Fakes??

[SwissJon]

I'm still building my lens collection. I've decided to save up and get some decent lenses straight off, rather than spending a little now, just so I can selll later and have poor IQ photos in between.

I've noticed on evilBay that a lot of camera gear is coming out of Hong Kong.. Now I don't mind buying a Gorilla Pod style tripod for a couple of local currency and then finding it unsuitable, I was aware it was probably fake at the time of buying it, so that's my problem. But spending hundreds on a G lens, just to find that it's a fake will.. Cripple me. I couldn't. in all good conscience sell it agian, so I'd have to eat the loss, which is not nice.

So, has anyone had experience of the lenses coming out of Hong Kong, especially the old Minolta ones? Does anyone know of any fakes? I wouldn't have thought there would be any fakes, but you can't be too careful these days.. And unlike a £2 teeshirt, if someone has repackaged some cheap glass, it's going to make a difference to my life (If I wanted cheap glass, I'd buy cheap glass!)

Thanks in advance.

[faeriegodess612]

I dont know much,... but my advice. Dont buy from ebay. If you dont trust the source, dont purchase from them.
Here, on DPS in the Gear For Sale Section,.. all the way at the bottom of the page, you just have to pm Sime, for a password now.
Secondly, I'm not sure how things work over there, but if Amazon is world wide, I'd say try that. If not, then check out your local pawn/consignment/thrift stores that carry electronics. Sometimes you can find some gems that someone else just didnt need. I check my local pawn store regularly.

Just my suggestions,...I'm sure someone else will have some better ones.

[neil916]

In general, a good rule of thumb is, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

[milosh]

Originally Posted by neil916

In general, a good rule of thumb is, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

This is so true!

I have bought many things on eBay and so far, I've had only pleasant experiences.
One more thing I noticed about eBay, just like with anything else, if a piece of gear you're after worths a lot, then it's going the cost a lot, even on eBay. You can usually tell if the offer is real on not by comparing the price with similar ones. And you have eBay buyer protection, read about it!

[gturner]

we all should know by know that prices in the USA top retailers are about the best price you will see them.
If something is few bucks less than adorama or BH, then you may have a deal. If it is $100 or more, then you should be very suspicious.
I am all for paying a little more and being 100% on the source, the risk is just not worth it.

[SwissJon]

Thanks folks.

I don't think you can buy a Minolta 100 f/2.8 Macro from the shops any more.. 2nd hand market only. I live in Switzerland, there's only 14 million of us here so the 2nd hand market is very small, and the Sony/Minlota market is even smaller, so if I want something specific when I can afford it, rather than just something that fits, I'm going to probably going to have to import it. Switzerland isn't cheap for new goods either.. What costs you $700 will cost me €700, about 50% more. Unfortunately importing new goods tends to raise the interest of the customs officers, so it's often cheaper to pay the 50% more, unless I happen to be going somewhere for business or a holiday. If only my sister was still living in Washington DC.

Which is why I was asking about the 2nd hand market. So far I have been lucky. I picked up a Zeiss lens for my camera for a reasonable price and the customs decided it was an Xmas present and let it through, and a couple of Minolta lenses, which, as it turns out, came from the same person. I'm guessing that the Chinese are picking up lenses that had some issue.. Mould for example. Dismantling them, cleaning them, then putting them back together.. If you can pay someone $1 a day to do this, and make $100 then you're in the money.. However I've no idea if that's what's happening, so I was wondering if anyone had bought on and whether it was any good.

I've no problem with the cost of a softbox being $5.. I know it's not likely to be as good as a $100 one, but hey, even if it's not as good as not having one at all, I've only lost $5.. But a $600 lens is a different question entirely, especially when they charge the same for a lens from Hong Kong as a lens from the US. Problem is, I'm still a newbie and don't really know how to spot duff glass except by sticking it on my camera and taking a couple of shots with it. Can anybody give me some hints as to the right questions to ask?

Thanks for the tip about the "Gear for Sale section" I'll take a look.