Purchasing a Lens from the"grey market"

I'm considering buying a new Canon
EF 24-105 USM Lens from Adorama.
In order to save money I'm looking
at making the purchase through them
via the "grey market". If warranty
work is ever needed, I would have
to send it to Adorama instead of
directly to Canon. What is your
opinion on buying equipment in this
way?

Also from researching, I have found
that I can save even more money by
purchasing the lens from Amazon which
doesn't seem to involve the "grey market".
Thanks in advance for any opinions which
you might have on this subject.

Robert, Here's 2-cents worth of nonsense ...
I've dealt frequently with Amazon. I've saved money, shipping, taxes, and gotten good equipment. Not at a fraction of the cost but Amazon also permits the return of equipment if not satisfied.
So go for it.
Carol

I would call Canon, to confirm they will not repair those 'grey items', as I have heard it. I did join Canon CPS and saved 30% on repairs, plus even better had them back in my hands in a week. Plus of course their free loaner program. Nice images on your site by the way.
artwithinnature.com

Don't know about Canon, but Nikon will not COVER the repair unless it is a US model, as proven by the US serial number.
They will REPAIR the lens, but you pay. You have to evaluate the risk - pay less up front for a gray lens, and possibly pay more down the line if there is a problem. Also consider the length of the Nikon warranty on US models, after which you'll be paying.
I personally have never had a problem with a gray market lens. Quality is exactly the same.
Sandy

Thank you, Sandy.

Hey Robert, couple of options: Grey market can be fine, usually a lens won't bust and you can always get a 3-year Mack Warranty for it. But to keep cost down, B&H is selling that lens as "White Box", which means it was pulled from the 5D Mark II/24-105mm kit. You get the lens simply in a white box instead of the fancy schmancy box, but all of the accessories and the Canon 1 year warranty applies, being it's a brand new lens. That WB version is only 4 bucks more than grey market and free shipping. You can save even another 50 bucks by getting that lens refurbished from Adorama. This time of year a lot of refurb stuff shows up, a friend of mine nabbed a 60D from Adorama as a refurb for $749. Believe me, refurbs are like new, they are verified at the Canon factory and come packaged like new retail. They don't always show up and when they do they don't last long. Adorama has that one for $999 and free shipping. Refurbed lenses come with a 90-day Canon warranty but Adorama extends it to the full year of coverage with their warranty, jsyk. The last option gets you a brand new 24-105mm with full warranty for $799: the 5D Mark II with 24-105mm kit has come down from its $3,499 3-year perch and weighs in (with the current rebate) for $2799 at B&H (yikes, I paid 2699 just for the body 3 years ago, was delivered exactly today in 2009 in fact, lol!). So at $2799, if you can find someone who wants a new 5D Mark II for only two grand, you pitch in the remaining $799 and the both of you get a killer deal. Honestly, I've considered it, to get a backup 5D2... it wouldn't be the best financial move for me right now but if it was, I'd say let's do it! Any buds near you in the market for a 5D2? For $2K it's a huge deal, and you save a bundle on the lens.

Happy shopping, whatever you do!

Thanks, Paul, for the information showing all of the options.

For the Nikon lenses, it is my understanding that Nikon won't even touch the lens, much less repair it, if it is in the US under grey market. That policy may have changed in recent years (I'm a Canon shooter).

That doesn't really answer your question but I needed to toss that in for anyone considering a Nokon grey market.

Also good to know - since B&H now has an excellent repair service for ALL major cameras (and cheaper than Nikon) there is no reason to think you couldn't get any gray market lens repaired, on the small chance something went wrong.
Sandy

Thank you, Dan, and, Sandy, for the information.

Typically they will repair commercially but not in warrenty, so you should buy from a retailer that you trust to do warranty service. Also, the repairs done by the major manufacturers tend to be a good deal slower if not bought by a US authorized dealer.

Lynn