Camera Labs

Been offered a Sony Alpha A100 witht he following kit:

Sony Alpha A100 (Black)
18-70mm kit lens
75-300mm kit lens
Sony Bag
1GB Sandisk card
Tripod

Haven't even started haggling with the guy yet (live in beijing, so I'll at least be able to get £50 off this, or a really good memory card/polariser thrown in).

PRice offered is 5700RMB (£380 give or take). Canon and Nikon stuff seems much more expensive over here, but thankfully I really do like this one. Just wondering if its cheaper to get it bakc in the UK. This is an authorized SOny delaership, so no risk of fakes on this one. Only problem is that I'm a student and shelling out now hurts my beer funds. Is it a good deal at £380??

Mike

The moment you mentioned it was in China that set alarm bells ringing.

It may be an authorised dealer, but the most important thing to look for is the warranty. IMHO, the cheaper price means nothing if the camera breaks and you need to shell out up to half, perhaps more, of the price of the camera itself. Apparently I found this out when considering getting an A100 in Hong Kong, only to be put off due to the lack of worldwide warranty.

I guess the thing you have to ask yourself is "Is it really worth the extra few £'s saved?". I'm not even sure if any of the official servicing places back home would touch the SLR if, God forbid, something went wrong.

My personal opinion would be to not bother and wait until you were back in the UK and try the airport duty free or the internet.

If you do decide to go for it, ask first if you can get an international warranty on the camera in case something does go wrong.

_________________
"Where does the lens end and the camera begin?..."
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
DT 18-70 mm F3.5-5.6 (Kit)

PS - and don't forget if customs stop you as you re-enter the UK, you could face about 25% in tax and duty.

This and the warranty issue are the things everyone has to weigh up when buying abroad...

Good point Gordon. You may pay less on the equipment now, but UK Customs are hellbent on making you pay up VAT for the lost revenue. Of course, you could simply lie and say it was with you when you left, or it was a gift or something but I wouldn't recommend it unless it was a smaller item.

_________________
"Where does the lens end and the camera begin?..."
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
DT 18-70 mm F3.5-5.6 (Kit)

I checked the warranty and it is worldwide warranty. I'm not bothered about the customs issues as I'll be here for at least 4 years (though will be back in the UK at Xmas and may buy it then in the UK if its around the same price) and it will not return to the UK boxed. If its going to have any problems, these will be sorted in china, not the UK. Chinese tax is included in the price.

I've bought tons of smaller stuff from this place and never had a problem with any of it.

Just really want to know if this is a good price for the package and if I could get this in the UK. Lots of websites blocked here and can't find too much info online, other than this forum.