Warranty Card - submit it or not?

I just bought my first new camera in a long long time. 42nd Street Photo was selling T4i's cheaper than used ones are going for on ebay so I bit the bullet and upgraded.

On most of the stuff I buy I never bother sending in the warranty cards, I figure if I can't break something in the first few weeks that it's probably going to be ok, and if I do manage to make something quit working that soon the store will take it back. Plus I've always felt that warranty cards are nothing more than another means to gather my personal information and inundate me with unwanted junk mail.

So, as far as a new Canon, is there any reason to send in the warranty card?

Also, I noticed that the box my camera came in is for a kit with a lens, but I just got the body. Apparently they took the lens out and just sold me the body (the serial numbers match up by the way). What's up with that?

A lot of sellers break up kits and sell the lens as "White Box".
Sometimes they'll run out and someone really needs it so they break it up.

Or they want to make more money, a 18-55 IS II lens retails for $100 in the kit,
a "white box" version retails for about $160-175 while a regular non kit retails for $200.

I keep the warranty card with the receipt attached to it for one year, after which I thrown them both away. If the gear needs service during the warranty period, Canon requires the warranty card AND receipt.

I have yet to need a warranty repair *knock on wood*.

Naturalist: The last time I took my Canon in for repair under warranty, all Canon required was the receipt (but, this was about 3 - 3 1/2 years ago).
I could have outdated information...but, the only reason I see for you to "register" your camera with Canon is for them to keep in contact with you (& they will notify you when there is a firmware update).
-Kevin

Registration i do mine on line and i keep the card. In case i choose to sell a lens or what ever i would send the card with the lens or what ever. Good to register for your house insurance or what ever you got proof that you owned it in case it was stolen . BTW never gotten any unwanted Email from Canon

Naturalist wrote in post #15763826
I keep the warranty card with the receipt attached to it for one year, after which I thrown them both away. If the gear needs service during the warranty period, Canon requires the warranty card AND receipt.

I have yet to need a warranty repair *knock on wood*.

Not true. My 60D was just repaired last month under warranty and no card or receipt was required. What you need to do is register it online at Canon's website and you are covered.

Yes, register the gear online at Canon's website and keep the card with the box so you have it when you sell it.

Registering online is a good practice for several reasons. First, you will always have an inventory of your gear. Second, by establishing an account with Canon and registering your gear, you will be advised of things like firmware upgrades and other notices that affect your equipment.

I have two Canon DSLR's, both registered online, and this "...you will be advised of things like firmware upgrades and other notices that affect your equipment" has never happened.

John from PA wrote in post #15765585
I have two Canon DSLR's, both registered online, and this "...you will be advised of things like firmware upgrades and other notices that affect your equipment" has never happened.

You probably input the wrong S/N info into the system or your gear didn't have any notices. I've received email notices of firmware upgrades for my 40D and 7D, as have many, many others.

Tgara, no, correct s/n is on record for both. There haven't been any "recalls" on either but firmware on both which I learned about on this forum.

John from PA wrote in post #15773307
Tgara, no, correct s/n is on record for both. There haven't been any "recalls" on either but firmware on both which I learned about on this forum.

Canon must not like you.

John from PA wrote in post #15765585
I have two Canon DSLR's, both registered online, and this "...you will be advised of things like firmware upgrades and other notices that affect your equipment" has never happened.

Here's a notification I got regarding my 5D3 and a firmware update. I received this in February directly from Canon:

Dear Todd,

This service notification e-mail contains important information about your EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR/EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera. Please note that product service announcement e-mails contain advisory or informational content that may be critical to the proper operation of your product, including safety, update, and instructional messages. Please carefully review the information in this e-mail as it relates to your Canon product.

Thank you for using Canon products.

Affected Products
EOS 5D Mark III Digital SLR Camera
EOS-1D X Digital SLR Camera

Details
Depending upon the shooting conditions, it may take slightly longer for the EOS 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X digital SLR cameras to acquire focus when using the Speedlite's AF Assist Beam, compared with that of the EOS 5D Mark II and EOS-1D Mark IV digital SLR cameras using the Speedlite's AF Assist Beam.

We are developing a solution to enhance the focusing feature for the EOS 5D Mark III and EOS-1D X and plan to release a firmware update based on following estimated schedule:

EOS 5D Mark III: (estimated) Late April, 2013
EOS-1D X: (estimated) Late May, 2013
Support
This information is for residents of the United States and Puerto Rico only. If you do not reside in the USA or Puerto Rico, please contact the Canon Customer Support Center in your region.

Thank you,
Canon Customer Support Center
Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Contact Information for Inquiries:
Canon Customer Support Center
Phone: 1-800-OK-CANON
1-800-652-2666
TTD: 1-866-251-3752
E-mail: carecenter@cits.canon.​com
For additional support options: www.usa.canon.com/supp​ort

I do mine on line and I also register my equiptment while on line with canon profesional services .......

I also register online and have never received a notification like that either. I suspect that, whether or not notifications are sent, may have to do with the nature of the update. If it is a major update correcting some fundamental problem as tgara's is above, then notifications are sent, but if it is just a minor update then notifications are not bothered with. It also may depend upon whether the camera is considered to be "Pro-level" or not.