[daacon]

For us Canadians (or people from the US for that matter) this is the second lens I have purchased from Camera Canada - Canada's dot.com for Cameras. There were recommended to me by a member on this forum quite some time ago. They deliver - I asked if the lens was in stock, they said no, they called their supplier and told me they could get it in 3 days. Everything was as promised - 3 days to their door - 3 days to mine. Awesome service, they have a 800 number, answer questions , cheapest prices for us Canadians I have seen and shipping is a flat $15.00 it appears.

Now onto the subject matter. Xpress Post slip in the mail box today - ran to the satellite post office - unpacked and I laid it beside all my other gear - can you guess what came today? - of course it is late - and raining - and the next few days weather is forecast for crap - but I will manage to get a shot or two at some point over the next few days.

[Peter Zack]

err a 18-55 kit lens on steriods???? I have the same lens and use it a lot more than I ever expected. When it arrived I was surprised at the weight but it is very hand holdable (thanks partly to the brains at Pentax Thanks for the SR). I've taken some shots at 1/60th@400-500mm that were as good as if it was on a tripod. You'll like it I'm sure and get a few looks from the public once in awhile as well.

[Mr Hyde]

Congrats on the new addition. That thing is enormous isnt it?

[Confused]

Hi Dave....

That thing is enormous isnt it?

"as the Actress once said to the Bishop"....LOL !

Best regards
Richard

[daacon]

Thanks all , looking forward to snapping a few and yeah there will be NO comparison to any body parts

[Syb]

Yeah right. Now, what lens is this? The 50-500? Or what?

Nicely impressive gig though. What is the max aperture?

Syb

[daacon]

Yeah right. Now, what lens is this? The 50-500? Or what?

Nicely impressive gig though. What is the max aperture?

Syb

Bingo - Sigma 50-500 f4-6.3 APO DG - recommended by many members here - it will be a head turner methinks in some situations - definitely not a 'subtle' lens

[JCSullivan]

First of ALL - congrats and good shooting.
Secondly - may I ask what you paid.

Thanks

[daacon]

First of ALL - congrats and good shooting.
Secondly - may I ask what you paid.

Thanks

Why yes you may (all the prices are on their web site) - I am in a PST free province so the breakdown was:

Lens : $1,194.74
Shipping: $15.11
GST : $72.59
==============
Total : $1,282.44

They prefer on-line orders - and the truth be told I would call them if you have any questions. The turnaround time on email is bad (sometimes 2 weeks) - they get a lot of emails (at least that is the story the give me haah) . I always phone with questions , then when ready to order use the web site.

I should have bought a filter as well - that is going to set me back another $100.00 or so - good protection for the investment though.

Good Luck

[roentarre]

Wow, you seem to pay a bit for that bigma.

Congrads though

[daacon]

Wow, you seem to pay a bit for that bigma.

Congrads though

Yep - one of the local camera shops which will remain nameless (Mcbain) wanted $200.00 more. It has been discussed in several threads alaready the generally Canadians and a lot of other countries pay more for all lens than their US counterrparts - supply and demand. What does that lens go for in your neck of the woods ?

It was not that bad IMHO $1200.00 CDN. Buying it from a independant know entity , where I am comfortable with return policy , warrenty work and overall reputation. I also prefer to support small business , as an independant consultant myslef.

I know I could have got it cheaper elsewhere and from some web searches I know I could have paid more (say 700 British Pounds ?) - last one I saw used on Ebay went for $965 US so I figure on a sale it holds its value fairly well.

Edit ** and most importantly once any piece of electronic equipment is purchased thou shalt never look at the price again , for it shall cause depression or worse another purchase ** End Edit

[mopar_man]

$1200 probably isn't too bad if you think that you'd have to pay customs fees on top of what you would buy from the US. That lens usually sells for about $1000 in the US.

[daacon]

$1200 probably isn't too bad if you think that you'd have to pay customs fees on top of what you would buy from the US. That lens usually sells for about $1000 in the US.

Generally no 'customs' - We would have to pay the GST (6% Tax - the same as here) and an administration Fee of sorts ($5.00 or maybe more) if USPS shipping. This has been my experience - other carriers have brokerage fees (Fed-Ex/ UPS / etc). And finally sometimes electronic items sit in 'customs' for an extended period of time for reasons unkown to me anyway.

The 10 year Canadian warrenty is another reason I forgot to mention .

But given our dollars are pretty much at par these days - US purchases are looking more atractive for sure. It was not that long ago the US $ was around $1.6 Cdn making most US purchases not very economically viable.

[davek]

Congrat's. Looking forward to seeing some shots with it. Quite a collection you're getting there.

[daacon]

Congrat's. Looking forward to seeing some shots with it. Quite a collection you're getting there.

Thanks and I am looking forward to it as well l. Today will be a write off likely overcast - suppose to drop down below freezing later , chances of showers - however "they say" back to the low - mid 20's (Celcius) tomorrow and the weekend.