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Fake Canon lenses, batteries and B+W filter in Vietnam?
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gorkreg
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I am in Vietnam at the moment. In Hanoi I bought a couple of Canon batteries for my Canon EOS 5D and a B+W UV filter 77mm. Batteries were about 14 Euros each and the filter was about 17 Euros. The packets look exactly the same as the original Canon and it even says Canon on the batteries but at that prices it is difficult to believe that they are not an Asian copy (original Canon battery costs 90 Euros, B+W filter also a lot more). How do you know if they are a fake?
I don't mind too much if they are fake (at that price, it is still worth it) but I saw a Canon EF 24-70mm f4 at 620 Euros which is a lot closer to the real price but still quite cheap. I have to go back to Hanoi at the end of the month and I was wondering if there is a possibility of the lenses being fake. The package look original but, then again, so it did the batteries one.
Thanks!
#1 Posted: 3/1/2012 - 22:43
goonistik
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If it is too good to be true.....
I am almost certain, based on the price, that you have a fake battery and a fake filter.
http://mainlinephoto.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-real-and-fake-bw-filters/
The lens is suspiciously cheap. The Canon 24-70 is more like 900+Euros brand new. (US prices)
So I think one of the following:
1. It could be a used lens.
2. It could be stolen.
3. It could be defective.
Why not check out the authorized dealers and check out the price in Vietnam.
http://www.canon.com.vn/personal/web/buying/dealers?subcategory=lenses&languageCode=VN
#2 Posted: 3/1/2012 - 23:56
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gorkreg
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Thanks. What kind of quality can I expect from a fake B+W filter? Is it still ok or should I throw it out?
#3 Posted: 4/1/2012 - 02:02
goonistik
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At best, your filter is a cheap, made-in-China product.
But what you should be more worried about are the batteries. Original batteries have safety features to prevent them from overheating or exploding. You may end up with a damaged camera or worse, serious injuries.
AFAIK, UV filters are not needed by digital cameras as both infrared and UV filters are already built-in.
http://dpfwiw.com/filters.htm#uv
#4 Posted: 4/1/2012 - 05:11
gorkreg
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That thing with the batteries sounds bad. Thanks for the info.
The UV filter is only for protection. I know that a plain one is better but that is all they had in the shop.
#5 Posted: 4/1/2012 - 06:55
busylizzy
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Interesting about the batteries. I recently bought a new camera with 2 batteries but the battery life is so short on this particular camera that I bought a 3rd spare 'genuine Canon' battery in Laos. Now because of the low price, I was pretty sure it was a fake but bought it anyhow. My suspicions were confirmed when I found that it only had half the life as the other original Canon batteries.
I just use it as my last-resort backup battery, and put it a big ''X" on it so I know which is which. But that's a concern about overheating - something I wasn't aware of.
#6 Posted: 4/1/2012 - 13:25
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goonistik
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Holy Cow!
Now it seems cameras and lenses are being faked as well. This is one report.
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1029&message=36565031
If you have to buy 3rd party batteries, try to get one from a more reputable source. BH Photo Video sells one with the brand called Pearstone. I presume these are at least built to be safe. There may be other brands.
#7 Posted: 4/1/2012 - 22:17
ComeAndGoVi-
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This is why, despite living in VN for 9 years, I always buy camera equipment during trips to Europe, Bangkok or Singapore.
#8 Posted: 4/1/2012 - 23:51
karlrufus
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I don't know what lens you have but I assume its a fairly decent one if you're using a 77mm filter, so why degrade your images by putting a cheap filter on the front, your image quality is only as good as the worst piece of glass they go through. Remove the filter, the front element of a lens is made to be hardwearing, or at least by a decent skylight filter if you want protection
#9 Posted: 10/2/2012 - 19:29