The "New Gear/Willy Waving" thread

Appologies if these are stupid questions, but I have some concerns over my recent delivery from Portus Digital (that appear to be highly recommended);

1) Do all Canon camera's and parts come in totally unsealed boxes? All accessories inside are in sealed containers, but the camera itself (EOS 700D), while well wrapped is also unsealed.

2) One lens (which cost £200 for an 18-155mm IS STM) came in a white box, rather than a genuine Canon one , and again wasn't sealed , or easily validated as previously unwrapped. How do I tell this isn't a 2nd hand lens?

2nd (separate) lens - as a comparison - ef 40mm f/2.8 STM came in a properly branded box (admittedly unsealed). Admittedly this could also be 2nd hand (because its unsealed), but at least its a pristine and branded box which makes this less concerning.

sorry if this appears overly dramatic but Ive never paid this kind of money for a camera before and Im more used to dealing with computer parts where everything from a £10 genuine MS mouse to £400 graphics cards etc come in totally sealed (and branded) boxes.
 
I have to check about the seal, i can't remember but if you are worried, you can check shutter count of the camera.

As for the white box lens, that lens came out of a kit, so it would be new and the seller remove the kit lens and sold it on its own. I've had the other way round where I got a camera in a bigger box than normal (body only) with the space left for a 24-105 missing.
 
Vertigo1 said:
I gave up trying to procure a Yongnuo 600 in the end - there are some vendors with reasonable prices but the stock situation seems very "iffy" and there's no knowing if or when they'll actually show up.

Ended up buying a second Canon 600EX-RT in the end. Will probably pick up a Yongnuo too next year when the market has settled down a bit.

Now I just need to sort out some stands/brackets but ain't got a clue about what's decent and all the various attachments.
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Light stand + hotshoe bracket.

Or, use your tripod, and use the little plastic feet that it comes with, screw that on the plate on the tripod.
 
My YN600s are still in transit. Got tracking and it shows up on RM so I imagine customs are flipping a coin deciding how much tax to charge...
 
Raymond Lin said:
I have to check about the seal, i can't remember but if you are worried, you can check shutter count of the camera.

As for the white box lens, that lens came out of a kit, so it would be new and the seller remove the kit lens and sold it on its own. I've had the other way round where I got a camera in a bigger box than normal (body only) with the space left for a 24-105 missing.
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Shouldn't they advertise as a kit lens?

( I say that as I was advised against buying kit lens due to the quality not always being perfect - from a couple of youtube channels / reviews - but how do you tell if the seller isn't being completely honest?)

Really appreciate the quick response earlier, you have put me more at ease.
 
Kit lens is just a term that lens was a part of a kit, nothing about its quality. A kit lens is typically zoom that has covers the most common focal length. A 24-105 is an L, about £600? Lens so not cheap but it is a part of a kit.

The lens come from the same factory as the retail box lenses. It's not something I worry about but this is a practice I've only seen done by small independent sellers, as there is bigger profit margin by doing this.
 
Raymond Lin said:
The lens come from the same factory as the retail box lenses. It's not something I worry about but this is a practice I've only seen done by small independent sellers, as there is bigger profit margin by doing this.
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Well ok fair enough - but then from a customer point of view it could be said that the same lens SHOULD be cheaper , or harshly marked up.
 
Raymond Lin said:
I do agree that they should be listed as something like OEM model, with slight discount.
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well like CPU's etc here, which I would then agree with.

but imo its a bit mis-representative to not mark them as such and put them alongside all the other lenses which do come in genuine boxes
 
Raymond Lin said:
Light stand + hotshoe bracket.
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Any specific recommendations? They all look the same to me and want something that's not uber expensive but isn't total crap.

Or, use your tripod, and use the little plastic feet that it comes with, screw that on the plate on the tripod.
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Haha that's a nifty idea and could work in a pinch but height would be limited and my tripod's a bit cumbersome to lug around compared to a dedicated light stand.
 
SickAsAParrot said:
I've just bought an AD2 80-210 to go on my D7000 from one of the local 'pawn' shops for the princely sum of £9.99.

Apart from a small spot of fungus inside the front element it's mint with a case but no mount.

I did once have the 70-210 later model but lost it and it wouldn't focus on infinity anyway so I thought it was worth a punt, I haven't had chance to try it in daylight yet.
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I have a lot of manual focus lenses (and have sold on a lot as well).

In terms of Tamron I have the SP 400mm f4 LD IF, the SP 80-200 f2.8 LD (which is a staggeringly good lens), the classic SP 90mm f2.5.

I have used some great Canon FD lenses as well - the 80-200 f4L, the 100-300 f5.6L (not good at 300 in my opinion) the 35-105 f3.5.

Still own a FD 300mm f4L which is very, very good as well as the 200mm f4 Macro which goes 1:1 and is also a fantastic lens.

Can't say enough good things about the A6000 and old manual lenses.
 
FrankJH said:
Shouldn't they advertise as a kit lens?

( I say that as I was advised against buying kit lens due to the quality not always being perfect - from a couple of youtube channels / reviews - but how do you tell if the seller isn't being completely honest?)

Really appreciate the quick response earlier, you have put me more at ease.
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Kit lens just means the lens was sold as part of the kit. Nikon has sold Kits with a 24-70 and 70-200mm f2.8 before, like 3500 quids worth of top performing lenses.
 
FrankJH said:
Appologies if these are stupid questions, but I have some concerns over my recent delivery from Portus Digital (that appear to be highly recommended);

1) Do all Canon camera's and parts come in totally unsealed boxes? All accessories inside are in sealed containers, but the camera itself (EOS 700D), while well wrapped is also unsealed.

2) One lens (which cost £200 for an 18-155mm IS STM) came in a white box, rather than a genuine Canon one , and again wasn't sealed , or easily validated as previously unwrapped. How do I tell this isn't a 2nd hand lens?

2nd (separate) lens - as a comparison - ef 40mm f/2.8 STM came in a properly branded box (admittedly unsealed). Admittedly this could also be 2nd hand (because its unsealed), but at least its a pristine and branded box which makes this less concerning.

sorry if this appears overly dramatic but Ive never paid this kind of money for a camera before and Im more used to dealing with computer parts where everything from a £10 genuine MS mouse to £400 graphics cards etc come in totally sealed (and branded) boxes.
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The camera may have been returned for whatever reasons, passed quality checks and so got re-boxed. As long as everything looks in pristine order and you have all warranty information then there is nothing to worry about.

The issue is that until recently people could buy a camera online, open up the box when they get it, play with it for a weekend or whatever and then send it back for a full refund. The seller is then forced to resale the item with an opened box. At least now the rules have changed and sellers can charge people for opening the box and breaking seals.
 
FrankJH said:
Not really the point - its about the accuracy of whats being sold
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You received the advertised lens, white box lenses are common especially with "bargains". Nothing untoward has taken place, and you have buyer protection of being able to return it if you feel that way. Have you contacted them with your concerns? I can't say I have ever heard of the seller before, but their offering of a 2 year guarantee and references to not meeting UK offers by manufactures does make them sound like they also deal in gray goods? I wouldn't really writer about it though, unless you are worried about take value, although being the lens at £200 in the first place should mitigate that?

I'm not sure that I have had sealed boxes with Canon gear. When I'm in the loft gettint the Christmas decorations down I'll have a quick check of my boxes :)
 
Rojin said:
I can't say I have ever heard of the seller before, but their offering of a 2 year guarantee and references to not meeting UK offers by manufactures does make them sound like they also deal in gray goods?
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Combined with their prices, I'd say they're definitely a grey importer. I'd be less concerned by the white box one of the lenses came in and more concerned about the lack of manufacturer's warranty. Ok they may provide their own warranty instead but this could be better or worse than the manufacturer's. There's nothing wrong with grey imports per se but I hate the way so many retailers try their utmost to hide this when it should be very clear.
 
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