New to DSLR, your advice appreciated

[maccas0001]

G'day Guys and Gals,
1st up I do hope I have met the forum rules, my apologies if I havn't (and been to FAQ a few times)
I have been reading the posts here for a few months and more over the last couple of weeks and have gathered alot of information which has been a great help, thankyou.
This is my 1st post and have some questions that your opinions would be greatly appreciated.
I've had a Nikon 8800 since '05 and it drives me nuts when I can't do things I used to with my Canon A1.
Decent control of focus in particular.
Early dawn photo's of Uluru last year were a total dissapointment, thats when a DSLR joined the wish list.
After reading advice here I have handled various cameras and like the "feel" of the Canon 50D, a 17-55mm f2.8 and 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 are the lenses I think I will start with.
We have 2 trips planned. In February, Africa, (Kruger, Okavango and Victoria Falls are the highlights) then in May a trip to Central Australia, Great Victoria Desert (Anne Beadell Hwy), Kimberley's, Tanimi Desert and Channel country so a good camera is becoming a priority.
Time is running out and will need to place an order by christmas, there are some sites on line that seem cheap, too cheap?, like YouShop247.
They are in Australia but do you get what you pay for?, or worse not get anything at all?
There have been links to similar online stores here with no negative comments, suggested sites would be appreciated.
Thank you in advance.
Macca

[photomarcs]

Hey Macca!

Welcome buddy =)

I'm a newbie to this site as well, but knowing of the industry when it comes to buying cameras, i guess i'm a help

Ok first of all, if you're after the 50D in particular, buy that from you're local Aussie Retailer (camerahouse, Digital Camera Warehouse, Digital Camera Centre etc..)

Lens wise? go grey imports.. ( overseas models imported by 3rd party companies like youshop247)

reason?

With Canon Australia, they will look after you in terms of warranty IF and ONLY IF they are bought from Australian stock. If they are overseas stock for example, Canon Australia does not cover youre warranty, in which.. you'll have to send it back to youshop, youshop to their distributor, distributor to Canon in Japan..( Which handles most of the international repairs) ORRR... they'd go third party repairer and you're problem MIGHT not be solved.

But lenses and accesories? if you find it cheap on sites like topbuy.com.au , youshop.com.au and shopbot... get it. Reason? Canon Australia will look after the warranty on those ( lenses and accessories only, not the camera bodies though)

If you're after some really good prices, look up shopbot, it will compare the grey import prices for you, topbuy is fantastic when they have stuff in stock, they're delivery timing took 7 days for a lens my friend order (16mm fishy for sony 2.



Hope I helped =)

[maccas0001]

Thanks photomarcs
That is really valuable information and a good place to start
I will have a look at those sites today
Macca

[Marvin]

Hmm, that's weird. I posted a reply a while ago but it disappeared!

I can second Digital Camera Warehouse. I have bought from them and been quite happy. The forum has a relationship with Hong Kong Supplies too.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy your upcoming trips.

[aim54x]

Welcome, I think Marcus has covered most of the basics for you already.

I am happy to second D-D-Photographics (grey importer), HKSupplies and would not think too hard about ordering from DigitalRev. However I still prefer to get stock locally if possible. PS, your location is fine (if that is what you mean by FAQ)

[maccas0001]

Thank you for your welcome and advice.
Had a look at the D-D site and liked what I saw, I'll get around the Australian suppliers re the body as recommended. Might be on the learning curve by Christmas
Macca

[gstark]

Hi, and welcome.

there are some sites on line that seem cheap, too cheap?, like YouShop247.

Never heard of them.

They are in Australia

Are they? Seriously; what makes you say this? Many sites appear to be for businesses located in Oz, but when you look more closely, you will find that the goods are shipping ex-HKG.

That is not a problem if you know with whom you are dealing.

But that is the big unknown. HKS and DD are well known and reputable.

We have had members ask about other traders, but when we have examined them more closely, dealing with them seemed to be a somewhat risky proposition.

Please post a link to their website, and let's see what we can find out.

[dawesy]

I did a quick google on youshop247 and found these guys:

http://www.youshop247.com.au/store/help.php?section=contactus&mode=update

They have a com.au domain so unless the requirements have changed, they either have an ABN or know someone with one. They also have a POBox in Victoria, so at the very least there must me someone associated with the business located in Aus to clean out the mail.

However that doesn't mean that the business itself is located here and there is a very good chance their stock is gery import, especially considering their Warranty page which suggests that items with International Warranty can be taken to any authorized agent, but others need to go back to them. This is normal for Grey stock.

Should have clicked more links before I started typing:
http://youshop247.com.au/store/help.php?section=shipping

Please also note that most of our electronic items are shipped directly from our wholesaler in Asia . No GST or local taxes are applied to our prices nor are any customs processing fees. Items imported to Australia with a combined insurance and shipping value exceeding AUD$1000 will be subject to 10% GST and a customs entry processing fee of about AUD$50. Please check with your local customs office to determine any additional fees.

Grey stock for sure. They certainly claim to be Australian based and I have no reason to doubt that, but I couldn't confirm it for sure.

HTH.

[gstark]

Thanks, Andrew.

A little more info ...

Code: Select all

Domain Name:                     youshop247.com.au
Last Modified:                   24-Nov-2008 03:42:05 UTC
Registrar ID:                    TPP Internet
Registrar Name:                  TPP Internet
Status:                          ok

Registrant:                      BLUETONIC PTY LTD
Registrant ID:                   ACN 123259870
Eligibility Type:                Company

Registrant Contact ID:           TPP482095-R
Registrant Contact Name:         Nick Ritchie
Registrant Contact Email:        Visit whois.ausregistry.com.au for Web based WhoIs

Tech Contact ID:                 TPP512141-C
Tech Contact Name:               Nick Ritchie
Tech Contact Email:              Visit whois.ausregistry.com.au for Web based WhoIs

Name Server:                     ns1.digitalpacific.com.au
Name Server IP:                  216.127.80.15
Name Server:                     ns2.digitalpacific.com.au
Name Server IP:                  203.19.59.4

And thusly

Code: Select all

Domain Name:                     bluetonic.com.au
Last Modified:                   01-Oct-2008 07:10:07 UTC
Registrar ID:                    TPP Internet
Registrar Name:                  TPP Internet
Status:                          ok

Registrant:                      CYTOY
Registrant ID:                   ABN 11609988583
Eligibility Type:                Sole Trader

Registrant Contact ID:           TPP269409-R
Registrant Contact Name:         Nick Ritchie
Registrant Contact Email:        Visit whois.ausregistry.com.au for Web based WhoIs

Tech Contact ID:                 TPP22107-C
Tech Contact Name:               BlueCentral Support
Tech Contact Email:              Visit whois.ausregistry.com.au for Web based WhoIs

Name Server:                     ns1.ozhosting.com
Name Server:                     ns2.ozhosting.com

A search for Bluetonic Pty Ltd on business.gov.au tells us

Code: Select all

 ABN:  20 113 462 376
  View ABN history
Last modified: 24 May 2007
ABN status: Active from 11 Jan 2007
Entity name: The Trustee for Nick Ritchie Family Trust & The Trustee for Tony Nobuko and Kazuma (TNK) Family Trust
Entity type: Other Partnership
GST status: Effective from 11 Jan 2007
Main business location
State: VIC
Postcode: 3088
Trading name(s)
  BLUETONIC PTY LTD
Other registrations
Deductible Gift Recipient: Not entitled to receive tax deductible gifts

Bluetonic's whois lists the ABN as 11609988583. Here's what ABNLookup says

Code: Select all

 ABN:  11 609 988 583
  View ABN history
Last modified: 09 Jul 2007
ABN status: Cancelled from 30 Jun 2007
Entity name: WILLIAMS, TONY CAMERON
Entity type: Individual/Sole Trader
GST status: Not currently registered for GST
Main business location
State: VIC
Postcode: 3088
Trading name(s)
Other registrations

but youshop247's whois says that their registrant's ACN is 123259870. ABNLookup cannot locate this ID ..

Code: Select all

Your search for 123259870  found no matching records

So, their local address probably exists, but there is no apparent way to easily contact them.

I would check reviews very carefully, but would also tend to be very wary of engaging in any dealings with them, as their provenance is not all that clear to me.

[gstark]

And I just love this little bit from their FAQ ...

Digital Camera FAQ’s


1. Is there any restriction on the usage of digital cameras?
A: Digital Cameras have no restrictions on any network what so ever. Therefore they are usable in all countries.

Hmmm ......

[dawesy]

Good to know, I hate it when international roaming doesn't work on my camera...

Oh, and btw, it's Jon, not Andrew.

[surenj]

If you are going grey for lenses, I would suggest D Dphotographics, or D D electronics(subsidiary in Singapore which is even cheaper). If there are DOA problems, you can always take it back to DDphotographics in north sydney.

Also once you are full member, you can access the forum pricing. You will need to confirm current pricing first with Gary.

For both above, when the price is > $1000 excluding delivery, you may be stung with GST(on whole amount including delivery) + $50.

As for bodies, I would strongly recommend Australian stock. If going grey, perhaps DD is not a bad idea as they have a shop front. When you check shopbot pricing, it's usually easy to figure out whether it's gray or not.

good luck.

[radar]

Macca,

Early dawn photo's of Uluru last year were a total dissapointment, thats when a DSLR joined the wish list.
After reading advice here I have handled various cameras and like the "feel" of the Canon 50D, a 17-55mm f2.8 and 55-200mm f4.0-5.6 are the lenses I think I will start with.
We have 2 trips planned. In February, Africa, (Kruger, Okavango and Victoria Falls are the highlights) then in May a trip to Central Australia, Great Victoria Desert (Anne Beadell Hwy), Kimberley's, Tanimi Desert and Channel country so a good camera is becoming a priority.

If you plan to do some wildlife photography in Africa, a longer lens would be an advantage. If your budget can stretch to the 100-400 Canon lens, I've seen a lot of Canon shooters have good results with that lens. I use Nikon, so can't help with experience. I have been to Africa a couple times and 300mm would be my minimum. Canon has the 300mm f/4 which is also meant to be very good.

HTH,

André

[maccas0001]

Thankyou all for your information, that research of Gary's was a real eye opener, also Gary and surenj with the tip about DD-P, I had found DD-E, I believe it's worth spending a little more to deal with a shopfronted store here in Australia.
I had a feeling that the experienced members here would show me the safer path to where I want to go.
There is no doubt that time and dollars have been saved that could well be spent on, umm, a 400mm lens maybe.
Just because a site has a local phone number doesn't mean a thing, something else I have learnt.
Thankyou
Macca

[photomarcs]

Good to know that there are photographers out there with more than just a camera as their eye.

Personally i would say i would have been mislead as well if i was buying grey stock, but hey! why buy grey when you can buy aussie =D

though, pricewise lenses are of course the benefit at the end of the day when buying grey, especially canon stock.


can't wait to see some of your work posted up here when you get you're dslr

[maccas0001]

Finally I have confirmation the order is on the way, it's been a month.....
Stock has been the problem, with the lenses.
Ended up getting a 18-200 as a simple walk about lens, a 17-55 is on backorder a 100-400 is waiting for funds to pass from the treasury.
Had to ring the supplier many times to get an update, was getting sick of "it will be in stock Thursday" and not hearing from them. Once we put unavailable items on backorder the phone rang off the hook. the service yesterday was 1st class. Took a little long to get there
The fun should start this weekend, going to Coffs four wheeling so there will be a few diferent opportunities to try out,there no doubt.
The learning curve begins...
Have no idea what most of the stuff you all talk about, the abreviations have me lost, I am hoping once the hands are on the camera all will be revealed,
Macca

[maccas0001]

Well its started, the order was placed at 3.30pm and I had my hands on the camera at 10.30 the next morning, didnt get a chance to play for a couple of days, work is a dirty word...
Started by reading the manual as I am brand new to this, hardly a word made sense
As said before we were away for the weekend and there were some great people to learn off with the group.
Reading the manual over and over and trying different things gave me a great insight to how a few functions work, some of it even makes sense now,
After playing with the 18-200 the decision was made to cancel the 17-55 and upgraded to a 100-400, that longer lens will be great for animal and bird photos, with not a huge amount of dollars to upgrade. Thankyou radar for planting the seed, good advice I am sure.
The photos that were taken were not that good, trying to get too far ahead of myself is the main problem. Now I've seen them on the monitor the flaws are much more obvious and learning to be patient is the key.
So far so good and the enjoyment will increase with the skill. I had a ball with it over the weekend and loved the conversations about photography during a "four wheel drive" weekend, there are lots of people with good equipment around.
Right now I am just taking the shots, after the skill starts to come a good post processing programme will be sourced and hopfully there will be some nice photos on the walls of our home.
Macca