Buying lenses from China....

S

super_plus

Active member
After doing a bit pricing on a Tamron 17-50 VC I found this listing on ebay. That's a much lower price than domestic retailers... I'm assuming this is because it only has a 1 year warranty as opposed to the 6 year warranty domestic retailers offer.

My experience with lenses is a bit limited but I haven't heard very many complaints about lenses failing. Do you think it's worth it to shell out the extra bucks for a lense with a long warranty?
 
I think many people here will tell you yes. A lens warranty is worth every penny. They do at times drop. To have that added insurance is priceless.
 
i got mine from an ebay dealer for much less than local prices here (aus). No problems yet.

videohog, I think you looked up the prices for the non vc version.
 
I can't comment on this lens specifically, but I have a question that I have been considering for a while. Doesn't it scare anybody to be buying lenses specifically designed for the smaller sensor chips? I mean, this is a general DSLR discussion, so I don't know what camera you are buying this lens for, but it said in the lens description on the eBay post that it was for the Nikon and Canon cameras. I know that the APS-C chip is bigger than the S35mm frame size, but aren't they compromised on the FF35mm sensors? My thinking on this is, while buying lenses for a Canon 550D/T2i, is to stick to lenses that are designed for the FF35mm, to kind of "Future proof" my lens investment. I feel that lenses designed for the FF35mm will be useful over a broader range of potential sensor sizes that camera manufactures my throw at us in the near future. Since the mounts for Canon and Nikon are the same for both sized chips, doesn't it make sense, that if I am going to buy glass now, to buy lenses that I will be able to use it over a broader range of cameras? Just my two cents. Any thoughts?
 
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David G. Smith said:
I can't comment on this lens specifically, but I have a question that I have been considering for a while. Doesn't it scare anybody to be buying lenses specifically designed for the smaller sensor chips? I mean, this is a general DSLR discussion, so I don't know what camera you are buying this lens for, but it said in the lens description on the eBay post that it was for the Nikon and Canon cameras. I know that the APS-C chip is bigger than the S35mm frame size, but aren't they compromised on the FF35mm sensors? My thinking on this is, while buying lenses for a Canon 550D/T2i, is to stick to lenses that are designed for the FF35mm, to kind of "Future proof" my lens investment. I feel that lenses designed for the FF35mm will be useful over a broader range of potential sensor sizes that camera manufactures my throw at us in the near future. Since the mounts for Canon and Nikon are the same for both sized chips, doesn't it make sense, that if I am going to buy glass now, to buy lenses that I will be able to use it over a broader range of cameras? Just my two cents. Any thoughts?
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I'm buying this for my T2i. It's my personal camera and I get great results so I feel no need to worry about all this FF mumbo jumbo. I plan on using this camera for a while so in my situation it's not an issue.
 
super_plus said:
Insurance is one thing but I dont think a warranty would cover dropping it
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I'm sorry. You are right. I'm thinking about my own situation where as my equipment is covered by my company's insurance. Whether it is dropped or stolen, I am covered.
 
often, significantly cheaper items on ebay from china are copycat items. there are a lot of companies in china who duplicate other branded items. sometimes its the same thing, other times it s a sub-standard copy. from where i stand, my peace of mind and quality of my image is important enough to me, that a savings of $400-$500 is not worth the risk.

but thats just me.
 
I bought the Tamron non-VC on Ebay from a seller in Hong Kong. The only problem was that he did me a "favor" by valuing it at $50 for customs. They held it hostage in Tel Aviv and I had to pay double the tax. The lens is fine though.
 
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