Importing Dslr Camera Lenses (any Idea What The Tax/duty Etc Costs?)

[Overdrive]

Nice! If you don't mind me asking.. where did you get it from?

The 17-40 should deliver better images but you lose IS (I think the 17-85 has IS?)

Please post photos from the 70-200

I bought it from Jessops (UK). It was £469. plus a skylight filter £24.95 There was another site selling it for £409 called http://www.bitesizedeals.co.uk/index.php?a...p;productId=991, but i felt that the site was a bit dodgy. The stock amount has been 12 for a long time and there was something not right about it.

The image quality on this is really good, smooth. as you would expect from an L lens. The type of glass lets less light in and gives the image a much smoother look. I do miss the IS in a big way though. yeah the 17-85 has IS. will post pics soon.

[maliths]

Thanks so much for the offer Malith!

but i spoke to my friend and he's going to try hunting about in Pettah and see if he can turn up with something...

thanks so much for the offer - very kind of you

No problem Devinda. Just let me know if your friend cant find it there.

[maliths]

I bought it from Jessops (UK). It was £469. plus a skylight filter £24.95 There was another site selling it for £409 called http://www.bitesizedeals.co.uk/index.php?a...p;productId=991, but i felt that the site was a bit dodgy. The stock amount has been 12 for a long time and there was something not right about it.

The image quality on this is really good, smooth. as you would expect from an L lens. The type of glass lets less light in and gives the image a much smoother look. I do miss the IS in a big way though. yeah the 17-85 has IS. will post pics soon.

Nice lens. Im sure all of us want to see some photos from this. Another goodsite I have found for lenses is Camerabox their prices seem quite good.

Do you really notice a big difference without the IS ? I mean when taking handheld shots.

[Overdrive]

Yes, if you dont have a steady hand it does make a differnce. When u flick the IS on/off switch while looking through the view finder the difference is quite visible. It compensates for camera shake quite well. If your lens max aperture is not that big in low light situations specially when you cant have a fast shutter speed it can be a pain.

I haven't stil been out, but these are a few shots i have taken at home. The first few objects, that is.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35605300@N00/

[Pericles]

Reviving an old thread here. Need some help. Anyone coming down from US any time soon? I need to get a EF 17-40mm down. Preferably someone with a SLR (Or access to one) who can test it and make sure its functioning and focusing properly before getting it here to SL.

[VVTi]

http://www.customs.gov.lk

check here... sometime ago they had the rates for digi cams and accessories but if i'm not wrong the total tax amount was almost 100% of CIF value.

But of course if you know somebody and the central post office, you can easily by pass the tax thing

And those customs fellas a quite weird...

once when i was getting down some fishing lures, one officer taxed me only 100 bucks for 4 lures where i've been previously taxed 1200 bucks for the same bloody thing and shockingly the first time it was only one lure... suppose you gotta catch em in a good mood or summin like that

Peri is right...thanks to AL forums, i found Mr.MeanGreenZ who was supernaturally helpful and carried not only the 50D but also two lenses, a bag, the cleaning kit, extra batteries, CF cards, filters and also a 10 pound full size tripod and a monopod

Quite a rare breed of a AL user i'd say

But the toughest part for me was getting the deal through wifey and tell her that how i'm putting 2200$ worth of equipment on a guy i met on AL :)

anyways...it was all good

And no taxes too :)

btw...50D rocks

Hey Ripper... you caould have asked Nilantha to bring it down with hi '20' e-bay points... he would have kept a margin too...

[Elvis_Pil]

Guys anyone know the cost locally of a mid range canon 17-85 f/4 5.6 USM lens would be?

[Pericles]

Reviving an old thread here. Need some help. Anyone coming down from US any time soon? I need to get a EF 17-40mm down. Preferably someone with a SLR (Or access to one) who can test it and make sure its functioning and focusing properly before getting it here to SL.

Just the bump since it went to the previous page. Help?

[MkX]

Guys anyone know the cost locally of a mid range canon 17-85 f/4 5.6 USM lens would be?

Metropolitan is the dealer.. I think it will cost around 30K.

[NRX]

Guys. Did anyone recently import any camera gear through eBay ? Any idea about the current tax rates.

Thinking of getting down Canon 55-250mm STM lens.

[Hoonigan]

Guys. Did anyone recently import any camera gear through eBay ? Any idea about the current tax rates.

Thinking of getting down Canon 55-250mm STM lens.

I recently bought the Canon 10-18 lens from Digitalrev. Shipped from HK and arrived via Aramax pretty quick. And the price+shipping was less than Ebay, Amazon and B&H. The site also say that any tax will be charged to them (don't know exactly how that works). Unfortunately I don't think they deliver to SL yet. If you can get someone to hand carry the lens for you from any country that they deliver to, it will definitely be a good option to look at.

Also, get the 18-200.. no need to fiddle with the 18-55

[Watchman]

the 55-250 is a fairly common lens which should be freely available in the local market too and i doubt you'll save much. You're probably better off buying it locally.

[NRX]

I recently bought the Canon 10-18 lens from Digitalrev. Shipped from HK and arrived via Aramax pretty quick. And the price+shipping was less than Ebay, Amazon and B&H. The site also say that any tax will be charged to them (don't know exactly how that works). Unfortunately I don't think they deliver to SL yet. If you can get someone to hand carry the lens for you from any country that they deliver to, it will definitely be a good option to look at.

Also, get the 18-200.. no need to fiddle with the 18-55

the 55-250 is a fairly common lens which should be freely available in the local market too and i doubt you'll save much. You're probably better off buying it locally.

I'm just starting up with photography guys, so the budget is very limited. 18-200 is probably in $600 -700 range, which is too much for me.

Also the 55-250 which I'm eyeing is the STM version which costs close to 40k in SL, but available in eBay for around $170 ( White box version; which is removed from camera kit bundles)

[Watchman]

I'm just starting up with photography guys, so the budget is very limited. 18-200 is probably in $600 -700 range, which is too much for me.

Also the 55-250 which I'm eyeing is the STM version which costs close to 40k in SL, but available in eBay for around $170 ( White box version; which is removed from camera kit bundles)

If you're on a budget you might as well get the IS or IS-ii version which is much cheaper. That will be good enough for you till you can afford a better lens. the 250 STM is neither here nor there.

the 18-200 is a great if you're an amateur who uses his camera for his travels cos it makes it easier.. but if you're planning to take on photography a bit more seriously you're better off keeping the 18-55 and getting a 55-250 IS.

[kirala2]

Guys. Did anyone recently import any camera gear through eBay ? Any idea about the current tax rates.

Thinking of getting down Canon 55-250mm STM lens.

Under HS Code 9002.11, the tariff applicable on camera lenses is 5% PAL and 2% NBT. There are no import duty or VAT charges on cameras or lenses. I have imported camera gear by ordering online and had them cleared from customs by FedEx/UPS and delivered home, but not through ebay.

You may also want to check out a couple of FB groups which deal in buying and selling camera equipment. I have once bought a lens from a member of such a group, and it turned out to be a very fair deal.

[NRX]

If you're on a budget you might as well get the IS or IS-ii version which is much cheaper. That will be good enough for you till you can afford a better lens. the 250 STM is neither here nor there.

the 18-200 is a great if you're an amateur who uses his camera for his travels cos it makes it easier.. but if you're planning to take on photography a bit more seriously you're better off keeping the 18-55 and getting a 55-250 IS.

The interesting thing here is the IS II version which is widely available now costs about 22k in SL. The STM one, mind you it has a tangible quality difference at telephoto end and faster and smoother AF, is available for $170 in eBay, which is around 23k with shipping. If it comes to 25-26k with taxes, I think that's a good investment.

[kirala2]

The interesting thing here is the IS II version which is widely available now costs about 22k in SL. The STM one, mind you it has a tangible quality difference at telephoto end and faster and smoother AF, is available for $170 in eBay, which is around 23k with shipping. If it comes to 25-26k with taxes, I think that's a good investment.

The Canon EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM is only Rs17,500/- brand new, with warranty. No point importing such a basic lens as the price difference is not justifiable.

I would strongly advice against the 18-55 because you will soon realize the tele-end of the lens, which is only 55mm (88mm on a crop body) is not very useful in most practical situations. Besides, f5.6 @55mm is atrociously slow. The 18-135 f3.5/5.6 IS, which is admittedly more expensive, offers much better versatility and is appreciably more fast than the 18-55.

Always remember - in buying camera lenses, buy nice, or buy twice.

[NRX]

I think you got me wrong, what I'm looking at is the 55-250 STM lens, along with the nifty fifty 1.8

of course I'll get the 18-55 STM bundled with the camera...

[kirala2]

I think you got me wrong, what I'm looking at is the 55-250 STM lens, along with the nifty fifty 1.8

of course I'll get the 18-55 STM bundled with the camera...

In that case also consider the 70-300 (NOT 75-300). Excellent quality lens. One additional advantage is that this is an EF lens, and therefore, if you eventually upgrade to a full-frame, it can be used there too, whereas the 55-250, which is EF-S, cannot be.

[kmeeg]

In that case also consider the 70-300 (NOT 75-300). Excellent quality lens. One additional advantage is that this is an EF lens, and therefore, if you eventually upgrade to a full-frame, it can be used there too, whereas the 55-250, which is EF-S, cannot be.

I'm a beginner to this area and have very limited knowledge. But I check on below site when I select my lenses. It gives some idea about the quality of the lenses. You can also refine your search too based on your requirements..

http://www.dxomark.com/Lenses/Ratings

BTW, according to this site i see that Tamron & Sigma also produce quality lenses. Let me know if that's a wrong statement.

Also on the options of bringing down lenses I've seen many IT companies send people to countries like USA for short period (2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, etc..) so I guess if you have any friend you could get down a lens. Right?

KMeeg.

[kirala2]

Tamron and Sigma do produce good lenses (and are the better third party lens manufacturers), but compared to the range of lenses from Canon, Nikon, Sony and Pentax (the only manufacturers producing SLR cameras), the "good" lenses tend to be few and far between in a sea of "sub-par" lenses. However, the Value for Money aspect is definitely a plus point when it comes to third party manufacturers like Tamron, Tokina, Samyang/Rokinon, Sigma and the like.

Yes, you could get someone to hand carry lenses, and thereby avoid freight, PAL/NBT and clearing costs.

[kush]

Some usefull information before you decide

http://www.cameralabs.com/

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm

[Pericles]

The interesting thing here is the IS II version which is widely available now costs about 22k in SL. The STM one, mind you it has a tangible quality difference at telephoto end and faster and smoother AF, is available for $170 in eBay, which is around 23k with shipping. If it comes to 25-26k with taxes, I think that's a good investment.

STM might be worth the price, to you, if you do video. I had a 55-250 (I) long time ago, shot a lot of races of AL with it. There are even shots shots of cricket taken from the SSC grandstand where you can see the seam on the cricket ball being played by the batsman. Never had a quality issue.

[NRX]

Guys! Got a quotation through Kapruka for the 55-250STM from an US seller in ebay. Rs 25k including taxes, shipping and all. Very tempting deal

Depending on Kapruka is the issue..

[maersk]

Guys! Got a quotation through Kapruka for the 55-250STM from an US seller in ebay. Rs 25k including taxes, shipping and all. Very tempting deal

Depending on Kapruka is the issue..

Could you let us know the Kapruka price breakdown? I just want to know the tax amount. Correct me if I'm wrong, if you place the order from their office (Col 3?) you have to pay only a part of the amount rite? Rest on delivery and I think that's a good way to mitigate losses just in case.