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Author Topic: Canon 5D - Camera Warranty  (Read 5093 times)

TimeZone

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Canon 5D - Camera Warranty
« on: November 17, 2005, 08:05:26 pm »

My Canon EOS 5D is finally being shipped to me. (Yea!)  I have planned to purchase an extended warranty.  I am usually not big on those for small purchases, but on something this expensive I think it would be a good idea.

I don't guess Canon offers anything extra?  I have been planning on getting a Mack 3 year extended warranty for about $150 through B&H or another retailer.  Would this be something that would actually take care of a problem if something went bad?  Any experience or advice on this would be appreciated.

I know Some retailers (Ritz, among others I think) have some super expensive warranties that sound like they offer more coverage, but are way more than I would want to spend.

Thanks,

Lum
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gmitchel

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Canon 5D - Camera Warranty
« Reply #1 on: November 18, 2005, 09:17:02 am »

IMHO, extended warranties are not a good investment.

You should only insure against hazards where you cannot afford to repair/replace the item. Otherwise you spend a lot of money on insurance premiums where the likelihood of anything going wrong in a catastrophic way is low.

I bought an extended warranty for my first DSLR -- the D30 -- wondering how durable it might be.

I felt like a chump after I held the camera and then realized unless I dropped it or got it wet, anything that was lkely to go wrong was likely to wrong during the warranty period. AND, if I dropped it or got it wet, they were not going to cover it under the warranty.

I have own a D30, a D60, a 10D, and I own a 1Ds MkII and a 20D. I am so obsessive compulsive, I have been able to sell every camera LNIB. Not a scratch or a mar. When I have slipped or fell (it goes with nature photography), I have taken the shock. The camera has never hit anything by my too large belly. I have contorted myself a time or two, just to make sure I protect my cameras.

I think most of us are mindful while we use such expensive equipment out in the field. Photojournalists can be rough on gear sometimes, but that comes from a newspaper paying for the gear. Anyway, I know of no one with a 1Ds MkII, 1D MkIIn, 5D, etc. who is careless with their gear.

If you are careful, you can expect serious manufacturing defects like faulty components, faulty assembly, etc. to appear during the warranty period.

Admittedly, I am talking about my experience and the experience of a few people. Perhaps others reading this forum will relate other experiences. That's the risk when we generalize from a few experiences.

Cheers,

Mitch
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mikeseb

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Canon 5D - Camera Warranty
« Reply #2 on: November 18, 2005, 10:43:54 am »

Mitch's experience and viewpoint mirror my own. I have never purchased an extended warranty for photographic equipment for exactly the reasons he states--you aren't covered for the likeliest reason for out-of-mfgr's-warranty failure: you dropped it!

It makes more sense, I think, for expensive mechanical devices where parts wear and tear may result in failure after a few years. For instance, our extended warranty on a washing machine paid for itself ten or twelve-fold when that appliance died a couple of months ago from worn-out bearings (likely a mfgr defect that just took some time to show up.)

Cameras, OTOH, seem less likely to show mechanical wear and tear when properly cared for.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2005, 10:44:17 am by mikeseb »
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larkvi

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Canon 5D - Camera Warranty
« Reply #3 on: November 18, 2005, 09:48:38 pm »

I would like to point out that this is a $150 warranty for an extra 3 years of service on a $3,ooo+ camera. That is not bad at all, especially given that the electrical, electronic, and software complexities involved in a digital camera. The repairs are expensive, and I dare say that the more complex the camera, the more likely it is to break down. I had my 300D in for repairs 3 or 4 times in the first year of warranty, one of the problems requiring the replacement of the entire chamber and associated electronic systems. This on a lightly used camera that was not abused. If one of Canon's repairs does not work (and the same system has failed after repair twice now, with them screwing up more things than they fixed one of the times), I am more than happy not to pay for the replacement of the guts of the camera.

I have not sent mine in for service yet under my 3-year Mack extended warranty, and cannot tell you how good the service is, but, as someone who normally thinks extened warranties are not a good idea, I am more than happy to have spent $80 on the extra warranty time, given the indifferent quality-control in my Digital Rebel. The 5D is a generation or two later, and built to a higher standard, but all the reports I have read suggest that Canon is cutting some corners, so, with due respect to the above posters, I suggest that you need to worry about more than just dropping the camera, and think you might want to seriously consider the warranty.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2005, 09:50:59 pm by larkvi »
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Graeme Nattress

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Canon 5D - Camera Warranty
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2005, 07:40:21 pm »

If you've had problems with Canon repairing the camera, how, may I ask, is a 3rd party going to do any better? As you say, a DSLR is a complex beast. I don't think Mack have a very good reputation at all. I think if you do a search on other photographic / video forums, you'll see their name mentioned in quite a poor light.

Graeme
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TimeZone

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Canon 5D - Camera Warranty
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2005, 01:52:47 am »

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions and opinions on this.  It seems to be a bit of disagreement on this.  

My original thoughts were to buy the Mack extended warranty as its a small price to pay for protection on an expensive camera.  $150 is still not cheap to me though, and it's not everyday that I go out and spend this much on a single item, and certainly not for a warranty on something else.  If it offered good protection and service that is one thing, but some things I have read make me wonder.

Having an extra 3 years of warranty would be really nice and also perhaps be a good thing if you were selling the camera to make a purchaser feel good that they were still covered.

A post on the forum I was able to find from years past talked about the Mack warranty and one person had a very good alternative solution which is the route I think I will take.

Buy with a Visa Platinum card for double the original warranty.  Luckily I did purchase with a Visa Platinum business card.

See this post.
Visa forum message

This should double my warranty to two years.  Credit cards always offer you all these benefits that you usually forget about, but I will give this one a shot.

They also sell 3 & 5 year extended warranties.  I think the 3 year extension through them would cost $268. (see the Warranty manager link)  I'll have to look more into that.  Not sure if I want to pay for it.

My card said it offers Purchase Security & Extended Protection, and Warranty manager.

Here are pages on Visa's website talking about these.

Visa Purchase and Security Protection
Visa Warranty Manager

Thanks to everyone for their help on this.

Lum
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larkvi

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Canon 5D - Camera Warranty
« Reply #6 on: November 23, 2005, 06:44:34 pm »

Quote
If you've had problems with Canon repairing the camera, how, may I ask, is a 3rd party going to do any better? As you say, a DSLR is a complex beast. I don't think Mack have a very good reputation at all. I think if you do a search on other photographic / video forums, you'll see their name mentioned in quite a poor light.
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I've seen good and bad reviews--some glowing, some livid. Quite honestly, they would be hard-pressed to be that much worse than Canon's warranty service (though I have been told that they are much faster for professionals, and perhaps the more expensive 5D gets better service than the 300D). Like all warranties, it simply comes down to whether or not you can afford to write off the camera if it fails, and whether you are more likely to destroy the camera or for the camera to fail. As I cannot easily afford replacement, have never destroyed a camera, and any DSLR repair is going to be more than the cost of the warranty, to me the %5 seemed worthwhile, as I consider the camera very likely to fail.

For professionals, and those with more substantial incomes, it probably makes sense just to pay for repairs, but my camera hobby is a money-losing proposition.
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