tamron 70-200 2.8: can someone tell me the difference between the tamron 70-200 2.8 vc from japan vs the same one that you can get from adaroma camera. there is a 5 or 6 hundred dollar...

mcraven

can someone tell me the difference between the tamron 70-200 2.8 vc from japan vs the same one that you can get from adaroma camera. there is a 5 or 6 hundred dollar difference between the 2. I hear it is a warranty thing..is that so? im thinking of purchasing on for myself. thanks photo friends...

twowindsbear

Do you mean that you're conidering importing it yourself from Japan?

mcraven

no. I was gonna buy it online.

twowindsbear

mcraven wrote:

no. I was gonna buy it online.

I'd be leery. It sure seems that offers that are 'too good to be true' usually are.

Good luck.

mcraven

thanks I will definitely keep that in mind.

nicksr1125 Loc: Mesa, AZ

The one from Japan won't have a U. S. warranty. Thus the cheaper price. I've never had to have a lens serviced under warranty but would hate to have to send 1 back to Japan for warranty service. Better to pay the extra bucks & buy from and authorize dealer here. Check the price at B&H as well. I have the 70-200 on my Sony Alpha 850. It's a great lens.

mcraven

thanks. that's pretty much of what I gathered..tamron 70-200 2.8 vc must be a good lens though because I have only seen one used on ebay in the last year...thanks a bunch..

jim quist Loc: Missouri

I had that lens and loved it. I only sold it because it didn't focus fast enough, so I bought the Canon. If you aren't shooting sports you will love it.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

mcraven wrote:

can someone tell me the difference between the tamron 70-200 2.8 vc from japan vs the same one that you can get from adaroma camera. there is a 5 or 6 hundred dollar difference between the 2. I hear it is a warranty thing..is that so? im thinking of purchasing on for myself. thanks photo friends...

My guess is it won't have a USA warranty, since it would be considered gray market. All the photo products are the same, regardless of where they are sold. The importer adds a warranty and raises the price to cover the cost of repairs.

WayneT Loc: Paris, TN

When I travelled I use to purchase all my camera equipment in the far east somewhere. Keep in mind that this was back in the film days but I never had a problem with any of my equipment and only had to have my Nikon F1 serviced once out of warranty which I had done at a local dealer here in the states. Overall I saved a lot of money and I just didn't let myself stress out over the warranty problem. The cameras and lenses were identical to the units I could purchase here in the states.

If you are worried about warranty buy a 3rd party warranty that you can trust.

mcraven

good information..thanks for sharing.

jethro779 Loc: Tucson, AZ

mcraven wrote:

can someone tell me the difference between the tamron 70-200 2.8 vc from japan vs the same one that you can get from adaroma camera. there is a 5 or 6 hundred dollar difference between the 2. I hear it is a warranty thing..is that so? im thinking of purchasing on for myself. thanks photo friends...

If you need the one from Japan fixed you have to send it back to Japan.

reindeer Loc: London U.K.

Mcraven,
It is a super lens. Check it on DXOMark. Buying it online from Japan or a place like Thailand will save you considerable money especially the local taxes. Also, the local retailer profit margin in US is much greater than elsewhere.. The quality is the same all over. Need for repairs/replacement should' be minimal.
So why not take the gamble, if at all it can be considered as such?

O2Ra

WayneT wrote:

When I travelled I use to purchase all my camera e... (show quote)

I did that through B&H and got a Square Trade warranty covers everything for 3 years . Better than factory warranty. Nikon lens by the way

T_Span Loc: Northern MI

The gray market issue has folks on both sides of the camp.

I purchased a Tamron 60mm macro from Abes of Maine which was discounted considerably below the USA models. For the heck of it, I attempted to register at Tamron's website. Declined, no problem as I was not expecting success.

One of the grandkids toasted the lens in a drop. Not worth the expense of a repair over the cost of replacement. Had I purchased a USA model with full warranty, the loss would have been full price. The discounted price is a little easier to swallow, I think.