Buying a Canon dSLR (60D specifically)

[ham]

Hello all, after the great help I had in here in choosing what lens to buy, I need some more help.


I bought the 15-85mm 3.5-5.6 on advice in here, and am glad I made that decision, it's a great all-purpose lens.


I'm currently in the market to replace the 400D I'm borrowing from my Dad with my own body, and I've pretty much settled on the 60D for the additional features it offers over the 550D and 600D (including, but not limited to, the larger viewfinder, the greater battery life, better build quality).


Now, what should I be looking for when deciding where to buy it? I bought my lens from Digital Rev who ship from HK, and they were great. Not only did I get a fantastic price, but also stupidly fast delivery and a generally good service, and because their price for the 60D is great, I'd be keen to use them again.


However, I've read that there may be Canon Warranty issues with buying bodies from overseas. Should I be wary of this? Is it worth the extra £100 to get it somewhere I can walk into if I ever have a problem? Even though any purchase is legally contracted via the seller and not the manufacturer?


I'm also looking at memory cards and bags for it (which the extra £100 should easily fund). Do you get a card with a camera? How big? I'm off on holiday in September and I've been putting up with the 2GB card my Dad lent me with the 400D, which won't go far on holiday.

[Dr Croubie]

a) no, canon don

[Dr Croubie]

ah yeah, and now i see the

[ham]

thanks,


a) is the warranty really that useful? Any contract you enter into when buying a product is with the vendor, not the manufacturer anyway. And as far as I know, this is international


b) + c) I'm in the UK, so if they were in the EU I'd be much more comfortable


d) 60MB/s? Wikipedia (*sigh* I know) says that Class 10 is 10MB/s


e) Since my first week with the 400D I've been shooting solely in RAW format


f) I didn't think so.





Yeah, I'm avoiding second hand and ebay anyway. I want something brand new, and can afford it, and paypal and I don't get on.

[DavidEccleston]

I have a T1i, and it says you

[tkerr]

thanks,


a) is the warranty really that useful? Any contract you enter into when buying a product is with the vendor, not the manufacturer anyway. And as far as I know, this is international








a. Yes, Unless you have money to toss away it can be if you ever need it. Otherwise Repairs on DSLR's can be expensive.

The Service Warranty is with Canon and not the vendor. Some Vendors might have a short term satisfaction guarantee replacement warranty that has nothing to do with the Canon service warranty. Some vendors may even try to sell you an extended Warranty which again is not Canon.


You should have got a Warranty card to fill out and mail in with your camera or any lens. I recommend carefully reading the Canon Warranty terms and filling that card out and mailing it in, additionally you want to save your original Receipts. Additionally, I would recommend registering your camera body on-line.

[ham]

I have a T1i, and it says you'll want a class 6 or better card to handle video. Despite this, many retailers attempt to bundle Rebels with class 2 and class 4 cards. As for space, even 8GB goes by pretty quick on a holiday. And if you plan to take any video, that eats up space REAL fast. Will you be taking a laptop with you? If you can transfer the images at the end of the day, you could probably get by with 4GB, preferably atleast 8GB. You probably won't fill that up each day, but is likely there will be a day where you go somewhere and takes loads of shots.


I let folks from the UK recommend shops in your area. Looking on my local price comparison site, a 60D, shipped from a reputable source, ranges from $1011.35 to $1270.48, so getting the store right IS important.





I can take a netbook with me if need be, but we're travelling budget so weight is at a premium.


I won't be bothering with video, I just hate getting to the end of a day and having to delete pictures that might have been saveable for space for new ones.


Yeah, that's what I'm concerned about, if it was based purely on price I'd be using DR again, but I'm a bit worried by the warranty business.

[ham]

[quote] a. Yes, Unless you have money to toss away it can be if you ever need it. Otherwise Repairs on DSLR

[Fast Glass]

The warranty covers defects from materials or workmanship for one year. I would deffinately get it so you have warranty, I also have the 60D and the LCD stopped working a few days after I bought it.


John.

[ham]

What I

[DavidEccleston]

The 6 year thing from your vendor, that's a UK only thing, as far as I'm aware. Nowhere else in the world. If you buy from outside the UK, I really doubt you could enforce your UK rights. That's likely why they made it the vendor, not the manufacturer, who is responsible. Manufacturers would have just moved their factories outside the UK, and no protection would have remained. Those rights are likely part of the reason why things cost more in the UK. You're paying for a 6 year warranty whether you want it or not.


I don't know for certain, but there has to be limitations on your consumer rights. I'm sure it doesn't cover wear and tear defects, like the shutter system wearing out (Canon will cover that for your 1st year) or use issues like dropping the camera, bringing into the rain, etc.

[ham]

I bought it from Digital Rev in the end, they have their own 1 year local warranty covering parts and labour. Was also bought on a credit card for additional protection.


I have a quick question though: Batteries, is it worth going for a branded, but non-canon replacement battery. Canon LP-E6

[Daniel Browning]

Batteries, is it worth going for a branded, but non-canon replacement battery?


Wow, I never would have imagined that Energizer would allow their brand on a knock-off battery. It seems odd that the only places I can find that sell it are in the UK, e.g:


http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-energizer-ca-lpe6-lpe6-battery/p1524818 ("http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-energizer-ca-lpe6-lpe6-battery/p1524818)


I wonder why it's not on their own web site or available for sale anywhere else (that I can find)?






Any thoughts? Does anyone use completely un-branded batteries?





Personally, I *only* use the completely un-branded batteries (no-name knockoffs from China). Canon isn't very happy with me, I'm sure, but I haven't had any cameras damaged yet, and I've saved thousands of dollars (including accessories like battery grips, shutter release, flash cable, etc.) over the years thanks to the tireless efforts of the Chinese copy-cats.

[thekingb]

I

[mmodica]

I have a Duracell battery for my T1i

[mmodica]

(Its been working great by the way, I guess I left that out)