Interesting observation while in Europe

In general the prices you see for any hobby related products, not just cameras is about the same in British Pounds as they would sell for in America in US Dollars. Although prices displayed in the UK have to include our 20% sales tax (VAT). My other hobby is Shooting where the vast majority of products are still manufactured in the USA so that may account for some of the difference as we have to allow for import duty as well as the VAT. I'm not so sure about cameras though as in general they are imported in to both of our countries.
The most annoying thing though is to see products the were exported tfom the UK to the USA also selli.g at parity prices.

Alan

Taxes, gas and shelter are higher in Europe compare to Canada. So, less money for camera.

Here in Peru, Canon is King, there is literaly a Canon billboard on every street corner, I am not exaggerating. I have failed to see one single Nikon advertisment here ever. So Canon is the choice probebly only because the people don't even know Nikon exists.

Dustman wrote in post #14393959
Here in Peru, Canon is King, there is literaly a Canon billboard on every street corner, I am not exaggerating. I have failed to see one single Nikon advertisment here ever. So Canon is the choice probebly only because the people don't even know Nikon exists.

No, no...it's because Canon makes a much better/sexier/sophisti​cated camera!!

rick_reno wrote in post #14392907
How much more are they in London than in the states?

Canon 5d3 states = $3499 or at current exchange rate £2166
Canon 5d3 UK = £2999 or at current exchange rate $4853


As they say Rip off Britain........

ziggy25 wrote in post #14392706
Have you seen the prices for the high end cameras in London? Simply put, people just cant afford them.

Ain't that the truth.

Serious hobbyist have DSLR's in Europe (France and Switzerland, I don't know in the UK or anywhere else). Every brand are represented (Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sony,...). But most of people just want to take photos for their own. They don't plan to share so a Point and Shoot or a Phone fits their needs. And as said earlier, buying a DSLR and optics is a budget that most of people can't afford. And if they can, they buy entry level models (Canon xxxD, Nikon Dxxxx, etc...).

Quizzical_Squirrel wrote in post #14394076
I wonder if it's because one of the main reasons the average person buys a dSLR camera is to photograph their children.

My impression is that American parents have a strong driver to purchase a dSLR rather than a compact or point-and-shoot in order to take photos of their children at school sporting events etc.

In Britain, such sporting events are practically non-existent. That gets rid of the need for those long lenses.

You either don't live here or you don't have kids.

Now that, very sadly, is true. An indictment of the way our society is going.

JohnB57 wrote in post #14394250
You either don't live here or you don't have kids.

I've lived in both places, and I'd have to say that while the amount of events may be similar, the attitude toward them is different. Its a far bigger deal in the US.

Pete W wrote in post #14394137
Canon 5d3 states = $3499 or at current exchange rate £2166
Canon 5d3 UK = £2999 or at current exchange rate $4853


As they say Rip off Britain........

$4853 - 20% VAT = $3888

So it's more, but not THAT much more. Most of the difference is just the tax structure.

I wonder if photos of children are valued in a different way in the USA to here in the UK overall?
We have no 'senior portraits' or yearbooks things here.

School sports are often after school on weekdays and (when I was at school at least) parents turning up to view such events would have been considered to be very odd and discouraged or told to wait for their children off school grounds. Plus there would be no seating or viewing facilities.

If you turn up anywhere near children with a camera now, because of the very disproportionate paranoia over paedophilia in the UK - cameras can get you accosted by either extreme parents or security guards/police - so really sports photography of children here would not be viable even as a parent of a participant, let alone as just a sports enthusiast.

Parents have been held for taking photos of their own children in public places such as shopping malls and relatives/parents have been banned by schools for taking photographs of school plays as even the most mundane scenarios are now seen as some kind of porn shoot. Its really sad as so many childhood reminders for families will be lost and children brought up to be in constant fear of attack or exploitation.

Back to the orig subject - most of the people I know shoot Canon at the moment with both DSLRs and point and shoot, if they have any interest in quality photos, but I guess that will change as camera phones continue to improve.

In Kuala Lumpur and Singapore Nikon is very common. At certain point the Nikon that i saw there, gave me an impression that it was the more dominant one in these two countries, which i know it's not true statistically. But it sure is common.
The materialistic comment above, i can't agree more (as far as these two S.E Asia countries are concerned).

MidnightUK wrote in post #14394605
If you turn up anywhere near children with a camera now, because of the very disproportionate paranoia over paedophilia in the UK - cameras can get you accosted by either extreme parents or security guards/police - so really sports photography of children here would not be viable even as a parent of a participant, let alone as just a sports enthusiast.

Parents have been held for taking photos of their own children in public places such as shopping malls and relatives/parents have been banned by schools for taking photographs of school plays as even the most mundane scenarios are now seen as some kind of porn shoot. Its really sad as so many childhood reminders for families will be lost and children brought up to be in constant fear of attack or exploitation.

Freedom: it was fun while it lasted.

MidnightUK wrote in post #14394605
If you turn up anywhere near children with a camera now, because of the very disproportionate paranoia over paedophilia in the UK - cameras can get you accosted by either extreme parents or security guards/police - so really sports photography of children here would not be viable even as a parent of a participant, let alone as just a sports enthusiast.

ScubaDude wrote in post #14397318
Freedom: it was fun while it lasted.

Sadly, in the UK we have created two things; a culture of fear and blame where innocent motives, like taking pictures of your children, are distrusted; an enforcement structure where people who are barely competent to walk down the street for a newspaper have been given the power to intervene in peoples' innocent day to day activities.

The above is a huge exaggeration of course, but when, for example, train enthusiasts are prevented from taking photographs on stations through anti-terror legislation, people prevented from photography in shopping malls and photographers arrested for questioning their right to go about their lawful business, you have to wonder what sort of a world we live in. Thankfully, things are relaxing somewhat now but as you say, it was fun while it lasted.

@ Rick Reno
The 1dx in UK 5300 GBP = 6570+- euro
............ in US 6800 USD = 5200+- euro

The difference is around 1370 euros = 1785 USD
...............1105 GBP

Does anyone know in France/Germany.. how many Euros the 1dx costs?