grey market 550EX and 420EX?

Has anyone had any experience with grey market 550EX and or 420 EX speedlights?

I'm thinking of placing an order with B&H for one of each to do wireless portable studio lighting from my G3.

Are there any diffences between these units and the non grey market units other than warrenty coverage?

Anyone have good or bad buying experiences with B&H?

Thanks

David

I bought a gray 420Ex from B&H Photo and there's no difference between it and the USA version. Although it doesn't have a USA warrantee, B&H Photo does warranttee it for a year. For a low ticket price item, I didn't see a need to pay extra just to get a CANON USA warrantee, as long as it was warranteed by someone.

Now, if we're going to talk about a higher priced item, like a camera, then I'd be singing a different tune.

I notice the price comes out exactly the same for both - with the regular you get a 15$ rebate.... I guess it just comes down to if you want the rebate now or later.

Rebate = more paperwork.

To me it seems like dealing with bhphoto instead of canon for the return would be more difficult too.

I don't know because I've never worked with either, but typically I've found in other electronics that the OEM companies are more efficient with warranties than online retail.

Plus, I'm willing to bet my $15 that bhphoto has a higher chance of going bankrupt than canon.

To me the 5 min of paperwork and cost of a stamp is worth it - I guess that's my own opinion though.

In general I'd agree with you, but my own experiences are mixed w/warranty returns and large, "dependable" companies. One company, HP, did a great job w/a printer I had problems w/years ago. However, Dell (yes - Dell!) has been horrendous to deal w/the last two times I had repair issues.

Not trying to change your mind here, but did want to note that B&H Photo is a really stable, well respected company, and is an online retailer that I would trust w/something like warranty support (especially for a relatively inexpensive flash unit).

I thought I was going to wait a bit longer, but all this talking about it is getting me in the mood to go order the dang 420ex! If I can just get another P.O. past the controller, er, wife...

Dana

Yes. This desperation for a 420ex has influenced my new signature. (*edit - nevermind, the signature program wouldn't behave how i wanted)

Perhaps I should start up one of those "give me money" webpages....