A purchasing Question.

[SandyD]

Hi, I am thinking of purchasing a lens from an Australian site that export their goods from Hong Kong, the site looks fairdinkum. So if it says its Canon am I getting the same lens I would be getting if I purchased it at an authorised dealer in Australia? I understand why it's cheaper because of the warranty issue and the GST thing but I'd just like to know if I'm still getting Canon?

[ricktas]

Yes, same lens.

[SandyD]

Thank You :)

[Bennymiata]

Lots of people on this forum have bought stuff from overseas (like myself) and have been very happy with their purchase.
Some have also been dissapointed as the lens was faulty, but that is a rare occurence.

However, with some brands of lenses, you can get the retailer to match internet prices (+GST), and you will still get a local warranty.
This may not happen with a Canon or Nikon lens, but of you are looking at a Sigma, you may be better off buying locally.

What lens are you after?
Someone here may be able to point you to a well respected internet seller if you have some doubts about this HK company.

[SandyD]

I am looking at getting a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM lens, any help in pointing me in the right direction would much appreciated. Thank You

[Allan Ryan]

Hi Sandy

I am currently looking at a new lens and found that CamerParadise and Eglobal are about the cheapest...... ( for the 70-200 i'm looking at )
EGLOBAL is a site Sponsor so will most likely go through the sponsor link and buy from them.

Just got the make the decision on which lens :rolleyes:

[ricktas]

You can use a search site like www.shopbot.com.au to find price comparisons, but then do your research about the stores. As Allan says, we have some grey importers who are Ausphotography Site Advertisers (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?13499-Ausphotography-Site-Advertisers)

[Allan Ryan]

Ordered the lens on Thursday. ( though link ) $2255 total
one of the options was a 3yr warranty (mack) for $33, so i got that
i figure is only about the cost of postage so go to be worth it

[roastman]

Hi Allan. Will be curious to see where the lens is manufactured when it arrives. One of the reasons I have restricted my larger purchases to local retailers is that I have heard a lot of Canon product purchased overseas (apart from the UK and USA etc) is manufactured in China or Malaysia. Every Canon item I have purchased locally is manufactured in Japan.

Even in the USA you can order USA manufactured gear, or "gray market" products, which are usually manufactured in Asia. That does not mean the products are inferior, as I am sure Canon would have quite strict quality control over products manufactured anywhere (it is their reputation, after all).

I order a lot of accessories from the USA, as the prices tend to be a lot cheaper here. We also have a US mailing address, so we have all of our items bundled together for the cheapest shipping rate. I don't mind ordering small items from places like Ebay etc, but have always been a little more careful with larger purchases (especially camera gear). I also like to support local retailers, but if the price difference is enormous, it is sometimes difficult to remain loyal.

[I @ M]

Hi Allan. Will be curious to see where the lens is manufactured when it arrives. One of the reasons I have restricted my larger purchases to local retailers is that I have heard a lot of Canon product purchased overseas (apart from the UK and USA etc) is manufactured in China or Malaysia. Every Canon item I have purchased locally is manufactured in Japan.

If a Canon (Nikon Pentax etc etc) lens that you purchase from a dealer, whether it be Hong Kong, Sydney or New York, is made in Japan then 99.99% of all lenses of that model will be made in Japan as well. Likewise if the lens is made in China, Thailand, the Philippines or the outer limits of the Gobi Desert, then 99.99% of the same model sold wherever in the world will be made in the same place.
For someone to yell you, or for you to even contemplate that for some reason any lenses sold in one particular market may be produced in a different country of manufature to all the rest of that model is 99.99% fallacy.


Even in the USA you can order USA manufactured gear, or "gray market" products, which are usually manufactured in Asia.

Ummmm, Japan, China, Thailand and even the outer limits of the Gobi Desert are all in Asia. Correct me if I am wrong but there are no USA manufactured products in the lineup of the major Japanese camera makers. A grey (not gray) market product sold in the USA is simply the same product imported from a country that is not part of the regular distributor/ dealer / supply chain as the USA.

[ricktas]

Even in the USA you can order USA manufactured gear, or "gray market" products, which are usually manufactured in Asia.

Ummm. NO!

Basically you are reading this wrong. What they sell is gear imported into the USA via the official distribution channels, and gear that is imported via grey market channels. Their wording tells you which import method was used for the item, not where it was made.

As Andrew says, if you get a particular lens, the major brands make that lens in only one factory. All lenses no matter where they are bought in the world, for that particular lens, come out of one factory. Nikon has factories in Japan, Thailand and China. For example all D800's are made in their Japanese factory. Doesn't matter if you buy your D800 in Beijing, Sydney, Singapore or New York, it is manufactured in one place, Japan.

[arthurking83]

LOL! on the USA manufactured gear :D

very few photography related items are manufactured in the USA, and those that are will be highly priced gear catering to a small and specific market.


Hi Allan. Will be curious to see where the lens is manufactured when it arrives. One of the reasons I have restricted my larger purchases to local retailers is that I have heard a lot of Canon product purchased overseas (apart from the UK and USA etc) is manufactured in China or Malaysia. Every Canon item I have purchased locally is manufactured in Japan.

.....

I remember this kind of talk doing the rounds at DPR many years back ... "my 50/1.8 was made in Japan" .. "my 50/1.8 was made in China" .. etc, etc.

Have to say, I don't think at the lower level of consumerism, that it really makes any difference!

China, Japan, Thailand, or the Outer Mongolian Steppes (http://www.bluepeak.net/mongolia/steppe.html) .. doesn't really make that much difference at this level.

Where the manufacturers seem to think it does, is at the very high end level.. you know, D4, 1Ds, and so on... these items are usually made in Japan .. they probably require very specialised equipment that is expensive and probably due to low manufacture levels, is not worth sending to these outer steppes gear manufacturing locations.

(oh! I just noticed, my link was to Mongolian Steppes Ger something-or-other .. my bad, I read that as Gear, thinking they made gear there :D)

Anyhow, FWIW, my D300 was made in Thailand .. works just as well as it did on day one .. and from that, I assume that it would have worked as well as any D300 made in Japan .. if they made them there.


Worry more about using the stuff, more so than it's point of origin ;)

Also FWIW. I have a mate that works for Goodyear, but not your average Goodyear manufacturing plant .. the ONE that makes almost all the tyres that sit on the rims of most passenger jet liners.

It's in Thailand!
Apparently they make zillions of them, and he's part of the quality team that oversees the operation.

He was telling me, that apart from the initial teething stage of the transition .... as you'd expect there to be from a brand spankers operation going on line .. they have a higher quality rating now from their production runs, than they ever did from the US plants.
Now this product is not your average, silly ... close to insignificant consumer frivolity play thing, passenger jet tyres quality control is so massively strict, you'd be amazed at where each tyre has to go to and from, before they reach their final destination. Imagine an incorrectly manufactured jet tyre popping as the thing is landing! ... and yet they entrust the manufacture of them to the Thai's!

[roastman]

Happy to be proven wrong.... As I said, I purchased most of my larger stuff here as I was not sure what I would be getting. I have no issue with a lot of Asian manufactured product (Japanese product has been excellent for a long time, we sell Thai manufactured product that is as good as or better than stuff from Italy etc). The Chinese are very good at manufacturing products when they are provided with strict manufacturing criteria. Having said that, if I had a choice between a Japanese manufactured lens and a Malaysian lens, I would take the Japanese item, more out of habit than anything else.

OK, my interpretation of grey market stuff was incorrect, but my initial point was to see if the goods sold overseas are manufactured in the same place as the stuff we buy here. Hence the "curious to know" bit. Unfortunately, it appears some may think I was bagging product purchased from overseas, but I also stated that regardless of where it is manufactured, Canon would have quality control standards. I really was curious to know whether they would be made elsewhere, to clarify whether my previous thoughts were correct.

Oh, BTW my 5D was made in Japan :), but as long as it works well, I really don't care where it is made. My Chinese manufactured iPad/Iphone are fantastic and have been far more reliable than any electronics gear I have owned before, so the country of manufacture is only as good as the quality control of the manufacturer. Sorry for the "grey/gray" typo - it's been a long day....

I need to ensure I am fully awake before I start posting stuff! Just had to fix more typos, so I think it is time for an early snooze.....

[MarkChap]

...snip... I have no issue with a lot of Asian manufactured product (Japanese product has been excellent for a long time, we sell Thai manufactured product that is as good as or better than stuff from Italy etc). The Chinese are very good at manufacturing products when they are provided with strict manufacturing criteria. Having said that, if I had a choice between a Japanese manufactured lens and a Malaysian lens, I would take the Japanese item, more out of habit than anything else.

...snip...

You don't get the choice, if a particular lens is made in a particular factory, then all units of that lens are made in that same factory. Manufacturers don't tool up multiple factories to make the same thing

[Eberbachl]

but my initial point was to see if the goods sold overseas are manufactured in the same place as the stuff we buy here

It is.

Point of sale (grey market versus authorised local distribution channels) has nothing to do with country of manufacture.

You'll find that except in rare circumstances a particular model will always be made in the same country, regardless of where it is sold. One exception is where the country of manufacture of a particular model of camera or lens is changed during the item's life cycle (for all units of that particular model). Again, this has nothing to do with country of sale.

[Bennymiata]

You don't get the choice, if a particular lens is made in a particular factory, then all units of that lens are made in that same factory. Manufacturers don't tool up multiple factories to make the same thing

Unless the demand is so high that one factory can't cope and the manufacturer needs to open a second line to keep up with demand, but in photographic circles, that is unlikely.

[roastman]

Benny, judging by your screen name, you have good taste in cars :)

[Allan Ryan]

My lens ( 70-200 L f2.8 11 ) turned up Monday Afternoon.
Stamped Canon Made in Japan
Its the real thing, weighs a tonne :)
c/w lens hood, tripod ring and pouch
also a canon EF Lens instruction CD and the Mack 3 yr warranty papers.

[Bennymiata]

Benny, judging by your screen name, you have good taste in cars :)

You can see one of my cars here http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?100035-My-Little-Toy&highlight=toy

[roastman]

Nice..... :p

I have a '93 NA6 LE and an NC that I bought a couple of months ago. Sorry to go off topic!

[Tommo1965]

quite often B&H offer a grey market alternative so they can ship to country's where the official import lens cant be sent because of marketing agreements with the suppliers , on occasions I put a Nikon product in my cart only to have it knocked back when asked to ship here...but the grey market alternative can be posted to Aus...

[roastman]

Thanks Steve

I was not aware of that. I have used BH Photo a lot, but mainly for stuff such as tripods and accessories etc. They are really good to deal with. They always ship quickly, but even better, a tripod head I ordered never arrived (despite is showing as delivered by the freighter) and they sent another within 24 hours of being advised.

[Bennymiata]

Try and buy Adobe stuff off B&H and giving an Austrlalian address.
They won't ship it too you as Adobe want you to spend twice as much and buy it locally.

[roastman]

We get around it by using Shipito. You get a local address and they combine your packages to get the best freight prices. This works really well with stuff that qualifies for free shipping in the USA (mostly Amazon), but some packages are cheaper shipping directly to Oz.

[macdog]

Careful of that Mack warranty, Theres tonnes of posts about them being super dodgey and not accepting warranties etc etc and also taking up to 3 months to even get the item back

[Arg]

People don't make 'counterfeit' lenses, as far as I know.

Unless you consider that is what Sigma, Tamron and Zeiss do! :eek:

[Speedway]

Try and buy Adobe stuff off B&H and giving an Austrlalian address.
They won't ship it too you as Adobe want you to spend twice as much and buy it locally.

I ordered my copy of Adobe PS Elements 10 + Premier Elements 10 from them and they shipped them here, no problems. Way cheaper than from the Aus store too.
Keith.

[Bennymiata]

I tired to get an Adobe suite off them and they told me that they weren't allowed to ship it to Australia.

[Eberbachl]

People don't make 'counterfeit' lenses, as far as I know.

Unless you consider that is what Sigma, Tamron and Zeiss do! :eek:

Sure they do. I've seen numerous examples of them sitting side by side the real thing whilst working in China.

;)