Would you buy a camera in Heathrow ?

templar01

Hey guys - travelling to Aus/NZ at the end of the month. Have been looking around for a camera to bring . I think i like the Canon EOS 450 DSLR. However i'm stuck on a budget of <€500 which i dont wanna break. I remember seeing what i thought were good deals in the various shops in Heathrow last time i went through.
So even tho it might be blasphemous for me to suggest it has anyone bought a camera going through Heathrow and would it be a good/bad idea ?

p.s Ideally i'd like more time to look into it and shop around etc but i dont think i have too much time .

Any help appreciated

Gone Fishin

Hi there, I bought my Nikon D5000 in Heathrow about 3 months back and I got a fantastic deal, it was cheaper to buy in Heathrow than it was in Dubai duty free! The exchange rate is still good, I would definitely recommend it.

nilhg

http://www.dixonstaxfree.co.uk/

CabanSail

How long will you be in Aust/NZ?

Will you be making any Stop Overs?

Gone Fishin wrote: »

, it was cheaper to buy in Heathrow than it was in Dubai duty free!

I have friends in the UAE. They tell me to get good prices there you need to shop in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, not at the Airports. I have only ever been in the Airports & the prices they were charging were much the same as Dublin price.

Singapore has good prices on gear if you do your homework. If you are only there for a short time then contact the shop & confirm they have stock.

The place I used to buy gear from in Australia is D-D Photographics who used to have very good deals, but this was a few years ago now. If you purchase in Australia within 30 days of departure (going to NZ counts) then you will get the GST refunded which is a 10% Tax. So divide the AU$ prices by 11 & then Multiply by 10 to get the Tax Free prices.

templar01

we'll be two weeks in Oz - Sydney & Brisbane and then three weeks in NZ.
Stopovers are only short ones (1 1/2hr) in Bangkok so i think Heathrow would be my last chance...

I checked the Dixons Tax Free link and it looks good altho it didnt show the 450D i was thinking of so I might just ring and check with them.

I read a few of the LiveView threads and i have to say i was using that as the main reason for getting a 450d seems like i didnt read up enough about the features.

It's the holiday that prompted my venture into DSLR's to be honest. I saw some friends photos of their trip to the Grand Canyon (think she had nikon d60) and i was stunned by the quality - i know its not just the camera - there is plenty of skill involved from the photographer but that is something i can work on.

My shortlist was -
Canon EOS 100D
Canon EOS 450D
Canon EOS 500D
Nikon D3000
Nikon D5000.

The 500D and 5000 are a bit above my budget so i struck them.
The D3000 didn't have Live View and i struck that ( incorrectly methinks !)
And i thought the 450D was better than the 1000D because
- it had 3" screen over 2.5"
- 12.2 over 10.1 Mpixels
- and 3.5 fps over 3fps

Am i way off ?

DotOrg

just note that on your return in to Ireland you will be legally liable for Irish VAT and customs duty

if they find your camera they have the right to request proof of purchase

ShotgunBoy

I strongly suggest you have a look at this. At today's exchange rate it comes out at €541. That includes shipping. Hope it helps. And it would probably get here in time for your trip to Oz.

nilhg

DotOrg wrote: »

just note that on your return in to Ireland you will be legally liable for Irish VAT and customs duty

if they find your camera they have the right to request proof of purchase

Not if the OP follows his original plan and buys in Heathrow.

ShotgunBoy wrote: »

I strongly suggest you have a look at this. At today's exchange rate it comes out at €541. That includes shipping. Hope it helps. And it would probably get here in time for your trip to Oz.

The Op would need to factor in the need to buy a third party warranty, since Canon USA won't cover the camera over here, and also Import duties and VAT.

CabanSail

I did a comparision of the Dixon's Tax Free price & that of DD Photograpics on the 500D with 18-55 IS Kit lens.

There is only €20 in it at the current exchange rates & as you have such limited time it would be best to have it before you go.

As said elsewhere, I would not be using LiveView as main indicator for a camera purchase. I know this is the way that people use compacts but on a DSLR it's not that important. The specs you have quoted are quite similar & the ergonomics would be more important (ie. How the camera feels in you hand)

When you decide which camera to get then buy a spare batteries, memory & filters online now. I would keep a UV Filter on the lens for protection & get a Circular Polariser (CPL)as well. You will not believe how much different the light is & the CPL will come in handy.

On an aside, don't plan anything too important for the first two or three of days when you arrive. Unless you are really good at sleeping in cramped planes then you will be wrecked. The direct flights are really rough. Take at least a change of underwear & shirt in your hand luggage & have a rinse or shower in BKK.

I hope you are flying between SYD & BNE.

the_syco

ShotgunBoy wrote: »

I strongly suggest you have a look at this. At today's exchange rate it comes out at €541. That includes shipping. Hope it helps. And it would probably get here in time for your trip to Oz.

Meh. You can get the Canon 450D (XSi) 18-55mm IS kit at around €479 from an ebay seller. It comes with a UK warranty, and as it'll come from Scotland, you don't get done for taxes. Also, it comes with a UK warranty*. Did a bit of checking, and the dude seems to be very legit, with a good few people praising him. Looking into getting a DSLR off him myself.

From reading about it, LiveView is only if you intend on taking shots from awkward angles, or by holding the camera above your head when taking the shot. The bottom bit of http://www.digital-slr-guide.com/live-view-lcd.html helps you decide if LiveView is for you, imo.

*Not really sure how the UK warranty bit works as I'm living in Ireland.

templar01

@CabanSail - Thanks for the advice.I plan on going into the shops here and checking out how each feels in my hands before i make a decision. I'll defo check into the lenses you mentioned as i wouldn't be that up to speed just yet.A spare battery and mem card would be a good idea to get now - i hadn't really thought of that. I was dreading the flight over and you didn't help there one bit ha ha :pac: . But seriously i'm one of these travellers who can't sleep at all so i dont expect it to be pretty.spot on with the change of clothes too! We are flying Sydney to Brisbane so thats good.

@ShotgunBoy - I'm certain if i had the time i could definitely get a good deal in the US but i feckin left it too late this time i'd say!

Cheers for the help anyway lads - i think i have a plan formulated thanks to ye !

now to buy some spare underwear for the plane :cool:

templar01

I just rang Heathrow to get a check on their offers...(wasn't sure all were on the website)

1.Canon 1000D (18-55lens) = 416e
2.Canon 450D (18-55lens) = 521e
3.Canon 500D (18-55lens) = 546e
4.Nikon D3000 (18-55lens) = 396e
5.Nikon D5000 (18-55lens) = 549e

I asked were they IS lenses - she said no. i asked could i change the lens to an IS lens - she said no you get the lens that is in the kit and if you want a different one you would have to buy it seperately.

hmm?

CabanSail

I have killed time in Airports by looking at kit in the Dixon's Shops (that & buying Single Malts ) You over hear what the Sales people there are saying to their customers & it is often complete tosh which shows they actually know very little about their products.

"Yes - This lens guarantees you will get pictures in focus"

"Oh RAW, that is not important unless you are a professional"

"The difference between these two (both P&S) is this one will give you exactly what you see"

That was from my trip at Xmas from two of their staff.

Anyway .... The D3000 on their website is listed as having an 18-55 VR lens (VR is the same as IS on Canon) though the Canon offerings seem to be non-IS lenses.

I would put IS/VR way above LiveView as desirable in a camera/lens combination.

leche solara

The 18-55 kit lens that came with my 450D does have Image Stabilisation. It came in the same box as the camera so I would assume that is the standard arrangement, so the information provided by Heathrow is probably wrong.

templar01

ya to be honest when i was talking to her i was thinking "krist - u know less than i do !! :rolleyes:"
I'll chance them again at a different time and see if i get onto someone else

thatsnotmyname

As an owner of A canon 450D over a year now,
i cannot recommend it highly enough its a great camera

as regards Raw i have been shooting in this mode about 4 months now and find it really excellent when processing you can really salvage pictures that would be lost if shot in jpeg
the one draw back of raw is the amount of memory space it takes up about 4 times the space of an normal shot.
so its worth investing in a large memory card at least 4GB if i was buying again i would go for the 8GB

Dixons in Heathrow seems to be great value i was there last summer a few weeks after i bought my Sigma "10-20" lense on line which i did a lot of searching to get the best price and dixons had it for about £50 cheaper:mad:

good luck with whatever camera you go for

CabanSail

thatsnotmyname wrote: »

its worth investing in a large memory card at least 4GB if i was buying again i would go for the 8GB

+1 for shooting in RAW

I would get a few good quality 2GB & 4GB cards rather than bigger cards. This reduces the loss if a card corrupts.

Get a copy of "Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson" as it will make good reading material for the long flight over.

ShotgunBoy

The Op would need to factor in the need to buy a third party warranty, since Canon USA won't cover the camera over here, and also Import duties and VAT.

True about the warranty. But I know loads of professional photographers who buy most of their equipment in America. So, maybe they get warranties here or..? I'm not sure

Also, that €541 price includes VAT @21%.