I'm about to purchase an Elan IIE from B&H. On their website, B&H states that this Elan is known as the 50E outside the U.S. Is the 50E available in the U.S. as grey market, and if so, is it on par with the Elan IIE? I am hoping to save a few bucks without compromising features.

Thanks for any reply.

-- Jennifer Grissop (photojnic1@aol.com), January 26, 1999

Answers

Hello Jennifer!

Yes, the 50e is the same as the Elan IIe. Grey market simply means that it is imported by the seller (as opposed to being distributed to the seller directly by Canon) and then sold at a discount. The 50e is the name for the camera in Europe. Often the name of a camera is different between the U.S. and European version, as sometimes the name, such as Elan, Rebel, etc., doesn't translate well or may be offensive in another country. As a grey market item it is not specifically entitled to U.S. warranty service, however it does carry an international warranty, and Canon has a great reputation for servicing all Canon products as long as they are still under some type of warranty.

-- james (jginalbany@aol.com), January 26, 1999.