Canon L lenses

[JPlayer]

I find lenses in America are about 25% cheaper when compared to UK. So the saving on a £1000 lens would pretty much pay for the flight tickets from London to New York.

Can you recommend shops in New York or internet sites which will post to Uk.

Anywhere else in the world that would be worth flying to?

[davidh4976]

www.BHPHOTOVIDEO.com

Excellent reputation and my experience with them has been excellent (purchased several L lenses and a 5D and lots of miscellaneous stuff).

[Slough]

I find lenses in America are about 25% cheaper when compared to UK. So the saving on a £1000 lens would pretty much pay for the flight tickets from London to New York.

Can you recommend shops in New York or internet sites which will post to Uk.

Anywhere else in the world that would be worth flying to?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=60073\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Problem is you'll have to pay tax on entering the UK if you get stopped. You could stuff it in the luggage and hope it is not stolen/detected. Or carry it as hand luggage and hope they do not question you. I guess it would depend on size and value and a 600mm F4 might attract questions. I once brought back a lens from a trip to the US, but it was not high value. I've heard that pros have to carry proof of ownership, or get receipts when leaving the US, for when they return. You'll have to ask pros to see if they is true or nonsense.

Leif

[JPlayer]

thanks for advice!
how about miami? sounds like a nice holiday, I hear they have sales, after hurricane seasons

[wolfnowl]

I can't answer for the UK, but with Canada, the official story is that if traveling to the US you have to carry a Canada Customs 'Y38' card which lists the serial numbers of all of your equipment.  If you're stopped at the border when returning, the card verifies that all of the equipment was purchased in Canada.  Similarly, if sending a piece of equipment to the US for repair, the repair lab has to clearly label the package "Canadian goods being returned to Canada" to avoid paying duty, etc.

Now, you've 'successfully' brought that piece of equipment back from the US... what you don't realize is that Canada Customs has five years to find out about you.  If they come calling and you can't provide an original receipt, then you get to pay the full cost of the item (Cdn dollars), all of the duty and taxes, a nice fine and then they confiscate the equipment anyway.  Now it's unlikely that Customs is going to come after you for something cheap, but if it's that cheap there's no advantage in the first place.

Is it worth it?  Only you can decide.

Mike.

[cgf]

www.BHPHOTOVIDEO.com

Excellent reputation and my experience with them has been excellent (purchased several L lenses and a 5D and lots of miscellaneous stuff).
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=60094\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Yep use these guys if you can, thoroughly recommended based on my experience.

My latest order shipped from NYC to Sydney in just 4 days, not bad for 2 government customs departments and about 10,000 miles... and the photography-gods were smiling, Sydney customs re-sealed the package and didn't add GST(tax) or duties, even though the value was waaay over the threshholds  

[JPlayer]

Hey, those Canadian Mounties are very strict! I am not sure about the habits af the Engish Customs Officers but I truly hope that I dont have sleepless nights yrs down the line.

[JPlayer]

www.BHPHOTOVIDEO.com

Excellent reputation and my experience with them has been excellent (purchased several L lenses and a 5D and lots of miscellaneous stuff).
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=60094\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I have looked at the site. I cannot find the good quality Canon lneses, such as the 16-35mmL, 180mmL, etc

Do they do these? Do I need to call them in person?

Any other recommendations? Anyone? Please!

[DarkPenguin]

180L ...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...egoryNavigation

16-35L

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller...egoryNavigation

[pobrien3]

Anywhere else in the world that would be worth flying to?
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=60073\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hong Kong.  Stuff here is usually cheaper than B&H, who I generally use as a benchmark.  My 1DsII was almost US$1,000 cheaper than B&H, but lenses (though usually cheaper here) are not so far apart.  Should have come over this weekend for the Sevens and had a fantastic weekend into the bargain!

Peter

[drstrangelove99]

In the quest for the 5D, 17-40, 24-105, and 70-200/2.8IS, I found several problem sites:

Be very careful about places like Royal Camera who charge 6% of the value of the purchase as shipping and handling. This worked out OK for the 5D body, but that is all I would buy from them.

Also Prestige Camera quotes L lenses with the metal bayonet mount replaced with the plastic one, and then offering an "upgrade" to the metal one for $150. I didn't get to their shipping terms before I hung up.

B&H now gets 100% of my internet business, otherwise I go local to Pro-Photo in Portland, OR.

[Phuong]

I can't answer for the UK, but with Canada, the official story is that if traveling to the US you have to carry a Canada Customs 'Y38' card which lists the serial numbers of all of your equipment.  If you're stopped at the border when returning, the card verifies that all of the equipment was purchased in Canada.  Similarly, if sending a piece of equipment to the US for repair, the repair lab has to clearly label the package "Canadian goods being returned to Canada" to avoid paying duty, etc.

Now, you've 'successfully' brought that piece of equipment back from the US... what you don't realize is that Canada Customs has five years to find out about you.  If they come calling and you can't provide an original receipt, then you get to pay the full cost of the item (Cdn dollars), all of the duty and taxes, a nice fine and then they confiscate the equipment anyway.  Now it's unlikely that Customs is going to come after you for something cheap, but if it's that cheap there's no advantage in the first place.

Is it worth it?  Only you can decide.

Mike.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=60732\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

wow that's good to know. im in Montreal and was planning to pay a bus ticket ($100) to go to BH store in NY to buy some stuffs hoping that i could trick those guys. guess it won't work out that way..

What if a friend from the US came visiting you and "forgot" his 1DsIII at your place when he returned to US?

[Ray]

I remember a few years ago in the UK, I bought a DVD disc over the internet, from the US. When it was delivered a week or so later, the postman knocked on the door and demanded 17% VAT plus an administrative charge. This was a $20 item. I was amazed. We have better things to do in Australia than collect such trivial sums of money. The time, the effort, the paperwork would have amounted to at least the sum of money collected.

Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok are good places to shop for camera gear. I was recently considering the purchase of a Sony DSC-T30 at a duty free price of A$680 in Brisbane, Australia. Camera World in Chinatown in Bangkok have the same camera on special for A$566 including a free 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo card. I presume the price will be even less after I claim the GST reduction at the airport upon leaving Thailand.

[situgrrl]

Last month I bought a bunch of lenses from Onestop-digital.com in Hong Kong.  They are very efficient and the Sigma glass came with international warranties - your biggest issue.  The savings on some L lenses is quite massive - I think something like 50% on a 100-400.

[samirkharusi]

I find that B&H can often deliver Canon superteles to my home, all Oman taxes paid (ie no guilt qualms) cheaper than our local Canon dealer, but our local dealer does match B&H when it comes to cameras. There is a weird pricing policy by Canon Europe/Middle East (and apparently also Hong Kong) that prices their superteles way above B&H prices. B&H offered the 600/4 about $2000 cheaper than Hong Kong, Dubai or Muscat. Camera prices are competetive and sometimes even cheaper than B&H.

Canadians: Note that if you fill a warranty card in Canada for an item bought in the USA, you will be caught. Happened to a Toronto friend who got visited by a person in uniform six months after he had bought a slide projector from Syracuse. Just pay the taxes and do your bit for the society you live in...

[Ray]

Canadians: Note that if you fill a warranty card in Canada for an item bought in the USA, you will be caught. Happened to a Toronto friend who got visited by a person in uniform six months after he had bought a slide projector from Syracuse. Just pay the taxes and do your bit for the society you live in...
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=75955\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Geez! I'm gald I live in Australia. Can't imagine anything like that happening here. Such supervisorial nitpicking is anathema to me.

[samirkharusi]

Geez! I'm gald I live in Australia. Can't imagine anything like that happening here. Such supervisorial nitpicking is anathema to me.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=75959\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Yes indeed, but each country has its own obsessions. Speeding seems to be the bugaboo in Australia. I was always wondering why Australians, despite all that free spirit, were always sticking very, very closely to the rather low speed limits on the major highways. That is until I got mailed (to Oman!) a speed-camera photo requesting an A$150 fine for doing 111kph on a deserted 100kph stretch of the highway between Brisbane and Cairns. I did pay up. When I lived in Canada, in Quebec you could do whatever speed that everybody else was doing (normally way over the speed limit) and as long as you were not overtaking everyone else the police left you alone. But OK Canadians, you've all heard of "Vive le Quebec Libre". I thoroughly enjoyed that recent Canadian movie "Bon Cop Bad Cop"; sort of explains why Torontonians may chase pittances in unpaid taxes and Montreal cops let you do ridiculous speeds on Avenue Park, as long as everyone else is also doing the same ridiculous speed...

[Ray]

Yes indeed, but each country has its own obsessions. Speeding seems to be the bugaboo in Australia. I was always wondering why Australians, despite all that free spirit, were always sticking very, very closely to the rather low speed limits on the major highways. That is until I got mailed (to Oman!) a speed-camera photo requesting an A$150 fine for doing 111kph on a deserted 100kph stretch of the highway between Brisbane and Cairns. [a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=75963\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

LOL! It's a real pain but one can't argue against a policy that saves lives. It's hardly nitpicking   . However, we're a big country and we can accommodate speed maniacs. There's a huge part of northern Australia called The Northern Territory where there are no speed limits outside of suburban areas. The roads are long, straight and sealed, and you can drive as fast as you like   .

[sralser]

Ho does Japan compare with US prices? I'm thinking of a 580ex flash.  I might be able to get someone to bring it back for  me.

Steve

[Jae_Moon]

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