Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs – and Large Sensor Photography => Topic started by: rollsman44 on February 18, 2015, 09:29:42 pm
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How safe is it to purchase camera equipment from the ebay Japan Sellers? I was looking at the Pentax 645 FA 45-85 f4.5 zoom.
They seem very reasonable. Thank you
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How safe is it to purchase camera equipment from the ebay Japan Sellers? I was looking at the Pentax 645 FA 45-85 f4.5 zoom.
They seem very reasonable. Thank you
I'd say very safe... plus you are a buyer... eBay really has all the protections for buyers but almost nil for sellers ;D
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Hello,
Never had a problem from purchasing any camera equipment from Japan or any other Asian country on EBAY.
The only defective lens I was sold on EBay was from a seller in Toronto Canada.
Cheers
Simon
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How safe is it to purchase camera equipment from the ebay Japan Sellers? I was looking at the Pentax 645 FA 45-85 f4.5 zoom.
-- Well, actually I just bought that exact lens from a Japan seller. I had read several positive reports here about these sellers, which "emboldened" me to take the plunge. The bad news is that when I received it, it was obviously defective - focus locked up at closest focus end. Such a shame, since it came with nice lens hood, pouch, even the original boxes, all in very nice condition.
The good news is (I hope!), the seller responded immediately, is very apologetic, and promises a full refund. So all in all, I don't feel burned & will buy from eBay Japan sellers again.
(Maybe not this particular seller, tho - the lens was probably defective before he shipped it, and my return postage is $80 - ouch! An expensive exercise…)
John
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I bought two used Mamiya 645 lenses from Japan, very good service and no complaints.
geb
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-- Well, actually I just bought that exact lens from a Japan seller.
Would you mind listing the seller's name or at least something specific enough about the lens in case it appears on eBay again please?
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other than the obvious issues and risks of such a purchase, another is the warranty will not be honored if you need it repaired, and even out of warranty some manufacturers will refuse to service it if is “grey market”.
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Would you mind listing the seller's name or at least something specific enough about the lens in case it appears on eBay again please?
-- this seems like sort of a slippery area. From all appearances, the seller I bought from probably just made an honest mistake, so I don't want to trash him needlessly. Seriously, Japanese eBay sellers seem to work hard to earn & maintain a reputation for integrity.
Having said that, I guess I can say that one thing that might have been unique about the listing for this particular lens: the picture showing the focus setting was almost all the way to closest focus (about 0.5m). Somehow it seems like most shots of these lenses show focus set closer to the other end of the scale ("infinity").
So if you see a listing with a shot showing a focus setting like that, you might want to double-check the lens operation with the seller…
HTH,
John
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I had twice an issue with Japanese sellers regarding used Pentax 645 glas. So I would not recommend buying there. The chance to get a lens with fungus inside is much higher than in other countries due to the humid climate over there. Especially when the lens is as old as Pentax 645 glas.
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In Michael Reichmann's review of the Pentax 645Z, he said that he had had only good experiences of buying 2nd hand from Japan and bought a couple of lenses for his 645Z from there.
I've just bought a 645 45-85mm lens. The seller specifically stated that there was no fungus or other issues and had plenty of photos of the lens.
I'll find out how good it is when it arrives.