Nikon 80-200mm VS Nikon 70-200mmVR VS Sigma 70-200mm

I had the Sigma, sold it and bought the Nikon VR. The difference to me was the VR, and the fact theat the Nikon is a bit sharper wide open. Stop it down and you won't see the difference.
 
NorthernNikon said:
How much was he charging for it? I've got a cheap price from Martin's cameras but from memory Kerso's price wasn't that much cheaper, but I could be worng. I'll be looking to get one in at the end of the month, bonuses depending, but have to weight up the pros and cons of getting a true blue import over the cheaper grey import.
Click to expand...

£945+20p&p, so a fair bit cheaper than anywhere else I can find.

barneyrubble said:
I had the Sigma, sold it and bought the Nikon VR. The difference to me was the VR, and the fact theat the Nikon is a bit sharper wide open. Stop it down and you won't see the difference.
Click to expand...

I tend to stop down to about f4 or so, but I really want a lens that I can shoot wide open and be confident that it will be sharp. As ive been doing a bit of Equine event photography, there is a fair chance that some of the them will be indoor events with poor light, so I want to be able to shoot say F2.8, ISO 1000-1600 and still get usable shots. :)
 
Messiah Khan said:
£945+20p&p, so a fair bit cheaper than anywhere else I can find.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that's about the figure he quoted me a month or so ago. I can get one for £1087 from Martin's, all in hand delivered so we're looking at £120 difference. I've just got to weigh up whther not being able to take the lens out of the country in the future (cos if HM Cavity Inspectors find it they can confirm whether duty has been paid or not) against saving £120 now. Hmmm, if Kerso doesn't need payment until stock arrives I might be tempted to get him to double up his order.
 
NorthernNikon said:
Yeah, that's about the figure he quoted me a month or so ago. I can get one for £1087 from Martin's, all in hand delivered so we're looking at £120 difference. I've just got to weigh up whther not being able to take the lens out of the country in the future (cos if HM Cavity Inspectors find it they can confirm whether duty has been paid or not) against saving £120 now. Hmmm, if Kerso doesn't need payment until stock arrives I might be tempted to get him to double up his order.
Click to expand...

That's not something I had considered, but its also not something I see as being a major problem. Kerso supplies stuff with a UK receipt doesn't he? And once ive used the lens a bit and its become a bit worn, I can't see customs bothering trying to get me to justify all my kit. and say if you were going on holiday, how would they get you to prove that you have paid duty on all the kit?
 
Messiah Khan said:
That's not something I had considered, but its also not something I see as being a major problem. Kerso supplies stuff with a UK receipt doesn't he? And once ive used the lens a bit and its become a bit worn, I can't see customs bothering trying to get me to justify all my kit. and say if you were going on holiday, how would they get you to prove that you have paid duty on all the kit?
Click to expand...

Customs can easily tell that a lens is an import as serial numbers differ clearly depending on the region they were originally sold in. Whether Kerso gives you a UK receipt or not is invalid. If duty hasn't been paid on goods then once they are brought into the country they are technically the property of the crown until duty is paid. Thus, Kerso doesn't have the right to sell the goods as they are not his property. It's all a technicality but all it takes is one arsey customs official (not many of those around are there?) to type in the serial number of the lens and they can tell whether duty has been paid.
 
NorthernNikon said:
Customs can easily tell that a lens is an import as serial numbers differ clearly depending on the region they were originally sold in. Whether Kerso gives you a UK receipt or not is invalid. If duty hasn't been paid on goods then once they are brought into the country they are technically the property of the crown until duty is paid. Thus, Kerso doesn't have the right to sell the goods as they are not his property. It's all a technicality but all it takes is one arsey customs official (not many of those around are there?) to type in the serial number of the lens and they can tell whether duty has been paid.
Click to expand...

And in the event that happened, I presume I would just have to pay the duty to make it 'legit'? If thats the case, then im fine with that as it will only end up costing what the lens would have cost me buying it here in the first place.
 
NorthernNikon said:
Customs can easily tell that a lens is an import as serial numbers differ clearly depending on the region they were originally sold in. Whether Kerso gives you a UK receipt or not is invalid. If duty hasn't been paid on goods then once they are brought into the country they are technically the property of the crown until duty is paid. Thus, Kerso doesn't have the right to sell the goods as they are not his property. It's all a technicality but all it takes is one arsey customs official (not many of those around are there?) to type in the serial number of the lens and they can tell whether duty has been paid.
Click to expand...

Customs don't record the serial number of the lens alongside the duty payment. So how can they tell that, I bought the lens, paying duty, used it for a while, and sold it on to you. Duty is paid, but the serial number will show an import.

It would seem to be really unlucky to encounter such a problem? Almost every lens I own has been bought while travelling, and I've never seen a problem with this (despite travelling a lot with work).

Is this something others have encountered?
 
I'm certainly no expert, and it's been a while since I had to know about this kind of thing, but it's not as simple as just paying the duty. Customs can impound the item until you've proven duty had been paid and technically avoiding duty is a criminal offence so it's not as clear as that.

Also, given that duty hasn't been paid then you're not the 'owner' of the goods, should your insurers discover this then they are perfectly within their rights not to pay any subsequent claim.

I'm not saying that any of the above will happen, the chances are slight, but you should know that there's no such thing as a free lunch and cheapness comes at a price. You just have to work out whether the price is worth paying, hence my hesitation on buying from Kerso.

Also, although I know that Nikon offer international warrenties on their lenses, has anyone had any experience of using one with a Kerso/grey import lens?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top