Grey import lenses, Amazon Prime UK

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Elliot87

Senior Member
As a beginner on a budget I've been shopping around for lenses that won't break the bank. Amazon UK seem to have a lot of Nikon lenses at very very good prices, but it seems from some of the buyers feedback that they are grey imports from china with no European warranty. I believe Nikon may still cover them with their worldwide warranty but it does mean that they don't qualify for Nikons cash back offer in the UK.

I'm posting this partly to make others aware of this, as it isn't very clear on Amazon that you're buying from a non European third party.
However I'm also not 100% sure on where you'd stand with such a lens were it to develop a fault? Has anyone else purchased one of these grey imports or would you if it meant saving money?

They're very tempting, this is an example of one such lens on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-AF-S-...00522422&sr=8-1&keywords=nikon+telephoto+lens

£169 seems like a bargain to me but you know what they say "If it seems too good to be true............"

Elliot
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Personally, when it comes to lenses and cameras, I never buy 3rd party. It's just not worth it. If you have scads of money, sure, why not. If it breaks, just buy another one. If you're on a budget, spend wisely the first time and get the right equipment.
 
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fotojack

Senior Member
Elliot87 said:
Just done a quick price check on the above 55-300 Nikon. Elsewhere in the UK including the £20 cash back offer it still works out at about £90 cheaper. Given that a Nikon lens is unlikely to need repairing I think a saving like that might be worth the risk.

Buy NIKON AF-S DX NIKKOR 55-300 mm f/4.5-5.6G SWM ED VR Telephoto Zoom Lens | Free Delivery | Currys
Click to expand...

This is in the ad from that link:


  • Image stabilisation
  • Auto & Manual focus
  • Silent focus
  • Compatible with Nikon DX mount

Can you see anything wrong here? Look closely. :)
 
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Bill16

Senior Member
I haven't bought much in the way of new lenses, so I can't say if it's worth the risk from experience. But being on a low budget, would make me very tempted by Greg market lenses if I was buying new. But I do believe you have a much poorer warranty and that might be a consideration to think about.
 
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iamntxhunter

Senior Member
I bought a grey market lens and I bought it through B&H Photo as they offer a warranty with it and from what I understand it is grey market because it wasn't brought in through a verified Nikon distributor. Mine has worked fine and unless that changes I would not hesitate to buy another one but it would only be through B&H Photo.
 
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john*thomas

Senior Member
If it was something that was genuine Nikon intended for another market, I'd have no problem if I could save enough money. If it was something made in China as a knock off, I'm not interested.

As is, when I'm looking for something unless it's something like a lens cap I just skip anything coming out of China. I would think that if the lens listed wasn't a genuine Nikon lens selling on a legit site like Amazon Nikon would put a stop to it but for anything more than a couple bucks I'm not taking a chance.
 
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aroy

Senior Member
The Nikon lenses are made at many locations, the main ones are in Japan, Thailand and China. All Nikon lenses carry one year International warranty. What is different is the extended warranty. This is given by the Nikon National Distributor and not by the manufacturer. The extended warranty varies. As far as I could make out it varies from 1 year in India all the way to 5 years (on some lenses) in US.

So if there is repair required within the first year, you may get it repaired any where, but after the first year it has to be done in the country where it was bought.

Normally for lower cost lense, say upto $200, I would not bother and use the cheapest option, but for lenses costing above $2,000, where repairs can be expensive it is best to buy in your own country. Of course if you are stuck without warranty service, you can always send it to Taiwan (as one member has done) and get it repaired at a reasonable rate.
 
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woody3408

New member
I purchased a Nikon 55 300afs lens from HDEW Cameras. It cost £150.00 brand new,yes its a grey import but it comes with a year's warranty the lens is fantastic for the price.


Sent from my RM-821_eu_euro1_562 using Tapatalk
 
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Elliot87

Senior Member
fotojack said:
This is in the ad from that link:


  • Image stabilisation
  • Auto & Manual focus
  • Silent focus
  • Compatible with Nikon DX mount

Can you see anything wrong here? Look closely. :)
Click to expand...

Umm.....not sure. Image stabilisation must be the VR I'd have thought. It does have auto and manual focus. I find "silent" focus unlikely but I've never used a Silent wave motor lens to judge how quiet they are. Saying it's compatible with a Nikon mount is something you'd might expect a non Nikon lens to say. I'm really not sure whats wrong with it, too much of a beginner.

I wasn't skeptical about this link because it is a reputable seller, so I'm really interested to know what's wrong with it?

Oh is it that it says "DX mount", suggesting that FX and DX lenses have different mounts, ie an FX lens might not fit?
 
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Elliot87

Senior Member
john*thomas said:
If it was something that was genuine Nikon intended for another market, I'd have no problem if I could save enough money. If it was something made in China as a knock off, I'm not interested.

As is, when I'm looking for something unless it's something like a lens cap I just skip anything coming out of China. I would think that if the lens listed wasn't a genuine Nikon lens selling on a legit site like Amazon Nikon would put a stop to it but for anything more than a couple bucks I'm not taking a chance.
Click to expand...

None of the reviews or comments I have read suggested they are knock off lenses. Some were unsure whether they might have been getting a refurbished Nikon lens as there was some damage on the box for example. I believe they are simply cheaper because the prices are hiked up on the UK market.
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
I dont have a problem buying gray on certain products,just ensure you fully understand the implications,if you are in the uk a world wide warranty means nothing unless you return it to the seller,your only support should things go wrong is the person you bought it from,there have been rumors Nikon UK will not repair a gray import at any price.
I took the risk with my 55-300 and up to now have been happy but it is a risk.
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
Elliot87 said:
None of the reviews or comments I have read suggested they are knock off lenses. Some were unsure whether they might have been getting a refurbished Nikon lens as there was some damage on the box for example. I believe they are simply cheaper because the prices are hiked up on the UK market.
Click to expand...

Dont think they are knock off lenses ,Nikon Japan makes cameras and lenses in various country's as i understand it, they are sold to who ever wants to buy in large amounts.Nikon UK or USA are just two of there customers,you pay extra through these for peace of mind with after sales support, the gear comes off the same production lines.
Well thats my understanding
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
I remember an advertising campaign from Hassleblad,along the lines of it wasn't the lenses they sold that made theres so good, it was the ones they rejected,guess it could be only lenses that pass QC are sold to main agents,if nikon are reading this QC stands for Quality Control :D
 
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aroy

Senior Member
mikew said:
I remember an advertising campaign from Hassleblad,along the lines of it wasn't the lenses they sold that made theres so good, it was the ones they rejected,guess it could be only lenses that pass QC are sold to main agents,if nikon are reading this QC stands for Quality Control :D
Click to expand...

I do not think that any major manufacturer would sell lenses failing QC at a lower cost to any trader. That would just ruin their reputation.

The so caller "Grey" imports are import of the genuine article, from other regions, and not supported by the local authorized importer. The authorized importer puts in a lot of effort and capital into the business and is also responsible for extended support. That is why they cost more. If there were no warranty or support, the goods could be as much as half the price recommended, as there is no need to invest in infrastructure for sales and repairs. I know of an importer who was quoting 60% discount on the D600. He claimed to be buying in bulk. Again there was no support, except return within one month.

Various companies have different support policies. For example Nikon does not support extended warranties outside the country their equipment was bought, Canon on other hand does, so a Nikon bought in say Singapore has no warranty in India, while a Canon has.

At one time when the import duties were high in India (50%-75% compared to 25% today), a lot of photographic equipment was sold in the Indian Grey Market. There was no support, and only a short term guaranty by the seller. You lived with it as it rarely failed.

Today with major discounts by sellers, it makes very little sense to buy grey market, at least in India. I bought the 35mm F1.8 DX lense at a discount of more than 45% in a scheme, and it comes with full Nikon India warranty.
 
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dukatum

Senior Member
I'm sure the below might upset some purists and people who refuse to accept that they've overpaid and don't want to admit their purchase wasn't as good as it could have been. Controversy :excitement:

My body and lenses are ALL grey market products.
Nikon have taken my body in twice, free, and fixed problems that are common faults on their end.

The way I look at it, is that (a) Worldwide warranty means nothing to me. That's what my insurance is for, especially as the chances are I'm more likely to do accidental damage than receive manufactures fault on my products, either way it's covered by insurance. (b) The fact that the price difference is basically because of Manufactures warranty I can not justify Nikon, or any other brand, for charging for a manufactures warranty. This give them one of two things (1) you never use it, they make pure profit (2) you do use it, they have covered their own costs by charging you for the manufactures warranty in the first place. So no punishment for them.
So I take the normal warranty offered by the seller (normally 12 months) and use personal cover/insurance on my photography gear which covers more than the manufactures warranty anyway so I am better off. (c) I generally think that if you have so much trust in your chosen product brand, it shouldn't matter where you sourced that product from. If you don't want to buy grey products because you don't trust them, then by definition you don't trust the manufacture at all since it's physically all the same and made in the same factories.

Lots of people use lots of pointless scare tactics. "Oh you should never buy anything but a nikon brand lens for your nikon camera" what utter BS, get with the modern times. "oh don't buy grey market because you don't get full warranty" so what? your gear should be insured anyway so why pay twice and get your self mugged off!
 
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mikew_RIP

Senior Member
dukatum said:
I'm sure the below might upset some purists and people who refuse to accept that they've overpaid and don't want to admit their purchase wasn't as good as it could have been. Controversy :excitement:

My body and lenses are ALL grey market products.
Nikon have taken my body in twice, free, and fixed problems that are common faults on their end.

The way I look at it, is that (a) Worldwide warranty means nothing to me. That's what my insurance is for, especially as the chances are I'm more likely to do accidental damage than receive manufactures fault on my products, either way it's covered by insurance. (b) The fact that the price difference is basically because of Manufactures warranty I can not justify Nikon, or any other brand, for charging for a manufactures warranty. This give them one of two things (1) you never use it, they make pure profit (2) you do use it, they have covered their own costs by charging you for the manufactures warranty in the first place. So no punishment for them.
So I take the normal warranty offered by the seller (normally 12 months) and use personal cover/insurance on my photography gear which covers more than the manufactures warranty anyway so I am better off. (c) I generally think that if you have so much trust in your chosen product brand, it shouldn't matter where you sourced that product from. If you don't want to buy grey products because you don't trust them, then by definition you don't trust the manufacture at all since it's physically all the same and made in the same factories.

Lots of people use lots of pointless scare tactics. "Oh you should never buy anything but a nikon brand lens for your nikon camera" what utter BS, get with the modern times. "oh don't buy grey market because you don't get full warranty" so what? your gear should be insured anyway so why pay twice and get your self mugged off!
Click to expand...


This comes back to what i said,i have no problem with grey/gray equipment,the chosen seller is more important than any thing but potential purchasers must understand, yes Nikon UK could go bust but a Internet seller is more likley to vanish if the going gets heavy.
Its my understanding Nikon uk is a stand alone company not responsible for all nikon gear,only what they sell, to fix a known problem FOC would i feel need a directive from Nikon Japan saying they would pick up the bill,it just concerns me advising possible new comers to buy none official imports without explaining the risks is being unfair to them and in the uk there are risks involved.
 
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