Various people said: > > > We all know any Camera store worth anything has demo lenses to check > > out, that's another story. If they have to open a box, that lens > > becomes a demo. Eventually they get sold too, at a reduced price. But > > I would hope the new lenses I buy are not demos, in fact came to me > > straight from the factory, sealed. > > > While I would like to get a brand new un-touched lens too, especially if I > was spending good money, even the biggest store may not have a demo of > everything. > > If we get 10 of an item (let's say, Rebel 2000 Kits), we put one on display > and sell the other nine. If next month's shipment hasn't arrived by the time > we are down to the tenth, we sell it too, at full price. After all, there's > nothing wrong with it, other than the "problem" that somebody other than a > Taiwanese factory worker has handled it. > > There's nothing mystical about a "factory seal." Most equipment doesn't even > have a physical seal. If it does, most people don't care if it's been > broken. A few people who examine the last unit in stock initially are > concerned about buying opened boxes of display merchandise. However, they > usually change their mind when they realize that they could walk out with the > last one we have, which works the same as any other unit of the same model, > carries the same warranty, etc., or they could wait anywhere from a day to a > few weeks to get one when we get our next shipment, or to buy one from > another, less customer service-oriented, outlet.
And I reply: Some of you guys amaze me. What do you want to do with your new "factory sealed" lens? Take it home and put it in a display case, or go out and make photographs? I know that after a day of shooting outdoors with a new lens, it will have more fingerprints on the barrel than it would accumulate being a store demo. I would also find it reassuring that this lens has been played with by numerous people before me, and if it was going a fail in some way, it probably already would have. Demo items still have the full manufacturer's warranty, so if something does go wrong, I'm still protected. As an audio professional, I've bought many "demo" items, often after demo-ing them myself. I've never been burned, and I use the same philosophy in my amateur (photographic) pursuits. It's only a camera lens. You're not marrying it. It doesn't have to be a virgin! Geoff Doane * **** ******* *********************************************************** * For list instructions, including unsubscribe, see: * http://www.a1.nl/phomepag/markerink/eos_list.htm ***********************************************************
