worry about fake Chinese products in photography?

[picard]

Are you worried about buying counterfeit lens made in China? we are bombarded with many fake Chinese goods in N. America that I assume there must be counterfeit Sigma lens out there.

How does a buyer know the lens is a genuine product?

[PacAce]

Buy from a reputable dealer or store.

[howzitboy]

why counterfeit a sigma when u can counterfeit a canon L lens?

[Mark_Cohran]

As PacAce, buy from a reputable dealer and you'll probably be fine.

Mark

[picard]

Buy from a reputable dealer or store.


well, people buy prescription drugs from reputable pharmacy but counterfeit drugs still infiltrate the supply chain.

counterfeit drugs enter through the distribution network. I saw the NBC news program last night which showed how drug enter the network. The counterfeit stuff look really, really similar to the real McCoy. Pfizer testing center said the counterfeit drugs easily pass visual inspection. It would require chemical tests to determine the authenticity of the counterfeit drugs.

Consumers wouldn't be able to distinguish counterfeit lenses from the real thing.

[cosworth]

Some stuff the Chinese don't bother replicating. 300 2.8 hoods have been discussed before (rather silly though). I don't see any fake L lenses being sold to any discerning photographer any time soon.

A quataray painted white with a Canon logo on it? Sure, but to replicate say a 70-200 2.8 would just be a waster of their efforts.

Windows CD/DVDs and fake pills are far more profitable uses of time.

[Reefbone]

I got some bad wheat gluten in a televison I bought last week.

[sblais]

Some stuff the Chinese don't bother replicating. 300 2.8 hoods have been discussed before (rather silly though). I don't see any fake L lenses being sold to any discerning photographer any time soon.

A quataray painted white with a Canon logo on it? Sure, but to replicate say a 70-200 2.8 would just be a waster of their efforts.

Windows CD/DVDs and fake pills are far more profitable uses of time.

Moral of the story? Only buy L lenses.

[nicksan]

I don't think there is enough of a market out there for L lenses for them to infiltrate the American market...

Who knows, anything is possible...I saw that TV segment too...about fake drugs. Pretty scary stuff...but you also saw how the govn't really isn't doing anything to enforce some of the ideas. (like putting chips in the packaging, etc...)

Wouldn't want to piss off those drug companies right? That wouldn't be in the best interest of politicians would it?

The whole thing is just messed up...

[PacAce]

well, people buy prescription drugs from reputable pharmacy but counterfeit drugs still infiltrate the supply chain.

counterfeit drugs enter through the distribution network. I saw the NBC news program last night which showed how drug enter the network. The counterfeit stuff look really, really similar to the real McCoy. Pfizer testing center said the counterfeit drugs easily pass visual inspection. It would require chemical tests to determine the authenticity of the counterfeit drugs.

Consumers wouldn't be able to distinguish counterfeit lenses from the real thing.
Can't answer your question about the drugs, if you were asking one, but drugs and lenses are two different thing. As are DVDs and signature lines of clothing. :)

[4x4rock]

I really love to see a counterfeit 70-200 IS or a 300/f2.8.

[20droger]

What do you think the reactions of Canon or Nikon would be to counterfeit lenses? I suspect not pleasant.

You know, every once in a while you hear of an undefined factory in China blowing up. No details are ever given....

[Tee Why]

I haven't heard of any. I think it would be more profitable to make a counterfeit of something simples, like money, belts, bags and such.

[PacAce]

I haven't heard of any. I think it would be more profitable to make a counterfeit of something simples, like money, belts, bags and such.

...and SanDisk memory cards. :)

[anshu]

Yea, I was just in China, looking for deals on anything Canon related and alas I got nothing, everything was maybe 10% more expensive....

[Cubix Rube]

I once knew a guy who got busted for counterfeiting pennies. He would have gotten away with it, except that he put the heads and the tails on the wrong side...

-Steven Wright-

[::John::]

I once knew a guy who got busted for counterfeiting pennies. He would have gotten away with it, except that he put the heads and the tails on the wrong side...

-Steven Wright-

ROFLMAO

[LeeSC]

A good bit of this "fake" Chinese goods is generated by brick and mortars trying to scare you into buying their overpriced wares. Another area where this is really prevalent is golf clubs. Local shops want you to pay twice the online price just to make sure you don't get counterfeit goods. They put big posters in their shops and even have some "examples" for people to look out. Buy from reputable online dealers and you shouldn't run into a problem. And EBAY is NOT a reputable online dealer (unless its Calumet or similar reputable company selling)!

[jim.holder]

Guess I'll have to stay immoral!

[charliechen]

i wouldnt really worry all that much about products that are from china. If you didnt know alot of the us companies are moving to china to produce their products. Even named brand companies such as samsung, pioneer, and etc make their stuff in china, and even the iphone. If your talking about lenses and stuff, if the technology is there for the manufactures i dont think it would be a problem.

What happens usually is that a manufacture is given the technology to produce the item, then they go behind the backs of the usa companies and then produce a cheaper unbranded product. The result, same product just one is branded the other isnt. Also, this doesnt apply to every single product there is, but i would say a good 95% of all of our products. Inconclusion, if it bugs you that much just buy a branded item because that insures that it is legit.

[Angry Dad]

Im currently living in China due to my job, have been for a year now and Ive seen my share of knock offs. I can tell you this...whatever it is, there is a knock off version here. China is the capitol of knock offs. They even have a Chevy car here thats all Chinese. I cant tell the difference by looking at it. As far as the Ipods, yea those are really cheap. It maybe handles 10 songs and its full. Golf clubs, shoes, motorcycles, toothpaste, luggage,belt buckles, dvd's, ....u name it, its here.
But after all that, I bought a XTi here and a few lenses as well. There are reputable dealers here. You just need to look, and be careful.