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al.stroh
41
Apr 14, 2018
I'm fairly new to digital photography, and I have a few questions about "grey market" lenses. I have Nikon camera and three Nikkor lenses, and it's all US market, full warranty equipment, all bought new. I've been looking at Tamron (in particular) lenses lately, and the reviews and performance of at least some of them are impressive; even compared to Nikon lenses. I guess I'm just trying to broaden my horizons.
What does "gray market" REALLY mean? Are "gray market" Tamron (or any other brand of) lenses NOT made by Tamron? Are the components (glass, in particular) inferior or of lesser quality? Are they not assembled and calibrated in the same factory as US market lenses? Are they functionally inferior to US market lenses?
I understand there is no warranty, my assumption being that they're made for some other market in some other part of the world. Does that mean they don't come with a warranty no matter where they're purchased or in their intended market?
I've seen that phrase (gray market) several times, always with a negative connotation, but it doesn't say or tell me anything specific about those lenses. Can someone elaborate on the subject?
PraxisCat
219
Apr 14, 2018
al.stroh"What does "gray market" REALLY mean? Are "gray market" Tamron (or any other brand of) lenses NOT made by Tamron? Are the components (glass, in particular) inferior or of lesser quality? Are they not assembled and calibrated in the same factory as US market lenses? Are they functionally inferior to US market lenses? "
No.
Here's the way it works: Tamron will send out lenses to authorized dealers for a wholesale price. Sometimes, to clear inventory, those authorized dealers will try to cut their losses and sell the lenses to other parties at-cost or at a very slim margin. Those 3rd party sellers are then "grey market". The lenses are the same, but they've fallen out of Tamron's chain of quality control and command, so they're not interested in supporting them.
In the case of this lens, it's probably gotten sold off because the Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2 is so successful.
al.stroh
41
Apr 14, 2018
PraxisCatThanks for the reply. If I get your drift, it's the SELLERS that encapsulate the 'grey market'. Not necessarily the products (lenses or whatever). Supply and demand being what it is, that makes sense. Not sure I understand why the warranty would become null and void, assuming it really is the same lens. Is it Tamron that does that (yanks the warranty) or the seller? And why would it matter HOW a lens came to be on someone's shelf and for sale?
I didn't know there was a 'G2' version of the SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC, and obviously, it makes sense that Tamron would want to unload the older (old stock) version at a lower price. One of the other Tamron lenses I've been considering is their 150-600mm 'G2' lens, which from what I've read and heard (a buddy of mine who has the Nikon D850 just bought the G2) is much better than the first generation of that lens. I guess I need to do a lot more homework.
A little background here and showing my age; back in the 70s, during my analog (film) days, I bought several third party (Tamron, Sigma, etc.) lenses that were excellent, were much less expensive than the Nikon/Canon equivalents, and they lasted just as long and and were just as reliable as their Nikon/Canon counterparts. As long as I didn't abuse them, they lasted for as long as I owned them (well over 10 years), and I don't recall EVER having to send one back for warranty work or get one serviced. I do tend to 'baby' my equipment though.
Is it safe to assume that's still the case today? Take good care of your gear, whether Nikon, Canon, Sigma or Tamron, and they should ALL last a very long time, regardless of who makes them? Under normal use and equal conditions, and assuming the quality of the materials used in the construction of all quality lenses is very good, and is consistent from brand to brand, I would assume that MOST warranty cards never get used.
Is that a reasonable assumption?
PraxisCat
219
Apr 14, 2018
al.stroh" Not sure I understand why the warranty would become null and void, assuming it really is the same lens. Is it Tamron that does that (yanks the warranty) or the seller? And why would it matter HOW a lens came to be on someone's shelf and for sale?"
A couple of reasons. First, Tamron doesn't know where these lenses are coming from. If [BIG RETAILER] decided they don't want to resell any of the lenses that got sent back to them as defective due to softness ('softness' on a lens is really usually a focusing issue) or something, and people bought them off the grey market and some of them actually were defective, Tamron doesn't want to be be inundated with a flow of lenses bought for cheap that they need to repair. Secondly, the grey market deflates the price of any lens, and so voiding the warranty is a way lens manufacturers attempt to punish that. Finally, being a registered and authorized dealer needs to come with some benefits, and one of them is that lens manufacturers give them preference relative to other sellers.
" Is that a reasonable assumption? "
Yes. Tamron's actually leading the way, with a 6 year warrenty and all of their G2 / SP line up being weather sealed at the mount and gaskets. Other improvements the G2 / SP line up has is a dual CPU design (one for autofocus, one for image stabilization) and being able to use their 'TAP-in console" to tweak AF and image stabilization. They also have a new design language which is far prettier and more modern:
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al.strohActually gray market lenses or cameras are a little different then what was described by @PraxisCat. We list US Warranty products as well as Gray Market so we are very familiar with the market.
Most Gray Market products are Models that were intended to be sold in other markets like in Europe or Asia. Sometimes they will have specific models for those regions so its easy to identify. Sometimes manufactures will send different batches of serial numbers to each region so they can track what is gray market and what is not. The latter makes it hard for the consumer to know if they are buying gray market or not.
One this is for sure as the camera manufacturers are very strict on gray market products. If they identify a product by model or serial number and its gray market you will not be getting warranty from them at all. That is why on Massdrop we are very transparent with our community members what is grey market and what is US Spec. We will always list if the products come with a US Warranty or not. If it does not you will see the tag *International Spec (Gray Market) on the drop.
Cheers.
PraxisCat
219
Apr 14, 2018
Tex-ArozziI appreciate the correction! I neglected to mention the international market also plays a role in what is defined as "grey market." One of my friends works in warehouse logistics in the states, so my understanding of grey market items largely comes from him. Dummy me, forgot to mention international spec :)