Local camera shop selling VERY old new Canon L lenses (not UK)

cymruchris

cymruchris

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Just wandered past my local camera shop in Malaysia - sat in a declining shopping centre - they are selling off their remaining stocks of Canon lenses including a few L lenses.

The one that caught my eye was a 14mm 2.8 L - that is brand new and boxed - not a fingerprint on it - at a clearance price of the equivalent of £920. (It's the mk2)

Having done a bit of research I can see this lens has been around since 2007 - and so asked the shop to get the lens out for me to have a look - and guess what? It's a 2007 model - so one of the first stocks ever produced.

New New stocks are currently £1800 at WEX and £1350 at the grey importers - so it seems that value wise the price is good. I asked if they came with warranty - and the shop said the lenses would still get a local 1 year Canon warranty - so that's good to know - just wondered if anyone had any thoughts about NOT buying such an old lens? Aside from the fact it's obviously over 10 years old and has never left the shop.
 
New unsold FD lenses seem to crop up now and again. Some stuff just seems to sit in storage for ages... but this seems to be a Canon phenomena, I haven't seen any Nikon, Minolta or other really old stuff cropping up but maybe I just missed it.
 
I've written to Canon locally to see if they'd definitely honour the warranty on a 12 year old lens - if they will - it might be worth a shot....
 
cymruchris said:
I've written to Canon locally to see if they'd definitely honour the warranty on a 12 year old lens - if they will - it might be worth a shot....
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No reason why they shouldn't. The warranty clock starts ticking from when you buy it, not when it was manufactured. And that particular model is still in production so there is no issue about support, parts availability, etc.
 
i'm going to back with a body and test it - the shop doesn't stock any full frame bodies.... They have two - anybody else want one? :)
 
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So having gone back to the shop with my camera - had a play - I now own a brand new L 24mm 1.4 II lens which on WEX is £1419 and on Panamox for £1101, for just £630 equivalent with a 1 year warranty. Yes it's a 2007, but it looks like it's never been touched. (I've been using it for the night before I took this pic). I think i've done ok there!

I didn't go for the 14mm 2.8 as I didn't have enough spare finance to cover both :) Maybe soon if it's still there....
 
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Looks a good buy to me, well done. MYR-£ exchange rate isn't great at the mo, and still a great price.

Out of curiosity, are you in KL, I lived there during 2016 and wondered which shop this is?
 
whyone said:
Looks a good buy to me, well done. MYR-£ exchange rate isn't great at the mo, and still a great price.

Out of curiosity, are you in KL, I lived there during 2016 and wondered which shop this is?
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Yes - in KL - as per the label on the top - it's a shop called Boeing - but they don't sell 747's - although they're also clearing out all their old Sigma lenses as well....

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Rings a bell....Sungai Wang Plaza? (or Low Yat?)

How much are they asking for that 1.4 extender?
 
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whyone said:
Rings a bell....Sungai Wang Plaza? (or Low Yat?)

How much are they asking for that 1.4 extender?
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They have several branches - and I think there is one in Low Yat from memory - the sign is distinctive. This one was on the outskirts of the city though - not in KL itself. I think the stock was from opening day in 2007 :)
 
cymruchris said:
So having gone back to the shop with my camera - had a play - I now own a brand new L 24mm 2.8 II lens which on WEX is £1419 and on Panamox for £1101, for just £630 equivalent with a 1 year warranty. Yes it's a 2007, but it looks like it's never been touched. (I've been using it for the night before I took this pic). I think i've done ok there!
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24mm f/1.4 surely, not f/2.8.

Anyway, I'd be really surprised if it's a 2007 model. I founded my business in January 2008, and I was buying the Mk I versions of the 24mm f/1.4 for a while. I had some with UV date codes (2007) and some with UW (2008). I do recall that supplies dried up for a while in 2009, because the Mk II had been announced but wasn't generally available, but the Mk I had been withdrawn. I needed more of them and the only option I had was to buy some used Mk Is, which is something I very rarely do. I bought my first bunch of Mark IIs in May 2010, and their date codes were UX (2009) and UY (2010).... So your lens might be 2009, but I don't think it can be older.

Happy to be proved wrong, of course!

But anyway that's an amazing bargain. Enjoy!
 
StewartR said:
24mm f/1.4 surely, not f/2.8.

Anyway, I'd be really surprised if it's a 2007 model. I founded my business in January 2008, and I was buying the Mk I versions of the 24mm f/1.4 for a while. I had some with UV date codes (2007) and some with UW (2008). I do recall that supplies dried up for a while in 2009, because the Mk II had been announced but wasn't generally available, but the Mk I had been withdrawn. I needed more of them and the only option I had was to buy some used Mk Is, which is something I very rarely do. I bought my first bunch of Mark IIs in May 2010, and their date codes were UX (2009) and UY (2010).... So your lens might be 2009, but I don't think it can be older.

Happy to be proved wrong, of course!

But anyway that's an amazing bargain. Enjoy!
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Oops yes - 1.4 - I was so carried away with the bargain I got my numbers mixed up :) A blonde moment.

Followed by blonde moment number 2 - taking the first letter of the date code instead of the second!!

It's a UY date code which puts it at 2010, so it's only 9 years old ! :)

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