Has anybody had experience dealing with World Photo who advertises in Shutterbug ? They seem to have great prices on what I assume are gray market lenses. Also, any thoughts about gray market lenses ? I'd not get a gray market body but I've never heard of a problem developing with a lens. Th

-- George L. Doolittle (geodoolitt@aol.com), November 14, 2001

Answers

I can recommend Delta International(www.deltainternational.com) for gray market Leica cameras and lenses. They come with a 3-year USA warranty by MACK Corp.

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), November 14, 2001.

Here is my way of detecting grey market lenses:

1) Any Leica lens which is chrome-set is definitely grey market-- which means that it is marketed to shooters who prefer grey. while 2) Any Leica lens which is black is definitely for the US market-- which means that it is good quality...

Dang, real shooters wear black...

j/k

p.s. Please don't buy chrome lens... not only are they grey market but they are heavvvvyyy.

-- Albert Wang (albert.wang@ibx.com), November 14, 2001.

Be wary of prices that are TOO low...As someone else mentioned, Delta Int'l has a good rep and good prices, so you may check their website.

-- Douglas Kinnear (douglas.kinnear@colostate.edu), November 14, 2001.

You can buy properly imported silver chrome finished lenses. I assume you are making a joke but I did not want anyone to be confused.

Cheers,

-- John Collier (jbcollier@powersurfr.com), November 14, 2001.

If it sounds to good to be true it probably is. I do not think World photo enjoys a great reputation.

-- Tom Gallagher (tgallagher10@yahoo.com), November 14, 2001.

George

Many dealers sell lenses that are new in the box (sealed) without the USA Passport warranty. In some cases they offer their own 2 yr warranty. These would be considered "gray market". The Leica USA (passport) warranty to my knowledge is only offered in the U.S., not abroad. This is more of a no-fault insurance policy than a warranty, since it protects you against everything (regardless of how it happened) as long as you send in the remains of the camera.

Unfortunately, the USA (passport) warranty increases the price of the lens by hundreds of dollars, on top of an already very expensive price. That's why many people buy "gray market", to save a few hundred dollars. The other thing about gray market is that you would not be eligible for any Leica rebate that is offered.

I have bought gray market from very reliable dealers, with no problems. I can't speak for other countries, but I believe the new "gray market" lenses available here are absolutely the same as the lenses obtained by way of Leica USA, just sans USA warranty. Just make sure you buy from a well-known trustworthy source.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), November 14, 2001.

Just to toss a bit of consumer heresy into the mix, I think there is real value in supporting the dealers who invest in supporting the Leica community. Although getting the best possible price is great, keeping the people who support us in business may be even more so in the long term.

With that in mind, I bought my M6 and first lenses from a full stocking dealer who bit the bullet to have one of everything out of the box and available for buyers to look at, feel, etc. They also have Leica users behind the counter to answer questions. The discount houses can't compete with that in my opinion.

-- Ralph Barker

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), November 15, 2001.

Here is a cut & paste from photo.net user comments, don't look so good to me...

* World Photo & Video : Not Very HONEST People. POOR Service -- Angela Pennington, October 10, 2001 * World Photo & Video : Run Away!!!!!! -- Matthew Peyton, June 7, 2001 * World Photo & Video : Words by words -->So confusing to me. -- Billy Dong Skyrunner, January 19, 2001 * World Photo & Video : Surprisingly Good Service -- Drayton Cooper, November 16, 2000 * World Photo & Video : Thieves ! -- Benny Stevens, September 12, 2000 * World Photo & Video : Shipped a substitute camera , kept shipping charges when the camera was returned -- Jerel Turner, January 18, 2000 * World Photo & Video : Experience was Okay -- Paul Kim, November 15, 1999 * World Photo & Video : the only way to get refund is call my credit card -- pingutwo --, March 11, 1999 * World Photo & Video : Liars!!! -- Doug P, February 20, 1999 * World Photo & Video : don't waste time and money -- pingutwo --, February 5, 1999 * World Photo & Video : two weeks without shipment or response, but without charge -- yzhuang --, January 20, 1999 * World Photo & Video : delayed shipping--not honest -- pingutwo --, January 19, 1999 * World Photo & Video : If you have money to throw away -- WendieH --, January 14, 1999 * World Photo & Video : Great!! Will definitely use again! -- Gianluca Bacchiocchi, December 3, 1998 * World Photo & Video : Don't go near this place! -- Ray A. White, November 6, 1998 * World Photo & Video : no title -- Paul Taylor, November 18, 1997

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), November 15, 2001.