Canon have announced a brief rebate program which runs from today (February 11th 2009) through March 1st (2009). I'm calling this a "pre-PMA" rebate because the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) trade show runs from Tuesday March 3, 2009 - Thursday March 5, 2009 in Las Vegas.
To get the $200 rebate you have to buy a camera AND a lens from the list below,AND a 580 EXII speedlite. Two out of three isn't good enough, you need all three! It might appear that if you buy the 5D MkII+ EF24-105/4L kit, plus a 580EX II, you will get the additional $200 discount, but unfortunately you'd be wrong! They specifically say:
PURCHASE OF CAMERA KIT (camera with lens packaged and sold together) DOES NOT MEET THE LENS PURCHASE REQUIREMENT
That's a bit of a bummer if you're looking to buy the 5D MkII + 24-105/4L kit.
So for most people this isn't a very exciting rebate, though if you just happen to want one of the included bodies and lenses, and you need a 580EX II speedlite, then you're a winner. Economic times are getting tough, so I guess we now have to take advantage of rebates when they are offered. Whether there will be any further rebates later in the Spring remains to be seen, but my guess is that if there are, they won't be very generous. I don't think we'll be seeing and "double" and "triple" rebate schemes this year, but that's just a guess and it depends on how the worldwide economy does and how strong the Yen gets vs. the US Dollar.
Here's Canon's announcement:
Rebate Valid Dates: 02-11-2009 -- 03-01-2009
Qualifying Products: