Just a word of advice: if you're here in the US contemplating certain Z-mount lenses that are currently in stock at dealers, you might want to buy now, not later.
The biggest issue is the retaliatory tariffs against products made in China. This has already caused Fujifilm to cancel imports of certain products into the US, at least temporarily, but I believe that it's going to impact Nikon the same way, as well. Moving production out of China to another country is possible, but that takes time and money. So certain lenses aren't going to show up on Instant Rebates any time soon, I'd guess. Those include these four lenses you might be considering for summer wildlife trips:
- 180-600mm f/5.6-6.3 VR
- 400mm f/4.5 VR S
- 600mm f/6.3 PF VR S
- 800mm f/6.3 PF VR S
All four of these lenses are in stock at B&H this morning, as well as several other dealers I looked at. I'd be really surprised if these specific lenses go back onto Instant Rebate any time soon. I suppose that NikonUSA might have abundant supply and decide to move that stock, but I'd tend to bet the opposite: NikonUSA removed most products from Instant Rebates starting today—no Z-mount lenses have a rebate, and only four older cameras do—and I believe Nikon is now trying to figure out how to re-price things moving forward. Lenses made in China are their biggest problem due to the huge tariff now being imposed on them (and it doesn't help that the dollar's value has gone down, too). The China-made Nikon products also includes the following other lenses:
- 17-28mm f/2.8
- 20mm f/1.8 S
- 24mm f/1.7 DX
- 24mm f/1.8 S
- 24-50mm f/4-6.3
- 28-75mm f/2.8
- 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
- 35mm f/1.8 S
- 50mm f/2.8 MC
- 70-180mm f/2.8
- 85mm f/1.2 S
- 85mm f/1.8 S
No cameras are impacted at the same level, as they're all made in Thailand (currently subjected to 10% tariffs).
Nikon, of course, isn't the only one grappling with the issue. Sony changed their sales information three times in the past week or so, and I'm not sure they've settled on their final decisions yet. Canon is apparently about to announce price increases here in the US.
We're entering the second largest buying season for cameras (father's day/graduation/pre-vacation), so what's in stock in the US today may not be in stock tomorrow, and may come back at a higher price when new inventory does arrive.
I can tell you that since tariffs were first mentioned and then got revealed, I've seen an increase in book sales, probably because some of you were already buying in anticipation of prices increasing. Well, this is your last warning: prices just rose (cancellation of Instant Rebates), and they likely will do so again (tariffs and dollar devaluation). Once current stock moves out of the dealer, there's a really good chance that Z System products will become more expensive. At least for the foreseeable future.
