Canon EOS 300D or Rebel?

[gary_580]

Im thinking of buying a Canon EOS 300D with a lense that comes with it. Done a bit of research and i find the cheapest price in the uk is £799 Amazon i think. In the states i can buy the Rebel camera which is the same product just badged differently for $729 (www.amphotoworld.com)

Im thinking that with import duty which i believe is 4.2% for digi still cameras and shipping of about $75 i could make a killing with the current dollar exchange rate.

The thing that worries me is they dont accept international credit cards and require me to "Wire" the funbds to them.

Any views?

[Bifta]

Im thinking of buying a Canon EOS 300D with a lense that comes with it. Done a bit of research and i find the cheapest price in the uk is £799 Amazon i think. In the states i can buy the Rebel camera which is the same product just badged differently for $729 (www.amphotoworld.com)

Im thinking that with import duty which i believe is 4.2% for digi still cameras and shipping of about $75 i could make a killing with the current dollar exchange rate.

The thing that worries me is they dont accept international credit cards and require me to "Wire" the funbds to them.

Any views?

I'd be VERY wary of anyone that wants funds wired to them, once you've sent them you have little or no recourse if your goods fail to arrive.

[paulyoung666]

well i wouldnt be happy about doing this , then IF you get the camera , what about the warranty , imagine if it went tits up just after you bought it :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

[Bifta]

Perhaps there's somewhere else in the USA that sells the same camera that does accept CC's from abroad?

[gary_580]

Ive spoken to two companies and neither accepted international credit cards

[paulyoung666]

Ive spoken to two companies and neither accepted international credit cards




i would give it up as a dead duck my mate , or find someone who is going to america and ask them to buy one for you :idea:

[Bifta]

You've still got the warranty issue though, the only things I generally buy from abroad are small items like mobile phone cables/chargers .. all less than a tenner, if they go wrong, I chuck them out (not that they have or anything). If I'm going to spend £700+ I'd buy it VERY locally, somewhere I could walk in to should anything go wrong.

[gary_580]

For and added $150 i can get a 3 year international warranty which i was relying on. The point is i wouldnt be spending over £700 id be spending around the £400 mark which is half the UK price

[paulyoung666]

For and added $150 i can get a 3 year international warranty which i was relying on. The point is i wouldnt be spending over £700 id be spending around the £400 mark which is half the UK price




now you tell us :mad: :mad: , then if you are not sure about wiring the money find someone who is going over there :)

[gary_580]

now you tell us :mad: :mad: , then if you are not sure about wiring the money find someone who is going over there :)


Sorry but the warranty wasnt an issue which is why i didnt mention it. Its the wiring that im concerned about. But the fact that they take AMEX makes me feel better. I just might have to apply for one to make this single purchase.

[Bifta]

For and added $150 i can get a 3 year international warranty which i was relying on. The point is i wouldnt be spending over £700 id be spending around the £400 mark which is half the UK price

I'd probably ask them if they're willing to use some form of escrow service, where a third party holds the money until you've received the camera.

Edit: Also, be careful of the whole customs thing, I've heard tales of people goods being seized and not returned despite their willingness to pay the import duty.

[paulyoung666]

Sorry but the warranty wasnt an issue which is why i didnt mention it. Its the wiring that im concerned about. But the fact that they take AMEX makes me feel better. I just might have to apply for one to make this single purchase.




amex as in an american express credit card ???????????

[gary_580]

hmmm thanks for the thoughts. Im now more worried which is a good thing!!

[gary_580]

amex as in an american express credit card ???????????


yes

[Xaccers]

It's a luveryly camera :)
I've got a 1GB memory card with mine, and on the lowest quality settings (which are still amazing, something like 1280x1024 or higher) I can take over 999 images (don't know how much over, 999 is the highest the display can show) :)


Amex is probably the one to go with (am I right in thinking with amex you have to pay the balance off each month? not that it will be a problem for you)

[Salu]

My sister took a cheap flight to the US and bought the EOS. Stayed with a friend for a couple of days and returned home. All for less than you can buy the camera over here....or at least when it first came out...

Rip off Britain or what

[gary_580]

It's a luveryly camera :)
I've got a 1GB memory card with mine, and on the lowest quality settings (which are still amazing, something like 1280x1024 or higher) I can take over 999 images (don't know how much over, 999 is the highest the display can show) :)


Amex is probably the one to go with (am I right in thinking with amex you have to pay the balance off each month? not that it will be a problem for you)


someone thinks im rich!!! for info ive seen a 1GB ultra compactflash card (Scandisk) for $319 bout £175 which has got to be a bargian for an Ultra card.

How long does you battery last Xaccers, ive been told its not long

[Xaccers]

someone thinks im rich!!! for info ive seen a 1GB ultra compactflash card (Scandisk) for $319 bout £175 which has got to be a bargian for an Ultra card.

How long does you battery last Xaccers, ive been told its not long


My 1GB from jessops was about £250

Battery seems fine, I've not needed to charge it since I goit it about a month ago, but I've not used it a huge amount.
For £50 jessops do a multi charger which can either run off mains or cigar lighter in the car
The chargers (the one with the camera and the one from jessops) also flash/different colour LEDs to show you how much charge you have.

Paying off amex, I meant cos you're saving so much you lucky git!
I got the body and 1GB for £960 from jessops as it was the last they had in stock, and I've got 2 lenses from a EOS 300 I bought a couple of years back

[gary_580]

My 1GB from jessops was about £250

Battery seems fine, I've not needed to charge it since I goit it about a month ago, but I've not used it a huge amount.
For £50 jessops do a multi charger which can either run off mains or cigar lighter in the car
The chargers (the one with the camera and the one from jessops) also flash/different colour LEDs to show you how much charge you have.


is that a compactflash Ultra or just a standard compact flash card?

[Xaccers]

is that a compactflash Ultra or just a standard compact flash card?

Standard, jessops didn't have a Ultra 1GB

[gary_580]

Standard, jessops didn't have a Ultra 1GB

Ultra cards are a lot more expensive, apparently not using them slows down the rate you can take pictures quite a bit. I have another digital camera which i bought a 512mb Compact flash card (scandisk) from ebay. That cost less than £70. Let me know if you want details of the person i got it from as they regularly sell them on ebay, price is very good and so was the service. Ive had the card over a year and had no issues

[Xaccers]

Ultra cards are a lot more expensive, apparently not using them slows down the rate you can take pictures quite a bit. I have another digital camera which i bought a 512mb Compact flash card (scandisk) from ebay. That cost less than £70. Let me know if you want details of the person i got it from as they regularly sell them on ebay, price is very good and so was the service. Ive had the card over a year and had no issues

I'll set the camera to rapid fire mode and let you know if there's any issue with it :)

[Xaccers]

OK, in sports mode, you can take 4 shots practicallly straight after each other, then there is a slight delay between the next shots of less than a second.
That's on the lowest quality (makes me laugh to say lowest as it's such high quality, no idea why anyone would want to use anything higher!)
On the highest quality (where the 1GB can only take 285 shots to give you an idea of just how high the quality is) you still get the 4 instant shots, then about 2 1 sec delay, then the delay increases, then another 2 at 1s delay etc

[Xaccers]

Given that I haven't charged the battery for a month, just taken over 400 shots in a row with flash (the things I do for you!) and the battery still has life in it (tho not full of course!)

So unless you're going to take thousands of shots away from a powersupply then I think the battery is fine :)

Ooo there's a thought!
You'll get the US 2 pin charger with it won't you?
Then it'd probably be an idea to get the charger from jessops so you can use it at home and in the car

[gary_580]

Given that I haven't charged the battery for a month, just taken over 400 shots in a row with flash (the things I do for you!) and the battery still has life in it (tho not full of course!)

So unless you're going to take thousands of shots away from a powersupply then I think the battery is fine :)

Ooo there's a thought!
You'll get the US 2 pin charger with it won't you?
Then it'd probably be an idea to get the charger from jessops so you can use it at home and in the car

Not sure about the poser lead. I know with my Canon Powershot S40 i got both leads. Anyhow i know charde works in uk so getting another lead is not an issue

Thamks for testing the compactflash for me. I think ill go for the ultra, im a bit of a one for taking candid shots and taking 12 or so shots in a row and picking the best ones

[Xaccers]

Charged my battery up in the car on the way to Leighton buzzard (house hunting with a very big net) using the 12V socket in the storage compartment/armrest.
When I stopped I couldn't understand why after removing my keycard, the CD player and mobile charger were still on.
Then I realised the camera battery was still attached and supplying power to the 12V circuit! :rofl:

[paulyoung666]

Charged my battery up in the car on the way to Leighton buzzard (house hunting with a very big net) using the 12V socket in the storage compartment/armrest.
When I stopped I couldn't understand why after removing my keycard, the CD player and mobile charger were still on.
Then I realised the camera battery was still attached and supplying power to the 12V circuit! :rofl:




i wonder if it would start the car if the car battery was flat :D :D :D

[Xaccers]

i wonder if it would start the car if the car battery was flat :D :D :D

Well you can get those 9V car starters (single use tho)
Or jump leads that go from your 12V socket to another car's.

[Sipowicz]

If you are serious about this camera, check out the postings on a very good forum www.robgalbraith.com you will find lots of views on this (and other dSLR's). Not sure if you will be gaining much with the "Ultra" CF cards, they will write faster than the standard CF cards, just as long as your camera can actually write that fast. I am not sure if they will perform to the top of their speed range in the 300D (or the 10D for that matter). The 300D does not have the same size buffer as the 10D, you wiill only get 4-5 frames with the 300D, before the buffer is full. The 10D will give you 9!

If you want to compare the two cameras, they have the same CMOS sensor (6.3Mp) but the 300D is slower and not as well built as the 10D; the 10D has more custom functions than the 300D giving the user a greater amount of control.

You can pick up extra batteries on the net fairly cheaply, I paid around £15 each for 2 spares. Official Canon batteries are £55 each!

[gary_580]

given up on the idea of buying it form the states i watches the web site www.amphotoworld.com for over a week. The pirce started at $809 went dowm to $709 in 3 steps in a week and then went up to $1029 all for the same product (body and lense) all so seen some bad feedback about this company.

[gary_580]

If you are serious about this camera, check out the postings on a very good forum www.robgalbraith.com you will find lots of views on this (and other dSLR's). Not sure if you will be gaining much with the "Ultra" CF cards, they will write faster than the standard CF cards, just as long as your camera can actually write that fast. I am not sure if they will perform to the top of their speed range in the 300D (or the 10D for that matter). The 300D does not have the same size buffer as the 10D, you wiill only get 4-5 frames with the 300D, before the buffer is full. The 10D will give you 9!

If you want to compare the two cameras, they have the same CMOS sensor (6.3Mp) but the 300D is slower and not as well built as the 10D; the 10D has more custom functions than the 300D giving the user a greater amount of control.

You can pick up extra batteries on the net fairly cheaply, I paid around £15 each for 2 spares. Official Canon batteries are £55 each!

thanks i checked that site and found this

Several EOS Digital Rebel/300D design decisions mean that this camera will benefit from the fastest possible CompactFlash card:

Our strong recommendation is to consider only the fastest cards available for this camera, though it should be noted that the performance difference between the top 10 or so cards in this camera is relatively narrow.

so buying the ultra cards does matter

Also the results dont seen much different between the 300D and 10D so im not sure what your trying to say sipowicz

[Xaccers]

The 300D's buffer can handle about 4 shots before it has to write to the card, the 10D can handle about 9, so if you're into taking rapid shots, then the 10D gives you more.
From my own experiments there's a pause of just under a second between shots with the 300D once the buffer is full.
It's still the most impressive digital camera I've seen :D

[SMHarman]

given up on the idea of buying it form the states i watches the web site www.amphotoworld.com for over a week. The pirce started at $809 went dowm to $709 in 3 steps in a week and then went up to $1029 all for the same product (body and lense) all so seen some bad feedback about this company.

Amazon.com are selling it for $999

The maths then...
Cost 999
Shipping say 75
Total CC charge 1074 @1.82 = 590

Import Duty 999/1.828.042= 23
VAT on 590+23=613 @17.5% =107.27
Total Costs = 590+23+107.27
Total = 720.27
Vs 799 in UK
Saving 799-720=80 or 10%

[gary_580]

Amazon.com are selling it for $999

The maths then...
Cost 999
Shipping say 75
Total CC charge 1074 @1.82 = 590

Import Duty 999/1.828.042= 23
VAT on 590+23=613 @17.5% =107.27
Total Costs = 590+23+107.27
Total = 720.27
Vs 799 in UK
Saving 799-720=80 or 10%

i has found somewhere to sell this @ $709

what is CC charge? why are you including import duty AND VAT??

[Bifta]

i has found somewhere to sell this @ $709

what is CC charge? why are you including import duty AND VAT??

You'd have to pay import duty and a charge for purchasing something in US Dollars to your CC company, it won't be liable for VAT though.

[gary_580]

You'd have to pay import duty and a charge for purchasing something in US Dollars to your CC company, it won't be liable for VAT though.


thanks for explaining that, didnt realise CC was the exchange rate (should have been obvious though). I didnt think you had to pay VAT as well. As a result even at that starting price theres a 25% saving to be had

[Bifta]

thanks for explaining that, didnt realise CC was the exchange rate (should have been obvious though). I didnt think you had to pay VAT as well. As a result even at that starting price theres a 25% saving to be had

CC is short for "Credit Card" ;) and VAT is 17.5%

[gary_580]

CC is short for "Credit Card" ;) and VAT is 17.5%


but VAT is irrelevent as not required

[Bifta]

but VAT is irrelevent as not required

I know, I told you that! :D But you mentioned a 25% saving, I'm just saying that you'll get a 17.5% saving, though I'm wondering if they stick Provincial or General Sales tax on top, in which case you wouldn't save anything tax wise. Now's a good time to buy from the USA with the dollar being so weak but I'd get in their sharpish.

[gary_580]

I know, I told you that! :D But you mentioned a 25% saving, I'm just saying that you'll get a 17.5% saving, though I'm wondering if they stick Provincial or General Sales tax on top, in which case you wouldn't save anything tax wise. Now's a good time to buy from the USA with the dollar being so weak but I'd get in their sharpish.


yes, id get a 25% saving and not the 10% that was mentioned

however the guarentee would be void

[paulyoung666]

@ gary580 , i was on about this sort of thing at work today , apparently you need to be very careful where you buy gear from as some local sales taxes can be punitive to say the least :erm: , i thought i was going to get a works trip to america and was looking forward to getting some electrical gear while out there , unfortunately it has turned out that i am not worthy of a trip so i have had it for now :mad:

[gary_580]

@ gary580 , i was on about this sort of thing at work today , apparently you need to be very careful where you buy gear from as some local sales taxes can be punitive to say the least :erm: , i thought i was going to get a works trip to america and was looking forward to getting some electrical gear while out there , unfortunately it has turned out that i am not worthy of a trip so i have had it for now :mad:


maybe they couldnt get a plane seat for you and your 7 balls? :D

[paulyoung666]

maybe they couldnt get a plane seat for you and your 7 balls? :D



ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh you are so evil :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: ;) :D :D :D :D :D :D

[SMHarman]

but VAT is irrelevent as not required

VAT is not irrelevant. You won't pay it to the supplier, but will be billed it when Her Majesties Customs and Excise get their hands on your shipment as it arrives through a UK port. This is the same place the Import duties will be assessed.

CC as Bifta kindly pointied out is Credit Card. i.e. the 1074 would be the charge put on your CC Credit card by the shop.

[SMHarman]

@ gary580 , i was on about this sort of thing at work today , apparently you need to be very careful where you buy gear from as some local sales taxes can be punitive to say the least :erm: , i thought i was going to get a works trip to america and was looking forward to getting some electrical gear while out there , unfortunately it has turned out that i am not worthy of a trip so i have had it for now :mad:

VAT at 17.5% is punitive, French TvA at 22% is punitive. The highest tax I've seen in the states is aout 7%. New York City adds a city tax to make that 10%, still nearly half the level of UK VAT.

The other 'strange' thing that happens in the US is these rates go down. NY state reduced its sales tax on clothes as New Jersey had a 0 rate on clothes and everyone went there. They realised that they would make more charging less tax as fewer would shop out of state. Europe would of course demmand that NJ put its rates up!

[tkiely]

I have just taken the plunge and got a 300D, it's fantastic apart from one thing which is driving me insane!

After connecting to a pc via USB a couple of times the PC seems to become blind to the camera, ie it doesnt detect it when you plug in the USB cable. Moving to another PC sees the same thing happen, fine at first then, no way.

Gonna go buy a CF reader at lunchtime but surely this cant be right, any ideas folks? please!!!!!!!

[SMHarman]

Is it confused and thinks it is still attached. Do you have the detach option in the righthand taskbar near the clock, a green left pointing arrow with something grey underneath. You should disconnect with that before pulling the plug.

A card reader is a fantastic investment. I just bought one along with a new kingston 256Mb card. The difference in read speed, compared to my A80 is amazing, a full 256Mb card would take 15 mins to read off the camera, my USB2 card reader drops this to about 30 seconds (and no camera battery use).

[tkiely]

No sign of the detach icon, but I think you are on the right track. The handbook makes a lot of fuss about when you can or cant plug in/ remove the USB connection.

Guess it'll have to be the reader option, much more of this and the bloody thing is gonna go through the window!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[andygrif]

Try B&H In New York....top photo place...little more expensive but at least you know they're for real....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=297500&is=REG