What to take or buy for LA?
Discussion
OK,
I find myself in the rather nice position of having two weeks to myself in LA, so it seems like a great opportunity to indulge in some photography.
I've got a 450d with the 18-55 and 55-250 kit zooms, and that's it; not even a bag.
The question is, what should I buy & does it make sense to get it over here, in duty free, or in the states.
I don't mind selling glass, or even the entire kit, if you can suggest a better package. I have about £500 to spend on top of the S/H value. I obviously need a bag, so would like something that doubles as my carry-on baggage due to the one bag rule.
I find my current lens selection not wide enough, so would like something to fix that. I think the 250 will be overkill, but 55 isn't quite tele enough. Not too sure what else I need, other probably a 50mm 1.8.
I do fear that the current kit is going to end up being too big for me to bother taking anywhere; I am tempted to get a ~£150 compact to go with it, or look at the micro4/3 route. Something like the GF-1 with the wide zoom, the pancake prime and a regular zoom is tempting.
OK, over to you.
I find myself in the rather nice position of having two weeks to myself in LA, so it seems like a great opportunity to indulge in some photography.
I've got a 450d with the 18-55 and 55-250 kit zooms, and that's it; not even a bag.
The question is, what should I buy & does it make sense to get it over here, in duty free, or in the states.
I don't mind selling glass, or even the entire kit, if you can suggest a better package. I have about £500 to spend on top of the S/H value. I obviously need a bag, so would like something that doubles as my carry-on baggage due to the one bag rule.
I find my current lens selection not wide enough, so would like something to fix that. I think the 250 will be overkill, but 55 isn't quite tele enough. Not too sure what else I need, other probably a 50mm 1.8.
I do fear that the current kit is going to end up being too big for me to bother taking anywhere; I am tempted to get a ~£150 compact to go with it, or look at the micro4/3 route. Something like the GF-1 with the wide zoom, the pancake prime and a regular zoom is tempting.
OK, over to you.
Edited by bobthemonkey on Tuesday 23 March 20:56
Edited by bobthemonkey on Tuesday 23 March 21:03
_dobbo_ said:
Dollar exchange rate is pretty much crap at the moment so not a huge advantage to be had from buying over there, personally I wouldn't bother, take your time and hunt for bargains over here I'd say.
Actually I disagree - so long as you shop smart you'll save a bundle, for example the canon 7d kit with 28-135mm kit lens is $1795 on amazon usa, which is £1180 - about a £300 saving on uk prices GreigM said:
_dobbo_ said:
Dollar exchange rate is pretty much crap at the moment so not a huge advantage to be had from buying over there, personally I wouldn't bother, take your time and hunt for bargains over here I'd say.
Actually I disagree - so long as you shop smart you'll save a bundle, for example the canon 7d kit with 28-135mm kit lens is $1795 on amazon usa, which is £1180 - about a £300 saving on uk prices Also if you are the nervous type and worried about guarantees check if Canon is US only or world-wide and for how long. I know Nikon USA one is world-wide for camera bodies but a much shorter period than the gurantee we get in the UK.
It can still be cheaper over here but the opportunity for arbitrage is getting less and less
Chris
GreigM said:
_dobbo_ said:
Dollar exchange rate is pretty much crap at the moment so not a huge advantage to be had from buying over there, personally I wouldn't bother, take your time and hunt for bargains over here I'd say.
Actually I disagree - so long as you shop smart you'll save a bundle, for example the canon 7d kit with 28-135mm kit lens is $1795 on amazon usa, which is £1180 - about a £300 saving on uk prices I was thinking more along the lines of something like a 50mm which offers a saving of about £5 if bought in the US.
CVP said:
Don't forget when you checkout that Amazon USA will ask for your address and then add the appropriate amount of sales tax. Depending upon state this can add up to 10% on top of the sticker price. This can erode your savings somewhat.
Not true - only a couple of states add sales tax to out of state online orders, so you can pick it up directly at that price. Given the OP was talking spending £500+ it is certainly worth investigating...I've just bought one of these bags: Lowepro backpack
It's very neat, nicely made and an absolute bargain at less than £45 - there are other models if you don't need the laptop pocket.
It's very neat, nicely made and an absolute bargain at less than £45 - there are other models if you don't need the laptop pocket.
GreigM said:
CVP said:
Don't forget when you checkout that Amazon USA will ask for your address and then add the appropriate amount of sales tax. Depending upon state this can add up to 10% on top of the sticker price. This can erode your savings somewhat.
Not true - only a couple of states add sales tax to out of state online orders, so you can pick it up directly at that price. Given the OP was talking spending £500+ it is certainly worth investigating...If he can get it for the Amazon price in the US at $1775, at todays trading rate, that would make it £1192. However, considering to buy the dollars they are making a profit of a couple of percent. For example, NatWest's rate today is 1.4337. That would mean they debit £1240 from his account.
OK, he could go through customs and not declare it and run the risk and save £199.
However, if he does it honestly and declares the VAT then he is actually paying £1457.99. That costs him £19 more!
IMHO unless you are setting out not to declare it to customs, there are little or no savings to be made at all.
GreigM said:
CVP said:
Don't forget when you checkout that Amazon USA will ask for your address and then add the appropriate amount of sales tax. Depending upon state this can add up to 10% on top of the sticker price. This can erode your savings somewhat.
Not true - only a couple of states add sales tax to out of state online orders, so you can pick it up directly at that price. Given the OP was talking spending £500+ it is certainly worth investigating...CVP said:
GreigM said:
CVP said:
Don't forget when you checkout that Amazon USA will ask for your address and then add the appropriate amount of sales tax. Depending upon state this can add up to 10% on top of the sticker price. This can erode your savings somewhat.
Not true - only a couple of states add sales tax to out of state online orders, so you can pick it up directly at that price. Given the OP was talking spending £500+ it is certainly worth investigating...Edited by Nick M on Wednesday 24th March 17:40
Nick M said:
Cheers, explains nicely why I've been getting done and most others are not 
The upside is it looks like sales taxes may not be a problem for the OP 
bobthemonkey said:
stuff
No comment to make on the economics of buying here or abroad but, on your specific question about bags, I can't recommend Billingham highly enough. They are expensive but the build quality is unmatched and it will feel like a bag for life. I also really like the style of them and I use mine as a carry on wherever I go in the world. It'll happily swallow a laptop, passport, money and iPhone, small digi camera and any of those other things you wouldn't want to have in the hold.I've bought a number of bags over the years from various different manufacturers. I don't think I'll ever need to buy another again.
I have a large Hadley, and I love the tan canvas. They also do it in black if that isn't your thing.
http://www.billingham.co.uk/acatalog/Hadleys.html
Ooh, nice. Also, it's about what I was expecting to pay after looking at the larger Crumpler offerings.
I've looked at the GF-1 option, and it gets too expensive rather too quickly for my taste, so I'm back to picking up a 'new' lens for the 450d.
I fancy something wide angle, so am looking at the Tokina 11-16 or the Canon 10-22. I'd quite like to hear other peoples views on these.
The other option might be the Canon 15-85, but I'm not sure if I'm going to find it not quite wide enough. On the other hand it could well be the only lens I need for the trip and would replace my 18-55IS (although I suspect it's worth 2p S/H!).
Am I missing another option not from Canon?
I've looked at the GF-1 option, and it gets too expensive rather too quickly for my taste, so I'm back to picking up a 'new' lens for the 450d.
I fancy something wide angle, so am looking at the Tokina 11-16 or the Canon 10-22. I'd quite like to hear other peoples views on these.
The other option might be the Canon 15-85, but I'm not sure if I'm going to find it not quite wide enough. On the other hand it could well be the only lens I need for the trip and would replace my 18-55IS (although I suspect it's worth 2p S/H!).
Am I missing another option not from Canon?
Edited by bobthemonkey on Wednesday 24th March 20:35
bobthemonkey said:
I fancy something wide angle, so am looking at the Tokina 11-16 or the Canon 10-22. I'd quite like to hear other peoples views on these.
Tokina 11-16 here.On the UWA lenses (I think that's what they are called) there isn't a minger in them.
You could easily go Sigma 10-20mm F4.5-5.6, Sigma 10-20mm f3.5, Tamron 10-20, Canon 10-20mm or Tokina 11-16, and they all perform the same. The Canon 10-22 is an L I think so should be a bit better. However, all the reviews say there is nothing between them all. They are all high quality lenses.
I went Tokina as I got a good personal recommendation from a friend - and I like the fact it's f2.8. I like fast lenses.
The quality of the Tokina is absolutely excellent. Far better than some of the Canon lenses I've tried recently and better than a Sigma EX lens that I normally use. It really is a beautiful piece of work.
CVP said:
Nick M said:
Cheers, explains nicely why I've been getting done and most others are not The upside is it looks like sales taxes may not be a problem for the OP Tried the Crumpler bags. Bloody awkward if you ask me.
I looked at the Billingham Hadley. Stuart you are right; they are lovely. Unfortunatly the shop only had the Pro, not the large so I need to ask a favour of PH: could someone with one measure the width of the rear compartment to a Hadley Large or, even better, confirm that a 15" Unibody Macbook Pro will fit.
If it does, then a tan one is on it's way!
I looked at the Billingham Hadley. Stuart you are right; they are lovely. Unfortunatly the shop only had the Pro, not the large so I need to ask a favour of PH: could someone with one measure the width of the rear compartment to a Hadley Large or, even better, confirm that a 15" Unibody Macbook Pro will fit.
If it does, then a tan one is on it's way!
bobthemonkey said:
Tried the Crumpler bags. Bloody awkward if you ask me.
I looked at the Billingham Hadley. Stuart you are right; they are lovely. Unfortunatly the shop only had the Pro, not the large so I need to ask a favour of PH: could someone with one measure the width of the rear compartment to a Hadley Large or, even better, confirm that a 15" Unibody Macbook Pro will fit.
If it does, then a tan one is on it's way!
I have a 15" Macbook and it will fit. The only thing to be cautious of is that it fits between the rear compartment and the outside of the bag itself. It fits snugly and doesn't move around, which is not a problem if your MBP lives inside something like an incase Neoprene sleeve, but it won't be well protected otherwise.I looked at the Billingham Hadley. Stuart you are right; they are lovely. Unfortunatly the shop only had the Pro, not the large so I need to ask a favour of PH: could someone with one measure the width of the rear compartment to a Hadley Large or, even better, confirm that a 15" Unibody Macbook Pro will fit.
If it does, then a tan one is on it's way!
I'll have a play around tonight and measure that compartment for you.
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