Cashmanimal 0 #1 March 13, 2008 So I went back and forth between my purchase of a 40D lately. I had originally picked up a grey market 40D for about $500, and was more than willing to accept the risk of it since I didn't have the money to dish out for a new body at the time, and the sale of my old camera would have let me break even. Then I realized I HATE grey market stuff and am never cheap when it comes to my photography equipment (as it is part of my job). I was purchasing this 40D as a back up emergency camera for a trip NY. But after reading so much more about the grey market stuff, I just don't know who to believe. Some say the difference on the 40D is more components are plastic, sometimes even the bodies (versus the magnesium-alloy). Others say just the wiring is different (which I don't really like). But even the B&H website said they were the same product with exception to their warranty (which if I can save $700 was a risk I was willing to take on a back-up camera). So does anybody (DSE??) have the true scoop on these grey market cameras? And yes, I am referring to the ones sold my the New York underground home garage operated import ebay powerseller bastard salesman cameras, except I would be getting them through a more viable source... I already own a 40D and love it to death...It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #2 March 13, 2008 Grey market: If you end up getting the same product, ie; buy a grey 40d vs white market 40d, it's the same camera. What you don't know, is that you might be getting a camera destined for Pakistan, so the control surfaces might be different, or the language may not be switchable to an English menu, or...there are many things in that same vein, but the quality is identical in every case I'm aware of. Cheap stuff is different. I know one lens company that puts nylon bayonets on the lens because of metal oxide problems in one region of the world.... Warranty is the big deal. If you buy grey, you don't have one. At all. You might end up with a grey dealer that wants you to buy batts, manual, etc separately. I've bought grey in desperate straits, but "desperate" is my key word. YMMV. I won't *ever* trust a grey dealer over the phone. I need to be there, in person, seeing what I'm getting. YMMV. Use caution, IMO, but if you know exactly what you're getting, know who you're dealing with, and feel safe about it...go for it. Caveat Emptor! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PharmerPhil 0 #3 March 13, 2008 As long as you truly have a grey market unit, and not a counterfeit (rare in this category), there should be no mechanical difference. No, they don't stop the assembly line and put plastic parts inside instead of metal just because it is going to Singapore. The differences are mostly in the distribution, warrantee, support, and in the software. Some electronics will have different firmware depending on where they are going, and many will have different power supplies (although this doesn't usually apply to portable things like cameras, check the AC plug on the charger). But they will be functionally and mechanically the same. The warrantee thing may not seem like a big deal, but if your unit goes South, realize you are SOL unless the retailer you bought it from has some moral ethic that allows them to make things good themselves (there is no "chain of command"). Manufacturers in the USA are represented by their respective distribution network. In the case of most major companies, they have a bona-fide U.S. division (i.e. Canon U.S.A.). But this division has no vested interest in helping other countries or outside distributors meet their sales quotas by dumping their products in North America, so they are not apt to help at all if you have a problem. Caveat emptor... FYI, I worked for many (many) years in consumer electronics in the U.S. Including working for both U.S. subsidiaries of major Asian electronics companies, and for a U.S. manufacturer of electronics sold worldwide. However, I do not work in that field anymore. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #4 March 13, 2008 We have two "Caveat Emptor," do I hear three? I'd forgotten that software may (and often is) be different as well. FWIW, Sony AU and Sony UK package my company's software with Sony Vegas, but the US and Canada don't. Just a difference in the perks you get...but they are different. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cashmanimal 0 #5 March 13, 2008 Okay, I had a new development in this... I confirmed that the difference in the body build on the 40D is that the USA version has the Magnesium-alloy body, while the import has the poly-carbonate body. I don't really know what that means... but it's what I have learned.It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PharmerPhil 0 #6 March 13, 2008 Hmmm,...sounds suspiciously like a U.S. dealer's story to try to disparage competition from grey marketers. How did you "confirm" this? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cashmanimal 0 #7 March 13, 2008 Quote Hmmm,...sounds suspiciously like a U.S. dealer's story to try to disparage competition from grey marketers. How did you "confirm" this? I actually called about 10 different dealers of the grey market stuff, and this was a consistent answer from all of them.... Funny part is I read a couple reviews online about tests between the two bodies, and it seems the cameras made from the polycarbonate actually responded better to drop-tests than the magnesium bodies . I mean, it makes sense (plastic vs. metal bumpers, physics, impact time, etc). These were tests were not performed by the greay market dealers, haha. Of course, I am no authority to confirm any of that, but it sure would be a funny twist if the grey market stuff was more resistant to drops.It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pilotdave 0 #8 March 13, 2008 Post a link to those reviews. I find it VERY hard to believe they can build the same camera with a plastic body and magnesium body. The materials are so different, I'd imagine you'd need completely different designs. You sure it wasn't 40D vs 400D? I can't find anything about grey market cameras being any different... Dave Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DSE 3 #9 March 13, 2008 From a Marketing Director at Canon USA (Consumer video camera division) "Douglas, I'll look into your query, however this sounds like bad information. Our production lines are not unique for various models; packaging and bundles are where you'll find differences in product distribution" Sony doesn't change the physical product itself either, but then again, the above quote is from someone in videocameras, not digital imaging. Like Dave. I'd be hard-pressed to accept that Canon has two 40D camera models. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 15 #10 March 13, 2008 I find it really hard to believe too since they try to save cost and reuse parts from earlier models when ever they can as is. It would be a different assembly line to put in a plastic body and thats a lot of cost.Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cashmanimal 0 #11 March 14, 2008 QuotePost a link to those reviews. I find it VERY hard to believe they can build the same camera with a plastic body and magnesium body. The materials are so different, I'd imagine you'd need completely different designs. You sure it wasn't 40D vs 400D? I can't find anything about grey market cameras being any different... Dave Actually, I should clarify it wasn't about the 40D specifically, just the two materials being compared. And of course, I can't find the links now... they were through a link which I found in a photography forum, which I found through a google search... I will keep looking but right now I can't re-find them. BUt I do think you were right... I recall them mentioning the 30D and 400D a lot, as well as some Nikon's (D70 I think?...) And yes, I thought it odd that they would go through the trouble of creating a whole other assembly process as well, especially with the notion of re-using parts. One salesman mentioned something about the difference between a metal frame, and and entire metal body... I don't remember exactly. All I really seemed to confirm was the magnesium/polycarbonate mystery. Two people today once again gave me the "different wiring" explanation as well... I really am just not believing anything for now, until I can have it verified from an unbiased source. The general consensus on photography forums seems to be the warranty and firmware are the only differences... and in most cases, just the warranty.It's all fun and until someone loses an eye... then it's just a game to find the eye Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
