usa vs. imported

[ifurlong]

I am about to buy 4 lenses ( (400 5.6L 0r 70-200 2.8L), 15mm fish, 24 2.8, and 50mm 1.4) all canon from B&H. what is the deal with the difference in 'USA' and 'imported' items, I can save a lot by getting the imported but I dont want to get screwed on the items. So what do know and what has been your experiance. Thanks, Ian.

[robertwgross]

Just about all Canon lenses are manufactured in the same factory. But then some get an English manual attached. Some get a multilingual manual. Some get a USA warranty card. Some are packaged for international sale.

Sometimes you can purchase the international version and save a couple of bucks, but then you may not get the warranty that you expect. However, some vendors, such as B&H, often have their own vendor warranty to back up whatever may be missing of a correct manuafacturer warranty.

I've purchased a lot of cameras and lenses and other gear, and I have yet to run into a problem of invalid warranty. To tell the truth, I have had only one warranty repair done ever, and I was asked simply for a copy of the sales receipt that showed the date.

---Bob Gross---

[scottbergerphoto]

ifurlong wrote:
I am about to buy 4 lenses ( (400 5.6L 0r 70-200 2.8L), 15mm fish, 24 2.8, and 50mm 1.4) all canon from B&H. what is the deal with the difference in 'USA' and 'imported' items, I can save a lot by getting the imported but I dont want to get screwed on the items. So what do know and what has been your experiance. Thanks, Ian.
When you buy an imported item also known as "grey market", you might have no warranty from Canon. Nikon will not repair grey market goods. These items were manufactured for sale outside the USA. Retailers buy them in foreign countries or sometimes in the USA, but meant for sale abroad. Your warranty is whatever the retailer gives you. Sometimes that's ok and sometimes it isn't. There is no guarantee that Canon will continue to provide replacement parts to repair shops repairing these goods. You save some money but you take your chances.

[lightandlife]

I would get the grey market lenses and save money.

I never had any problems with any of Canon lenses. 10D might be a different story. But not with lenses. Should any lens cause a problem, and it cannot be fixed, you will be happy to replace them, using the money you saved.

[scottbergerphoto]

lightandlife wrote:
I would get the grey market lenses and save money.

I never had any problems with any of Canon lenses. 10D might be a different story. But not with lenses. Should any lens cause a problem, and it cannot be fixed, you will be happy to replace them, using the money you saved.
Many people have reported that Canon requests that you send in your lenses and your 10D to address the AF problem. How would this affect their willingness to fix the problem if the lenses are grey market?

[lightandlife]

scottbergerphoto wrote:

Many people have reported that Canon requests that you send in your lenses and your 10D to address the AF problem. How would this affect their willingness to fix the problem if the lenses are grey market?


I believe Canon is just interested in duplicating the problems a customer complains about in order to determine the cause of the problems. Without the lense one used, it is difficult to determine whether it is 10D or the lens.

Canon is the manufacturer of all Canon lenses, grey or not. If one is complaining about 10D's autofocus or whatever, one is not asking Canon to fix the lens. There is no warranty problem there.

In each country, there is a Canon wholesaler from whom all these retailors get the cameras and lenses. Any camera or lens that the customer sends go to that central place. I visited one in Hong Kong and the staff is quite friendly. Hundreds of Canon retailors cannot sell their stuff without the support of this central service center. They just want to fix problems for you. These services are localized, i.e., Hong Kong service center will not fix a Canon camera with US warranty and vice versa, unless it has international warranty.

[cjtinkle]

2 of the lens I bought intially were grey market, I didn't realize it at the time, not really knowing what I was doing. :)
Anyway, the 20mm lens I ordered came with the autofocus/manual focus switch not engaged into the lens case properly. It worked just fine, and I didn't even notice it until my hubby pointed it out to me.
I sent it back to B&H, who shipped it to Canon for repairs and then B&H was even kind enough to hold it when they got it back until I reached my destination in CT, where they shipped it out to me asap. Excellent service!