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Where do i purchase Canon Lenses

Kai

By Kai
in Imaging - Discussion

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brianb

brianb

Posted
Posted
HonK kong?

Hmmmmm...... Hong Kong me thinks!

WARNING WARNING WARNING

If you buy from China/Hong Kong you are liable for import duty. Also there will be no UK warranty. As experience indicates that maybe 1 in 2 DSLR lenses requires adjustment to get accurate focus, this will cost you (approx. £150) unless you have the warranty.

This is by no means reasticted to Canon.

I strongly suggest buying from a UK based specialist dealer, not a chain store. You may pay a little extra but you will get excellent advice & good service, rather than advice to buy whichever item has the highest markup today (Jessops) and being ignored so far as service is concerned once the money transfer has occured.

If you're looking for a tele zoom for a Canon DSLR I stongly suggest you look here: Amateur Photographer & What Digital Camera: FAQ: Which tele zoom should I buy?

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brendant

brendant

Posted
Posted

All original Canon lenses are covered under their International warranty, camera bodies are only covered in the country of purchase.

Generally with the small differential in price and risk of getting a dud, I would agree with Brian that it is probably not worth it, but I am sure there are lots who have purchased from these retailers and are happy with their purchases. You pay your money and take your chance.

Buy any UK Photo magazine and you will find a range of reputable dealers and prices, there is a site called "Camera Price Buster - UKs cheapest camera gear" which is a great source of up to date pricing.

Brendan

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brianb

brianb

Posted
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All original Canon lenses are covered under their International warranty, camera bodies are only covered in the country of purchase.

That is precisely the point; the lens which is not focusing accurately isn't defective therefore no claim under the international warranty, the adjustment is made to the body but you reauire the UK warranty for the lens unless you want to have to pay for the adjustment.

Add on to the import duty the administration cost for collecting it - £9 IIRC - and the price savings tend to evaporate to the point where you've got to be really reckless to take the gamble on. If you're that much of a sucker, PM me for my paypal address, for £10000 (non-refundable, naturally) I'll send you the winning lottery numbers for the next 6 weeks.

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blinky

blinky

Posted
Posted

Jees guys! I bought a couple of lenses from Ebay, original cannon equipment from Hong Kong and although I realise I could have had to pay import duty they were not picked up by customs.

As for needing to adjust the lenses/body, well I an not a professional but have never heard of this before and to be honest it does not make any sense. Are you saying that every other lens you have bought has caused you to go back to canon and have the camera body adjusted in some way? I find this impossible to believe, what happens if you buy a camera lens after your one year warranty has expired??

All I meant in my original posting was that there were some good bargains to be had by buying from Ebay.

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brianb

brianb

Posted
Posted
Are you saying that every other lens you have bought has caused you to go back to canon and have the camera body adjusted in some way? I find this impossible to believe, what happens if you buy a camera lens after your one year warranty has expired??
If you want the lens to perform to its true ability, and you don't have one of the "pro" bodies with microfocus adjustment from the menu screens, yes. Many people either don't print big enough to notice that their images aren't sharp, or just assume that's the way the lens should be.

It's the lens that's out of registration, the warranty state of the body is irrelevant though I have heard of people refusing to work on kit purchased outside the EU once the very limited international warranty has expired. Incidentally a couple of times I've had to do this the lens that was returned was not the lens that I sent in (different serial number), presumably the original lens was replaced because it was found to be out of specification. It all works fine in the end ... BTW the stories I hear from the Nikon camp are very similar. Personally I'd prefer a better standard of quality control but the marketeers seem to think that the only thing that matters is the price tag.

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Coco

Coco

Posted
Posted

Unfortunately my favourite seller Kea-Photo on ebay looks like they have fallen fowl of this global banking nightmare.

eBay Seller: kea-photo: items on eBay.co.uk

They have always sold me new stuff at a really fair price despite duty etc.

They are a Canadian based company trading a via Hong Kong connection but I never bought direct from there main website.

I've had loads from good old Digital review also.

eBay UK Shop - DigitalRev Photography Shop: Canon EOS-1D Mark MK III, Filter, 8Years In eBay

If you want to price check see this site. Camera Price Buster - UKs cheapest camera gear

Cheers

Guy

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Hipolito

Hipolito

Posted
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What I do is ... find the best deal online, from a reputable supplier that is, print off the page with all the details, stroll down to Jessops and ask them if they can price-match. I have done this before when they've had the lens in stock.

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Coco

Coco

Posted
Posted
What I do is ... find the best deal online, from a reputable supplier that is, print off the page with all the details, stroll down to Jessops and ask them if they can price-match. I have done this before when they've had the lens in stock.

Your lucky... Jessops in Preston couldn't give a **** what price.

In fact they are so arrogant I wont shop there again.

The only other retailer is Wilkinson and they are no better.. Makes me think they are in it together as there's no other dealer for 20+ miles and there both Jessops and Wilkinson companies. :)

Mifsuds is OK as is Park Camera for new kit.

Guy

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vincentnm

vincentnm

Posted
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That is precisely the point; the lens which is not focusing accurately isn't defective therefore no claim under the international warranty, the adjustment is made to the body but you reauire the UK warranty for the lens unless you want to have to pay for the adjustment.

I thought Kai wanted to buy a lens, not a body. :)

WARNING WARNING WARNING

If you buy from China/Hong Kong you are liable for import duty.

Shouting WARNING is plain scare mongering. Its not like you get caught all the time. I'd assume it's not that frequent since there are several store like Onestop Digital, Digitalrev who will refund import duty if you are caught. That's a couple more places for you check out Kai :D

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Apatchy

Apatchy

Posted
Posted

If you dont`t mind secondhand then try mpbphotographic.co.uk - Buy Used Canon & Nikon Digital SLR Cameras, Lenses, Accessories & More

I have dealt with them and they seem pretty good, you also get a 6 month guarantee.

I have also dealt with e-bay seller eBay UK Shop - FLASH CAMERA: CANON SLR LENSES, FLASHGUNS, OLYMPUS LENSES

He ships stuff from America to a relation in Scotland who then forwards them on to you or you can collect if local, so no import tax to pay.

If you email him he will usually do a better deal away from e-bay.:)

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FLO

FLO

Posted
Posted

I remember Park Cameras were always good on Canon prices, and London Camera Exchange for secondhand. If looking for secondhand their email address all@lcegroup.co.uk goes to all LCE branches, let them know what you are looking for and those with it in stock will contact you. The Canon EF 70-210mm f/3.5-4.5 USM is a good optic and can often be found secondhand.

HTH

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brianb

brianb

Posted
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Terrific ... the IS version is better for general work but not for astronomy where the lens will be supported anyway. The f/2.8 is HEAVY. The only downside with the f/4 versions of the 70-200 is that they come without the tripod ring - which is desirable as the balance is much better using the ring on the lens instead of the tripod socket on the camera body. I risked getting a "counterfeit" tripod ring from China as the cost was about £20 instead of £100(!) for the genuine Canon article - on mine there's actually no visible difference except for the lettering (it says "for Canon" except just "Canon", and the font used for the word "Canon" is subtly different), but some people buying Chinese tripod rings have reported sloppy fitting.

At least the "L" lenses come with a lens hood .... another very expensive add-on if purchased as a genuine Canon part.

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  • 1 month later...
Kai

Kai

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Just to update :)

I have just recieved the EF 70-200 F4L lense and its kewl , just need a clear night to put it through its paces.

Blimey buying L lenses is just as bad as Astro kit lol

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iamjulian

iamjulian

Posted
Posted

Sorry if I missed it, but I didn't notice anyone mentioning other makes of lens. Canon lenses are good especially the L glass, but I have found the equivalent Sigma EX lenses (Canon body fit) to be as good in some cases, not to mention much, much cheaper. Don't assume that because you have a Canon body you have to buy a Canon lens. That's what Canon would like you to think but it is not the case.

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