Buying dilemma - used or new

Unless you knew very well the owner of the 40D and his/her reasons to sell a last model camera, I wouldn't run the risk.

I don't know either sellers, unfortunately. One of them said he had the camera for a backup and was rarely used so decided to sell. The other one wanted to sell because he doesn't have time to take photos and prefer to get cash to spend on other things.

In Germany, cameras are more expensive due to the rate of exchange. If you decide to buy it there I am sure you will find many good shops. I live in Spain and buy either in USA, bhphotovideo, or Europe, pixmania-pro.

You can see the prices in pixmania, one of the mort reputed sellers. If you had a corporation, you could buy at pixmania-pro, without 16% VAT.

http://www.pixmania.com/de/de/1662/xx/xx/1/1/criteresn.html

Concerning the used cameras, a saving of $200 is not worth your worries, even being the camera in perfect situation.

I meant "most", no "mort"

Monica, I just compared your prices for new items to those from online sellers here in Germany, and it seems that buying would be about 10 to 15 percent more expensive if you buy here. So, given that your OZ prices are reliable, it seems a good idea to buy there (at least pricewise).

As for warranty ... I'm pretty sure that a warranty from a non EU country is worthless once you're here. In case of trouble you would have to send the camera home for repair. (Eventually, a repair here on your cost and a refund of the amount from Canon OZ would be possible ... you could mail Canon australia for with this question).

Don't worry about your language skills ... if you're going to stay for 2 years, you will (no doubt) be prepared to learn, and once you're here that will develop quickly, on the other side, you'll find that you can get away with English very well.

I would advice you to buy in OZ (new) and to buy now, so that you have the camera 2 month before you start. Use it regularly. If a brand new devices has failures it usually break down quickly, so you can have it repaired before you start.

I believe Australia has a reputation for being one of the most expensive places to buy a camera on the planet. You are correct that you may find it impossible to get warranty service on a camera bought in Australia (whether second hand or new) from Canon in Europe. However, you also may need to consider customs regulations on the import of personal items for a protracted stay, which could result in you having to pay VAT (or BTW as it is known in Germany) on a camera less than six months old imported anyway.

Contrary to what Antonio says, some of the cheapest prices for the 40D have been available in Europe - it has been selling for less than 500 UKP after cashback (although the cashback offer expires 30th June there have been some hints it may become cheaper still), inclusive of VAT in the UK for example. You are entitled to buy from anywhere in the EU and have Canon service (and Canon cashback as an EU resident, if it being offered): moreover, I think that in Germany you will get 2 years warranty. Finding good deals is mostly a matter of internet searching. I'd look around when you get over to Europe - ask again here if you like. Besides, if you aren't actually travelling for a month or two yet, it's likely that competition will drive the prices down further.

I agree with Mark U. I forgot that UK is not in the euro zone and the prices are now lower due to the UKP (GBP) rate of exchange. Amazon.co.uk has the 40D body only in 630.00 GBP = 1,256.61 USD with a cash back of 150. It finishes tomorrow but normally they look for another way to continue reducing the price. And the customs coming from Australia is something to pay attention too.

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I miss an English corrector in photo.net!

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