[mike]

Hi there

I'm looking at a new imported panasonic lens from an ebay seller based in the UK, London. They have been established since 2003 in that market and have excellent feedback. I'm not worried about the seller.

 

They say the item has a one year Japan Panasonic warranty.

Is that warranty not worth the ink it's printed since I'm in the UK? i.e. would it simply not be honoured or would I have to jump through hoops to get anything done if the lens became faulty?

 

Anybody's experience with this situation greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks

Nick

 

For the most part, Panasonic has very high quality control and more than likely you'll never need service. On top of that, by me, the brick and mortar camera stores are gone. Anything I buy will require more hassle than stopping by a store for an exchange. Even then, unless you purchase an extended warranty through the store, after ~3 months you'll have to deal with the manufacturer for repair. For me purchasing these extended warranty so I can exchange it directly with the store is too expensive and generally not worth it. 

 

Having said that, my view point is how good of a deal is it? If it's just to save a few bucks, I would go with a reputable dealer. Following the bathtub curve, if it's going to break it will happen early on while you can still exchange it. 

 

I just bought a Panasonic lens on amazon. It was a grey market lens.  On top of that Amazon offered me a free gift card with the purchase that I can instantly apply to the purchase. The bottom line is the lens cost 1/3 the non gray market lens. 

 

It comes down to where your comfort level is.