grey market equipment

[dennis campbell]

to much color abberation with current lenes not to mention the restrictions of only having 28/300-500 lenses am looking into 105 -2.8 av nikkor macro .....am in india and can get one in the grey mkt ......looked up bh photo and they had an explanation about grey mkt on their web site however my friend annie who is the quintisential photographer advises against but she has never been involved in the mkt ....anyone out there who has had expierience with this i would like to hear from you ......also is there a technique to cut down on the abberations ......mostly with whites against dark backgrounds ......it is such a time consuming process to pull this stuff out in ps.....
hope all are well thanks

[kevinbythebeach]

"..also is there a technique to cut down on the abberations ......mostly with whites against dark backgrounds ......it is such a time consuming process to pull this stuff out in ps....."


Buy better Lenses...sorry if that answer seems short...But some lenses create alot of distortion and some dont.

As far as grey market...Ive never bought a Grey item before. It only saves a few bucks usually so why bother...I guess if your buying in a country other than the USA then technically it would be grey market , or just a normal market item for that country. Why would you get a US Warrenty card if you bought it in another country. So I dont see how you can avoid buying grey market items in another country.

[dennis campbell]

nikon has warranted dealers all over the world india included .....hard for me to imagine that nikon would stand for their dealers openly using grey products sales if they felt it improper or demeaning to the integrity of their products ....im assuming the grey mkt is a marketing stratagy mgfs to sell their products ......the the blurb from bh photo says that the grey market products are mfg the same at the same location with the same parts as retail they just come from another source and dont have the same packaging......... and can be sent to nikon if some thing goes wrong its just not up to the dealer to provide the service........ with the customs duties here the price is 35- 50% higher so its more than just a few dollars i just would like to talk to someone whose has dealt in this manner so i know what to expect the abberations happen only part of the time i was wondering wether white balance , exposure , k temp could be adjusted.......
thanks for the directions

[Geoff F]

While I have always been a bit wary of buying 'grey market' goods, or anything on line that doesn't come from a well respected company for that matter, I have a friend who has purchased from Hong Kong successfully.

The main potential problem is having to return any faulty goods to the dealer for replacement and, of course, being able to recognise between a reliable trader and a scam.

Also, I understand that most photo equipment manufacturers have clamped down on dealers who undercut the average price (allowing for currency fluctuations) so the offers aren't as good on cameras or lenses now. But some operators get around this by offering free or cut price extras.

It varies between countries but the usual way of avoiding UK import tax is to list the goods as a tax free gift. However, my friend came unstuck with his last purchase as he had it delivered to his business address so the UK Customs charged import tax. Still a bit cheaper than purchasing from a UK company and, so far, he has never had to return anything.

[Colin Southern]

I guess if your buying in a country other than the USA then technically it would be grey market

Ahem - don't think so kevin!

My Canon gear all comes through Canon New Zealand - nothing "grey" about it!

[dennis campbell]

geoff, thanks very much
dennis

[melt]

I live in NYC and goes in BH bout once a week to look around..if you're thinking bout grey market for the 105 micro ...i just bought a american one at www.jr.com for the same price as the BH grey market..

JR.com is the great store and if you watch the yankee(baseball) they is a sponsor and a nikon deal..

and its in stock..

[dennis campbell]

melt thanks for the heads up ill look into your suggestion ......my problem is that im in india and am at the mercy of" foriengers " pricing thanks again
dennis