Camera Labs

Hi everyone!

I have been looking into getting the Canon 100mm macro lense, the best price I have found from it is from Amazon.co.uk at £342.92 but I was wondering if there was anyone in the know (I am new to the world of DSLR photography) of anywhere cheaper and better?

I also wondered if there are any disadvantages to buying online as oppose to the high street?

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Canon EOS 40D/EF-S 17-85mm IS USM

I've found it best to do a Google search for the gear you're looking for, and click on the results returned from Google shopping. That gives you the cheapest place to buy your kit, but the main downside is you never know how reliable those merchants are.

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PhilipGoh.com

If you should buy online or locally depends on how easy it is for you to buy locally.

Buying online falls under the distance selling regulations, so you have a right to return the item after inspecting them (subject to postage costs). Read the small print!

Amazon.co.uk at least have a good returns setup, only had to use it once fortunately when deciding not to keep a lens.

Park Cameras list it slightly cheaper, but I don't have experience with shopping with them as item out of stock the one time I tried.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I've been able to find prices better than the one you quoted from stores I've purchased from and are happy to recommend:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/product ... ?sku=12862
http://www.jacobsdigital.co.uk/index.ph ... t_id=66686

As always, read up reviews and do thorough research before shopping with online stores.

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Nikonian

http://www.edtangphotography.com
http://journeysintophotography.blogspot.com/

Thanks so much for the replies guys; this is such a good forum! Thanks for finding the sites for me! I wish that Canon were still doing cash back on that lens, wonder how long till they do another…

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Canon EOS 40D/EF-S 17-85mm IS USM

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Yes, once you've factored in postage and packing Park Cameras seem to be offering a very good deal. You may find the lens a little cheaper elsewhere but if you search very carefully through the terms and conditions the chances are that those resellers are importing from places like Hong Kong.

I've used Park Cameras in the past and found them helpful, even to the point of sometimes offering a slightly better price if you telephone and ask for one. But at that price for the EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM I wouldn't want to get your hopes up.

Bob.

P.S. As this is a Canon question I've moved it to the Canon forum.

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OM-D E-M5 + ED 12-50mm, H-PS14042E, H-F007014E, L-RS014150E, M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 45mm 1:1.8.
Gitzo GT1541T, Arca-Swiss Z1 DP ball-head.
Astrophotography: TEC 140 'scope, FLI ML16803 camera, ASA DDM60 Pro mount.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Emilyandlily-Store

I found these excellent..I had a 70-200mm lens for £109 pound..

Prompt service good delivery.

It’s all so ****** confusing.

Hello everyone. I’ve been ‘lurking’ for a few days, I’ve put my first post here because it's probably not worth starting a new thread.

Being new to photography is bad enough but for now I’m totally baffled at the prices being quoted on the internet by a number of ‘retailers’.

I bought a Canon 450D with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS lens attached.

Several hundred photos and several hours of online research later and I’ve decided to upgrade that ‘kit lens’ to the Canon EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM.

So far, so good.

My problem is that I don’t really know why there is such a huge difference in price between many of the online retailers.

For example Canon UK’s recommended price for the EFS 17-85mm lens is £499.99.

Googling around I’ve come across UK based prices typically ranging from £288.99 to £479.95, however one particular retailer, ‘Camerabox.com’ are quoting just £234.99 – (this one comes with a ‘free’ 2 year warranty).

Incidentally all of the prices I’ve looked at relate to ‘brand-new’ items. How is it possible for a retailer to offer a product at less than half-price? Is this common or am I looking sideways at the proverbial gift-horse’s mouth?

Obviously I’m attracted to the lower price of just £234, but I’m a little worried that I might be missing something here. I’m totally new to the whole world of photography and I’ve always been wary of buying anything on the internet. Can anyone give me some general advice on the pros and cons of internet purchasing? For example has anyone here dealt with Camerabox.com in the past?

Any help would be much appreciated.

By the way, this is a really interesting site. I’ve picked up a lot of information in a relatively short period of time. The DSLR tips and associated videos are excellent.

Hi TonyM, welcome to the forums!

Basically if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Always check online resellers at a site called www.resellerratings.com to see what others are saying about them.

For an indication of how much something should cost from a reputable dealer, use our Pricegrabber service.

UK: http://cameralabs.pgpartner.co.uk/

USA: http://cameralabs.pgpartner.com/

By checking the shops listed there, you'll also support cameralabs.

Note some cheaper dealers sell imported stock - so-called grey imports - which may not come with a full UK warranty.

Our Affiliate stores are all reputable, so if you decide to buy from any of them, please click through to them from our affiliate page first - the price is exactly the same, but they give us a small commission, which is what pays for this site!

Cheers!

Thanks for the reply Gordon. Some really useful links there, suffice to say I'm going to give 'Camerabox.com' a very wide berth.

I've clicked through your UK affiliates without too much success. Unfortunately the one I quite fancied buying from wont take payment via American Express - that's the 'special relationship' down the tubes, bloody Yanks.

Not to worry though, if all else fails I can pay through the nose at Jessops. At least if anything subsequently goes wrong I'll have a real person in a real shop to go and shout at.

Once again thanks for the advice. Great site you have here.

HI tonym, STOP!
If you look on ebay uk, you can get a brand new in box 17-85mm, which is in the UK, for £235, inc postage, that is where i got my lense from! And mine is perfect!

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Ed


Canon 40D + Grip | Sigma 10-20 EX | 17-85 | Sigma 70-200 f/2.8 EX II | 50 F/1.8 | 430 EX II + Other Stuff
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Hi TonyM have a look at these retailers....

http://www.canon.co.uk/Where_to_Buy/For ... /index.asp

They are all authorised "e-tailers" of Canon UK

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Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic

Online I've used Amazon for a lot of kit. It's a bit of random luck how each lens is priced compared with other places, but they can be competitive.

And what may help at Jessops online is the discount code JESSOPS5 which is plastered all over the net. Unfortunately it doesn't apply to SLRs or Canon lenses, but it does seem to work on Canon fit 3rd party lenses.

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Canon DSLRs: 7D, 5D2, 1D, 600D, 450D full spectrum, 300D IR mod
Lenses: EF 35/2, 50/1.8, 85/1.8, 135/2+SF, 28-80 V, 70-300L, 100-400L, TS-E 24/3.5L, MP-E 65, EF-S 15-85 IS
3rd party: Zeiss 2/50 makro, Samyang 8mm fisheye, Sigma 150 macro, 120-300 f/2.8 OS, Celestron 1325/13
Tinies: Sony HX9V.

I followed through on all of the links posted above - an interesting exercise in itself.

I finally bought the lens today (EFS 17-85mm) from Calumetphoto.co.uk, one of the 'Canon UK e-tailers'.

At £334 I thought the price seemed about right and somewhat more competitive than most of the other outlets.

I actually paid for and collected the lens from their store in Birmingham.

Located in a rather uninspiring industrial unit on the outskirts of town the interior was nevertheless a veritable Aladdin's Cave; equipment was extremely well presented and the whole place had very professional air about it. It certainly put to shame many of the Jessops outlets I've visited.

Obviously I can't vouch for their online operation but, unlike many other internet retailers, I suspect that Calumet are a serious operation.

On the basis of my experience there today I would not hesitate to use them in the future.

Anyway, once again, many thanks to all. I'm off to play with my new toys and work out whether or not I've managed to attach the lens hood the right way 'round.