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Just noticed (I'm sure others have too)
It might be time for American shoppers to visit their neighbors to the north for some savings. The Canadian dollar is down to 85 cents USD.
Quick Example:
40D w/17-85 IS @ BHPhoto $1449.99 USD
40D w/17-85 IS @ Henrys $1449.95 CAD
So a Canadian buying at B&H will actually be paying $1720 CAD for the camera. An American shopping in Canada would be paying $1215 USD.
Obviously customs and tax need to be factored in. I'm not sure how it works in the US.
With the economic issues currently, I do not see Canon correcting this before Christmas. They have to move cameras. It took over 6 months for Canon to correct pricing when the Canadian dollar came on par with the US dollar. Pricing was still better in the US however.
Buy in Canada Canadians.
Buy in the US Americans (to support your economy). We won't be insulted if you do shop up here though.
cr
Thanks for the post. I wasn’t aware of that. I thought the Canadian dollar was strong compared to the US dollar.
Lots of Canadians shop in my US online store and I have no issue with returning the favor.
Wow, thanks for this reminder! I just did a quick check on xe.com and the dollar is trading at $1.19 (I never quite understood the other way around, being Canadian and all :P). At that rate (give or take for the conversion charge), the 5D is ~$2350 USD from the US price of $2700. Even with GST and shipping from out of province, it’s cheaper than what I pre-ordered with. Time to cancel my order!
hmm… UK prices are almost double, and no-one will ship here
The same kit sells @ vistek.ca for 50 bucks cheaper.
One thing worth noting is the waranty issues. Am I mistaken or does Canon USA warranty require a camera intended for the USA?
Not to double post, but it just dawned on me, it could be a North America warranty, but I still wouldn’t put it past them to deny your warranty based on shopping outside your home country.
Hi!
Is there any cool Canadian shops ala. B&H photo then?
Regarding warranty, Canon has a North American warranty. So whether you buy from the US or Canada; your gear will be covered.
If I pre-order the camera now, do I still benefit from the currency differences?
I ask because the value fluctuates through out the day. So if I charge my card for a pre-order now, does it keep the value based on when I pre-ordered? Or is it going to be delayed? Or worse, if the dollar tanks over night would I pay more?
Regarding pre-ordering, I believe that most retailers will only charge your credit card when the camera ships and not when when you actually pre-order. So the exchange rate will be based on the day your credit card is charged.
Is there a recommended Canon Dealer in Vancover(preferred, since my niece lives there), or somewhere in the vicinity?
Thanks mastermoe. Just found this too:
“The rate will be calculated at the time the charge is settled, i.e. charged to your account, not when you place the order (even if they do an authorization now).”
I just picked up a 40D/17-85is kit for $1249 CAD from my local London Drugs in Vancouver. It was a sale they had 3 weeks ago that they were more than willing to honor yesterday. Great deal on a great camera, but unfortunately garbage lens. Dont expect too much. (anybody else goin insane trying to process raw files from this camera?)
I have never had a problem processing raw files from my 40d. I mostly use ACDC Pro 2.5 and Adobe Lightroom 2, but others I’ve tried worked well. Canon DPP works well, you may have to get the latest updates. There are also Downloads that will let you view raw files within windows XP or Vista.
Canon is one of few manufacturers that actually have a continental warranty. Olympus has International, most others are specific to the Country.
People don’t realize it, but if you’re Canadian with a product that only has a US warranty, unless you have a US address, you’re screwed.
Also, Vistek may have better prices than Henry’s, but they’re assholes and Henry’s is glad to price match.
Thanks Ed, ill give acdsee a try. CS2 will not open 40d raw even after updating, and im deathly afraid of DPP(crashes everytime i try too convert to 16bit tiff and several other random crashes). Very strange, never encountered this with 10D, 30D, or 5D raw files. Still love the camera though.
On the subject of purchasing, i firmly believe physicaly walking into a store, any store, is preferable to buying online. My first 30D had a small piece of cardboard STUCK to the sensor. I walked back into the store and exchanged an hour later. I exchanged 3 sigma 10-20mm before i got a good one, which ended up being on my camera 95 percent of the last 2 years. Currently waiting for shipment of tokina 11-16 2.8, and id be suprised if my first copy is perfect. Moral of the story, warranty good, buying locally much better
Oh, and for Ed,
if the camera is for you and your looking to take advantage of your nieces adress for the warranty id say go to London Drugs and make reference to the kit deal for $1249. Its an old kit so they want to get rid of them(they were unpacking a 50D for the display while i was buying). If its for your niece id say buy from Leo’s, theyre convenient, helpful, theyll price match within reason, and they have the best stock of canon lenses for rent so might as well start the relationship :)
I’m from Montreal (Quebec) and I always order my stuff from adencamera.com Toronto (Ontario) to save on GST. I’m pretty sure that they would ship to US. Send an email to have their best price, on a lot of items you could be surprized.
Best place to buy in Canada is The Camera Store (www.thecamerastore.com) located in Calgary. Their prices are on par or better then Henry’s or Vistek and never has PST and cheap shipping. Service has always been great too.
Support your local camera store. Most stores if asked will price match or at least come close. Stores are closing all over because of online shopping. The comment about the one store replacing a camera on the spot is a prime example. If you need service where would you go?
Thanks. I’m looking for a 5D MKII, I have a 40d. I’ve bought many many items by mail, and I sell several thousand items a year through my online store.
I have always bought my Digital SLR’s locally, but thats been because the price is the same or very close. Money is tight now, so saving $900 + US on the $3700 kit is a huge savings.
I’ve a question into “Camera Canada” Now. I lived in Richmond Hill for 3 years in the late 1980’s, and used to frequent Aden camera.
I’ll check out all the suggestions. I’ve got a 5D MKII on order since 2pm on the 17th from Adorama, but even ordering the first day doesn’t guarantee one in the first shipment.
If you live in B.C., The Camera Store in Calgary is excellent in terms of price, shipping, and service as Jon above says. I’m a lot cash poorer because of them but saved big bucks. I’m on their wait list for the 5d Mkii. I have tried Camera Canada once and they also seem quite good too. But it’s a long way out back east in case you have a problem fut fortunately I’ve never encountered any.
Guys and Gals,
Don’t be cheap and do your best to buy local. As I saw on one post here, a store replaced a camera on the spot. If we continue to support online stores, this kind of service will vanish and you will have no where to go for help. Most stores will price match, but you have to ask, if they don’t I understand. But remember it has to be a bricks and mortar store competing with the SAME service.
I don’t call $1246 being cheap.
Our local store is a discount store (www.onecall.com), but no one is discounting the 5D MKII so the price with sales tax is US$4033 versus $2812 US with the Canadian exchange (includes $25 shipping). Thats a total of US $1246.00 less.
Since I am in North Eastern Washington State, I can drive to Calgary or Vancover if need be for a lot less than that. The difference in price ($1246) is just too much to be reasonable. I’ve bought many new DSLR’s and never had a problem.
Is it just me or it’s the American dollar that is at 85 cents CAD and not the other way around.
1 dollar Us buys roughly 1.15 CAD at the moment. How long it stays there depends largely on commodity pricing
Follow-up comment regarding buying local: I always try to buy local when I can and support local merchants. The stuff I purchase from out of town is not available locally or the price difference is so great that it can’t be matched. By the way, The Camera Store and Camera Canada are brick and mortar stores. They’re just located in another town, have nice websites and offer great prices and service.
You can always save lots of money when the Canadian dollar is moving. Remember, when you import into Canada across the border, you only pay tax; most camera equipment is duty free. Watch out for brokerage fees.
Canadians, I strongly recommend checking out http://www.photoprice.ca which has lots of info on buying cross-border, and also does price comparisons between Canadian and US stores, including exchange rate and shipping.