Pirate copys of Canon 5dmkII ?

[Tomac]

Hi
Does anybody know if there is a pirat copys of 5dmkII on the market?
I heard some rumors that they produce that kind of copys i asia. Price for them would be about 30% of the original market price. The looks the same but is of course not close to the original.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Not heard of them, but that's not to say they don't exist. Why the interest?

 

[dEARlEADER]

Maybe you are thinking of Grey Market?

These are OEM cameras produced for different countries. Sometimes currency fluctuations or market driven decisions cause them to be cheaper.


EDIT: Often with Grey Market the warranties are not valid

 

[tsaraleksi]

They might look the same, but the insides won't be related in anything more than a passing way. I saw some "iPods" for sale in Beijing that looked perfect but were really just a crappy flash based mp3 player.

That or they are stolen off the back of a truck.

Either way not a good thing to get involved with.

 

[Tomac]

Maybe you are thinking of Grey Market?

These are OEM cameras produced for different countries. Sometimes currency fluctuations or market driven decisions cause them to be cheaper.


EDIT: Often with Grey Market the warranties are not valid

Are OEM cameras same as original or some different type?

 

[keith204]

OEM=Original Equipment Manufacturer

 

[SpeedTrap]

Here is the way it breaks down in most cases.
You go online and see the camera that is beyond your mans on sale for some ridiculously low price.(30-40% off).
You right away get out the credit card and place your order over the net. The store will most likely be in Brooklyn. The next day you will get an email with your order confirmation and a letter saying you need to call in.

When you dial the number you will get a customer service rep who will tell you that this is an imported camera and is made out of only plastic, has no English menus as well as a few other lies and will offer to sell you the proper one for only a bit more.

Good deal right, nope next they will tell you that you also need to buy the charger, battery, strap, cables and a bunch of accessories that are way over priced. One thing to remember is that most of the accessories listed above come with the camera when bought from a reputable store, they are packed in the box.

When all is said and done you will end up paying more than just buying it from a local store. And if you turn down all of the extras and say you will take the plastic import model suddenly it will be backordered. If they have charged your card good luck getting your money back.

 

[Joves]

Yeah what Speed said! Gray market stuff is not covered under any warranty either.

 

[sabbath999]

Yeah what Speed said! Gray market stuff is not covered under any warranty either.

Well, that depends...

Gray market stuff may well be covered by a warranty by the place that sells it, including many reputable dealers. For example, B&H (just to pick one) covers their gray market stuff with a store warranty that is just as good as many manufacturers give.

 

[usayit]

Either through the retailer or the item has to be shipped over seas for service... simply means that the item was never intended to be sold in the US with US based warrantee.

 

[Garbz]

Grey market are identical to the Canon equivalent. Just don't expect stringent quality control, and don't expect to go crying to canon if something goes wrong they won't hear it.