Originally posted by stevebrot Again...this would have been enforced in the courts and not at the border, though it is possible that the authorized importer could get an injunction to impound an unauthorized shipment at a customs warehouse prior to entry. The bottom line is that unless these lenses and bodies were bulk-shipped to the U.S. for resale, the Honeywell vs. Asahi labeling would not have been a significant border concern. Customs agents have more important things on their mind, like assessing duty and disallowing contraband.
An Asahi Pentax camera would have been assessed the same duty as a Honeywell or Heiland Pentax camera. Hard to say what a *sah* *enta* camera would be assessed at!
As for the camera in question, I sort of like the idea of holes drilled for an accessory mount. Having used the slip-on variety, I can see the rational.
Steve
You're right that the duty is based on the value of the item, period.
However, the Customs service (or whatever they're called now) IS charged with stopping the improper importation of goods. Today, if you go on a Caribbean cruise and your wife brings back a knock-off designer purse, it may be confiscated upon return to the US.
I have also heard stories of people being required to deface merchandise in order to import cameras.
The laws may have changed since that ersatz Spotmatic was imported. Even businesses apparently can now import cameras in bulk, without going through the official importer. The "grey market" cameras that occasionally show up are, I'm told, perfectly legal. The official US importer, however, is perfectly within their rights to deny warranty service.