]

My local store indicated the official Olympus lens increase had not come through [or would not disclose] but it indicated that they thought it would be 15% minimum. Wish I had ordered the 12-100 in the recent special now.

 

[Glevum Owl]

The GBP has weakened, losing roughly 15 - 25% of its value between 2016 and now, although percentage figures depend on how far back you want to go. As this happened some time ago I'm certain this isn't the cause of my recent perceived lens price increase and is, I suggest, a topic best left out of this forum.

Having slept on this, I think I might know what happened. Amazon in the UK has a nasty habit of listing the same item multiple times. This morning I tried accessing the Amazon 45mm lens listing I'd bookmarked in Chrome and it wasn't there but there were three listings for the 45. I reason, therefore, that I'd found an odd listing from a third party supplier and misread it on my phone's small screen as being supplied by Amazon. Apologies for scaremongering.

Interestingly, a look this morning at my favourite local camera shop's site shows them "Awaiting Stock" of the Oly 45mm 1.8 in black and silver at 214GBP (+7%) and 244GBP (+18%) respectively though I suspect the latter is a typo. A quick conversation with them via their site's chat function confirmed an unexpected UK price rise in January. Looks like it's not just the Pro lenses that are affected by the recent official price increase announcement from Olympus.

 

[kwido]

Oly 45 1.8 is cheaper here in Slovakia. I checked 2 local sellers. It used to be 259 euros. Now it is 219.

 

[Glevum Owl]

I am now saving frantically for a 45mm f1.8 and (or) a 40-150 f1.8 Pro which I may purchase in the UK or travel to Slovakia, whichever is the cheapest method.

 

[Glevum Owl]

Brexit doesn't seem to have had that much effect on GBP to Euro exchange rates. I'm no expert, so forgive if this is incorrect.

Given the complexity of world finances generally, I'm not sure anyone has a complete handle on it all. As Olympus is a Japanese company, it's the Yen to GBP rate that *might* affect retail prices. There's been a roughly 20 - 24% devaluation of the GBP against the Yen in the last 4 and bit years. This is all conjecture as I've no idea how Olympus' European organisation and finances are structured. Could be they're simply doing the age-old business thing of charging what they think the market will bear.

 

[Chris999999]

I am now saving frantically for a 45mm f1.8 and (or) a 40-150 f1.8 Pro which I may purchase in the UK or travel to Slovakia, whichever is the cheapest method.

You don't need to travel to Slovakia to buy the lens. You could get them to send it to you which would be much cheaper. Though travelling to Slovakia would be more fun!

 

[ac12]

I am now saving frantically for a 45mm f1.8 and (or) a 40-150 f1.8 Pro which I may purchase in the UK or travel to Slovakia, whichever is the cheapest method.

A 40-150/1.8 would be a cool but HEAVY lens.

 

[Glevum Owl]

A 40-150/1.8 would be a cool but HEAVY lens.

In my Canon DSLR days, my go to lens was the original version of the 24-70 f2. 8 L zoom. The Olympus 40-150 is a lightweight in comparison but about the same price. Why didn't I pick a cheaper hobby?

 

[Glevum Owl]

I both jumped the gun and pulled the trigger today. To beat the Olympus price increase I ordered the 40-150 2.8 Pro lens from UK supplier, Cotswold Cameras. Then went 'what the hell' and bought the Olympus 1.4x teleconverter for it (slightly used) from a private eBay seller with great feedback at a little over half the old price. I might be living off tinned baked beans and stale bread for the rest of the month but the savings make it worth it. I'm a martyr to my hobby.

 

[roelwillems]

You won’t regret the lens or the teleconverter. Definitely my favorite lens. In my opinion the most versatile lens in the m43 system. Great for everything from portrait to landscape.

 

[Glevum Owl]

Quick update. I had a very uneven experience with Cotswold Cameras. Having heard nothing from them I made a simple, polite enquiry via the PayPal dispute resolution function which resulted in a refund within minutes. A welcome result though I'm baffled by the contrast between the efficiency of the refund and the non-existent, post-sale service. Odd way to do business in a competitive market.

Anyway, if anyone's interested, I've just bought the 40-150 f2.8 on a "time-limited offer" of £844 via Amazon's UK site, supplied directly by them, which is a reduction of £95 since last week. Before Christmas, the same lens was over £1,000. Are these yo-yoing prices normal for M43 lenses?

 

[JensM]

Dont know, but it seems like there has been much of the same shenaningans going on over here in Norway as well. I have been following a few of the Panasonic lenses a bit, and last evening found that the 100-400 pricing is up close to €500, from between €14-1500 to close to €1900. The kit lenses and primes seems to be all over the place for the moment.

 

[archaeopteryx]

Are these yo-yoing prices normal for M43 lenses?

As far as I know, Amazon demand steers everything they sell.

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[beameup]

I bought one here in the Philippines for about $200 equivalent. I also have purchased a 40-150mm for about $100.

 

[Glevum Owl]

I bought one here in the Philippines for about $200 equivalent. I also have purchased a 40-150mm for about $100.

Wow. Those are amazing prices. Nicely done.