[Leica] RE: buying advice--gray vs. US

[red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone)]

There are really 2 different threads of knowledge here..... Lenses do not
( or rarely) go out of whack on their own.  However, they easily go out of
whack if you drop them.  Bodies go out of control pretty easily for lots of
reasons, all of them expensive to repair.

There are 2 warranties available in the US and probably in other countries,
but specifically in the US....
Warranty service for normal repairs.  The shutter timing goes off, the lens
develops a defect on its own, etc.  Usually 1-2 years.
Passport Warranty for NOT normal problems... You drop the camera/lens, it
gets caught in a fire, etc.  May not be catastrophic, but not a
manufacturing anomaly.  Available in the US for 3 ( or is it 5?) years with
an additional manufacturing warranty of an additional 2 years.  ( true a
couple of years ago, may be old info).

For electronic camera components, get a new camera with the longest, best,
passport warranty you can get your hands on.  If the camera goes "bad"
because or in spite of your care, it gets fixed, free.  ( Price repairs on a
Leica and you will quickly find that repairing an electronic component is a
scary pricing exercise.)  Folks that bought early R8 cameras found this out
the hard way.  All this talk of firmware versions and cost to update should
scare the pants off any user that wants to buy a grey market electronic
camera with a future upgrade path of software.....

What is your personal risk of dropping a camera?  If you are like Tina or
Ted, and use the camera for professional work, and the odds of getting the
camera creamed by a passing sheep ( or was it a cow?), then get the passport
warranty, and every time it expires, sell the old camera and get a new
camera.  that way you are always protected.    Ditto lenses that are in
danger of being damaged by your endeavors.  A few repair bills will easily
equate to the extra money you spend on a officially imported and Passport
warranted camera over 5 years.

If you are a tourist that only takes pictures on a bus or of your Aunt Sally
at Christmas ( simplification, but you get the idea) buy a used or a grey
market lens.  the odds of it going bad after the first few months are low.

Buy all your camera bodies new, with that long passport warranty.  This
strategy will pay for itself.....

Frank Filippone
red735i@earthlink.net

Some of my early Leica R lens purchases were Grey Market. I would not buy a
camera or anything else that is expensive with electronics Grey.


> Whether it's worth it to pay extra for a USA warranty from Leica
> or to save money and buy gray market depends on what degree of
> uncertainty you are willing to experience.
>
> While in Germany two years ago, I dropped my M6 with my 28
> summicron on it. Both camera and lens needed repair. The camera
> was beyond its warranty, the lens was not. I was glad I had a
> warranty, but I'm not sure the repairs would have cost as much as
> I paid extra to purchase the lens with a warranty.
>
> Had I really smashed the lens up something terrible, there would
> be no question that the warranty was worth it.