[bugdog]

I am considering buying a Canon Zoom Lens.
70 -200L f2.8 is



It will be £1000 plus.What frightens me is getting a so called "bad copy"
What is the best way to avoid this .Can you road test the lens before you buy
or do you buy a sub standard lens and go through all the grief of exchanging the
unit trying to prove to the retailer that it is the lens and not your bad technique.
I came across someone on another forum that had bought a 600mm canon lens
and it was hopeless.He spent months of heartache trying to get a replacement
.I think in the end he went direct to Canon in Japan .He had been buying Canon since the mid 1970's so i think his experience could not be questioned.
The lens in question he had was approx £6000.

Any advice or suggestions will be welcomed.

[stepheno]

Firstly buy local - which may, likely as not be Jessops, or from somewhere that it is easy to return to. Secondly try the lens in the shop - on your own camera, and if necessary ask to view the shots on there computer or take a laptop with you. Don't take the imoages home to view since next time you go to the shop it might not be the same lens.
If you are happy with the results then buy the lens. You then have two safeguards - firstly the retailer will have a "return for a full-refund" clause, usually something like 21 or 28 days. Secondly, if out of the refund period, you have Canon's warranty so in the event of a faulty copy you return to Canon UK who will arrange for an accredited Camera Repair Shop to fix or Canon will replace. I can't think of anything better than that. Obviously the nearer the retailer is the easier it is so if you buy from Hong Kong you will get the best price but also the hassle of returnigna poor copy. HTH

[bugdog]

Thanx for your advice it makes good sense.

[abirkill]

I've no personal experience, but I've heard that when sending a poor lens back to Canon for recalibration, they actually do such a good job that it can come back as one of the best examples available.

Jessops have no problem with returns, and they'll also pricematch UK internet prices. Just don't really on them for decent advice

[stepheno]

Originally Posted by abirkill

I've no personal experience, but I've heard that when sending a poor lens back to Canon for recalibration, they actually do such a good job that it can come back as one of the best examples available.

That is true - I had a 70-300 that I wanted checked for portraits at 300mm. They didn't mess about, they just replaced the whole optical unit with a good'n

[stepheno]

...and to add, the whole thing was turned around in 10 days

[Liam O'Neill]

Originally Posted by stepheno

That is true - I had a 70-300 that I wanted checked for portraits at 300mm. They didn't mess about, they just replaced the whole optical unit with a good'n

That was probably because Canon had admited a design flaw with that lens and anyone who sent one back had the internals changed. I don't think it's standard practise.

[JMitchell]

Originally Posted by abirkill

Jessops....will also pricematch UK internet prices.

Will they? I am very dubious about that concept....

Originally Posted by abirkill

Just don't really on them for decent advice

Very true indeed. Which ever camera has the highest comission for the salesman that month is thebest one in the shop

[abirkill]

Originally Posted by JMitchell

Will they? I am very dubious about that concept....

I've done it a couple of times without any hassle at all - just take in a printout, show it to the salesman, and he's overridden the price.

It's probably safest to check that they have stock before mentioning it, just in case they conveniently sold the last one 5 minutes ago! Also, as I say, it's only UK web prices, so no One-stop prices or Pixmania prices. I have a feeling it's also only valid on goods intended for sale in the UK, too, so if you found a UK site selling grey-imports, they might not pricematch that. But generally, if you find a price on a website that is based in the UK, Jessops will match it.

Both times I've done it they haven't even phoned up to check stock (although the printout did say that they had stock).

[Steve]

The advice already given above is spot on. Buy locally or from a well respected internet retailer that has a good returns policy. Try before you buy and view the results or test as soon as it arrives.

In the event of you not being happy, you can either return it to the shop, e-tailer or if you are not to impatient send it to Canon directly who will test and calibrate the lens. If they do find it to be slightly out you can be assured that once it is calibrated (by hand and therefore usually much more accurately than a production line setting) you will have an excellent example.

In general Canon tend to these jobs quite quickly and will usually turn around the lens in under two weeks.

Finally, I would suspect that in the majority of cases you will be more than happy with the lens quality as standard and you shouldn’t really concern yourself with the ‘what if..’ scenario. It is not a bad thing to minimise the risk and know your options should it occur but its certainly not work much more than a passing thought.

HTH

[silver]

if you buy online you are covered under distance selling regs, which gives you more legal protection than buying from a local store,. it's much easier to return goods bought online (unless local store specifies they will accept the return etc)

Sil

[Nathan]

Originally Posted by silver

if you buy online you are covered under distance selling regs, which gives you more legal protection than buying from a local store,. it's much easier to return goods bought online (unless local store specifies they will accept the return etc)

Sil

Only within 7 days, starting the day after you received the item!

The only other comment here is to keep in mind (and not just with Canon gear) that it's the retailer that is legally bound to support you and not the manufacturer.

Also, don't believe any of this "12 months guarantee" crud. Under the sale of goods act ANY item is required to last for "a reasonable time". So, you wouldn't expect decades of use from a lightbulb (bad example I know) but you would expect a good few years out of a professional grade Canon lens!

More people need to press their rights with regards to retail and not be walked over by big companies!

[abirkill]

Worth adding that it's 7 working days, which means it's usually 9 days from the point of view of the consumer. However, to fall strictly within the regulations your notice to return the goods must be made in writing (and arrive within the 7 day period).