Lost a 5DIII. Deciding how to replace. Big Value = Bad Idea?

[tatsu]

This past week my house was robbed and I lost my 5DMkIII along with the 24-70MkII that was attached to it.  Strangely not the Ona bag that it was in with another couple lenses in it.  But no complaining there. 

Anyways... my homeowners insurance is going to cover it.  Thank god.  Now I'm left with some decisions. 

I'd like to replace my 5D with another one.  And obviously the price at Big Value is pretty good.  But I've seen conflicting information in the forums about whether it matters warranty-wise whether they're a Canon Authorized dealer. 

So I'm looking on some input on: Is buying from Big Value a bad idea?  I'd like to have the warranty, but am not sure that's worth $450, if there really is no warranty.  It definitely says Canon USA Warranty on the ebay listing. 

Secondly, if I can't take advantage of that, I might look at getting a 6D, which wasn't out when I purchased my 5D.  I know this issue has been beat to death, but it would help me if someone could sum up the main points for me.  What I think I'm hearing is same still quality, slightly slower autofocus, worse video.  But if anyone has any real life examples with both, that would help me out a lot. 

Thanks for your help on either of these questions!

[Chosenbydestiny]

Sorry for your loss. If you think you'll never shoot action seriously at all the 6D isn't bad. But there are far more advantages to the 5D mark III than just AF which is already huge by itself. Example is dual card slots and the way controls are set up... IQ is about the same in terms of ISO performance with the 6D being a touch better, but I like the colors from the 5D mark III a little better. But If its worth it to you and know you'll save a a lot of money then a 6D is actually not a bad camera and I appreciate mine for what it can do.

[robbymack]

There is a lot of misinformation out there about warrentees and non authorized sellers. It really boils down to this. If you want full canon USA warrentee with no hassles buy from an authorized reseller (and keep your receipt) i.e. amazon, adorama, bH ET al. The difference when buying from a non authorized seller is simply that canon can refuse to warrantee it. That's not to say they will, but you leave it in their hands and they are entirely within their rights to do so. So the warrantee then falls to the reseller, in your case big value. If they will service and repair it for the 12 months from purchase like canon then you don't lose much just who you are dealing with. As always caveat emptor

[jdramirez]

when I read the title I jumped to the conclusion that you were connecting the robbery to your purchase at big value.  Like they sold your address and information and criminals then targeted you.   Obviously that isn't what you were saying,  but it may warrant a revision.

[MARKOE PHOTOE]

Sorry for your loss even though your insurance company will replace it.  I just wanted to add that there is a website, I think its called STOLEN CAMERA FINDER, that can search for your camera if the thief posts images publicly with the stolen camera.  They apparently track this down through the metadata encoded in the images, so I'm told.  Its worth a look IMO.

Secondly, you can purchase insurance to cover your camera gear through several different insurance carriers like Farmers even if you don't have a home or auto policy with them, they will write you a policy and its much cheaper than replacement warranties.

Wish you luck!

[chrisdeckard]

Most home owners policies will reimburse you for what you spend replacing the equipment.  So I would buy from a reputable dealer where you know you will have a warranty.  You aren't "saving any money" because insurance will want to see your receipt from the purchase.  I went through this with a diamond ring a year ago.  If you pick out something that's half the price to replace it with, then that's all they are paying you, not the full price of what you originally paid.

So go ahead and pay full price from somewhere you trust.  Same for the lens.

-Chris

[Rienzphotoz]

Sorry for your loss ... my 24-70 L II was stolen a few months ago, so I can somewhat understand what it feels like. BTW, have you considered a refurbished 5D MK III? that will save you some good money.

[John]

i've never owned either a 5D or a 6D so i can't address which might be the smarter buying choice for you. i've always owned 1D's. i had a problem with my 1D-X recently that required a repair by canon's repair center. the cost of the repair was over $300 and canon did it all for "free" since it was covered under the 1-year warranty. i had to send in my sales slip as proof of purchase with the camera to take advantage of the warranty.

i would definitely want a warranty with a new camera.

[wtf100]

If a company is not an authorized reseller, where do they get their product?

[jdramirez]

If a company is not an authorized reseller, where do they get their product?

they are like me.   they buy a kit at a great price,  split the lens and the body and sell both for a small profit on each.   I've been doing thatforyears.  usually with the 18-135  lens though. 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Spend $140 extra and get it from PMI Digital, a authorized reseller.
 
http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/03868/Canon-EOS-5D-Mark-III-price.html

[tatsu]

Anyone know if DigitalRev is an authorized reseller?  Their prices seem pretty good. 
http://www.digitalrev.com/product/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii/MTAwMDQwNQ_A_A

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Anyone know if DigitalRev is an authorized reseller?  Their prices seem pretty good. 
http://www.digitalrev.com/product/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii/MTAwMDQwNQ_A_A

Yes they are, and you will get a warranty that's good in Hong Kong and UK, so if you don't mind shipping it for service, that's fine.
 
You want a Authorized USA Reseller, Canon USA is a separate company and honors their own warranties.

[jabbott]

Anyone know if DigitalRev is an authorized reseller?  Their prices seem pretty good. 
http://www.digitalrev.com/product/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii/MTAwMDQwNQ_A_A

I would not purchase from DigitalRev, especially after this fiasco... 
http://fstoppers.com/digitalrev-allegedly-selling-used-cameras-as-new-and-are-yet-to-issue-a-response

[Wildfire]

Anyone know if DigitalRev is an authorized reseller?  Their prices seem pretty good. 
http://www.digitalrev.com/product/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii/MTAwMDQwNQ_A_A

I would not purchase from DigitalRev, especially after this fiasco... 
http://fstoppers.com/digitalrev-allegedly-selling-used-cameras-as-new-and-are-yet-to-issue-a-response

DigitalRev offers their own 1 year warranty on all their Canon products, so in the event that you purchase a defective Canon camera and Canon refuses to service it under warranty, DigitalRev will cover the cost of repair or replacement. I forgot where I read this but it's somewhere on the DigitalRev site and I believe it to be true.

What happened in that story above was a DigitalRev employee took one of the DRTV 5D3s and shipped it as new in order to improve his performance rating (they were out of stock and he would have had to cancel the order otherwise, negatively affecting his rating).

That was an isolated incident and DigitalRev has taken appropriate action against the employee and compensated the blogger who wrote the story. Additionally, they hired an internal auditor just to ensure that something like this would never happen again.

The whole incident showed that despite the bad employee, DigitalRev was really on top of their customer service. I would definitely buy from them!