Refurb 20D from adorama, now trying to push mack warranty...

[JCederholm]

Had a salesman call and try to push a 2 yr mack warranty on a refurb 20D I had purchased last night. At the time I had told him no, but he said he would never buy a refurb without it and that I was brave. I know a few of you have bought refurbs from them, and was wondering if you had the same experience? Did you buy the warranty and is it worth it?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[Alvin Nunley]

I got it as soon as they had it in stock. I purchased a 3 year warranty. Something like $80. I never used. And of course the camera comes with a 1 year warranty, so fry's was only giving me a 2 year extended warranty. With referbs, I think you only get 90 days, so a 2 year doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

Good luck and welcome to the digital SLR world.

 

[Vernon D Rainwater]

I got it as soon as they had it in stock. I purchased a 3 year
warranty. Something like $80. I never used. And of course the
camera comes with a 1 year warranty, so fry's was only giving me a
2 year extended warranty. With referbs, I think you only get 90
days, so a 2 year doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

Good luck and welcome to the digital SLR world.

Shop around since there are many variable pricing even with suppliers with good ratings.
--
Vernon...

 

[JCederholm]

He sent me an email as well quoting me $39 for it, which seems like a good deal.

 

[G. Gray]

Go and get it. Cheap insurance.
For 39 dollars you would be foolish to turn it down.
m2 cents
Gerry

He sent me an email as well quoting me $39 for it, which seems like
a good deal.

 

[Jerry Clark]

Check your credit card company, many double the manufacturers warranty up to one year. Got a new $2000 laptop that way after the Toshiba warranty expired, and I had already closed the Mastercard account also. Supprised me. Good Luck and the $39 for 2 years is not bad.
--
JClark

 

[ellover009]

At that price you can't loose. Here's a good question how was the built quality on the camera you received? Did it come with chipped corners and such? I am wondering because I originally had my heart set on a 30D as my first DSLR, but the price on the refurb 20D is really aggressive. How was it dealing with adorama? is it worth the price difference for the larger LCD, spot metering, bigger buffer, slightly improved a/f, and 200k rated shutter? this one is tough, it would be my first DSLR, would it even be worth waiting till the 40D?

$38 is a good price for a warantee.

 

[GeorgeH]

I'm not sure if credit cards double the warranty for refurb. items. Make sure you read the fine prints as most cards only warranty new items.

I have not read anything positive about the mack warranty in any of these forums. I had a Mack 2 year warranty on my Oly E20, but never had to use it. If you really want a warranty, you might want to get one that from Canon if possible. I purchased a 2 year Olympus warranty extention from B&H, it does cost around $70, but I can sleep better knowing that if my camera breaks, it will be going back to Olympus USA.

Had a salesman call and try to push a 2 yr mack warranty on a
refurb 20D I had purchased last night. At the time I had told him
no, but he said he would never buy a refurb without it and that I
was brave. I know a few of you have bought refurbs from them, and
was wondering if you had the same experience? Did you buy the
warranty and is it worth it?

Thanks,
Justin

 

[florinbaiduc]

you shouldn't think twice... It a fair price but it might save you few hundred $ My camera went three times to the doctor on the first year only (auto focus setup, shutter button, flash not popping and flash shoe paint scratched, dust under the IR filter - for which they replaced the sensor)... All in all a good warranty and a five year insurance (87$ in Japan) spared me about 5-700 $ worth of repairs.

--
Does not play well with others.
It seems 'others' have a problem with loosing.

 

[Scott_S]

I believe the refurb warranty from Canon is only 90 days. For $40 I would get this insurance.
--
Scott

 

[JCederholm]

The body I recieved was in mint condition, just like I would recieve if it was brand new (not one mark, and had the plastic over the LCD display). I orginally wanted the 20D, but the price was holding me back. I was actually looking into the XT/XTi before I came across this. Dealing with adorama was ok, calling was a pain (wait time was too long). Took the agent 2 days to email me back to confirm the warranty (called and left him a message this morning, then got the email this evening). For me the 20D is a perfect fit and I can't wait to start using it. The 30D has a few extra bells and whistles that would be nice to have, but I can't justify the cost right now.

At that price you can't loose. Here's a good question how was the
built quality on the camera you received? Did it come with chipped
corners and such? I am wondering because I originally had my heart
set on a 30D as my first DSLR, but the price on the refurb 20D is
really aggressive. How was it dealing with adorama? is it worth the
price difference for the larger LCD, spot metering, bigger buffer,
slightly improved a/f, and 200k rated shutter? this one is tough,
it would be my first DSLR, would it even be worth waiting till the
40D?

$38 is a good price for a warantee.

 

[ellover009]

The body I recieved was in mint condition, just like I would
recieve if it was brand new (not one mark, and had the plastic over
the LCD display). I orginally wanted the 20D, but the price was
holding me back. I was actually looking into the XT/XTi before I
came across this. Dealing with adorama was ok, calling was a pain
(wait time was too long). Took the agent 2 days to email me back
to confirm the warranty (called and left him a message this
morning, then got the email this evening). For me the 20D is a
perfect fit and I can't wait to start using it. The 30D has a few
extra bells and whistles that would be nice to have, but I can't
justify the cost right now.

Here's another question, did it come with the adobe elements? or any software? I am really tempted to pick one up as my first units, started looking at the D80 and 30D, main reason I wanted the D80 was the viewfinder, I wear glasses so it's a little nicer than the one on the 30D, also they have the best walk around lens 18-200VR, the 30D I liked the controls and it was a beast speed wise. I looked at the XTI at the store, played with it but it was an insult, too small for my hands, my last finger does not like hanging by itself. I hear talk about 40D being announced at the end of this month, if they stuff it with a larger viewfinder and keeping low ISO I would be sold. It's a different ball game when you wear glasses, you have to find a comfortable place, and you don't want to do too much compromise. I think in the end I will end up with a 20D, it's well priced.

 

[JCederholm]

Came with everything (software, adobe elements, new strap, battery/charger, cables etc). Weather should be somewhat better this weekend, so hopefully I can get out and take a few more test shots with it, but from what I've done so far works like a champ.

 

[Wayne Larmon]

Had a salesman call and try to push a 2 yr mack warranty on a
refurb 20D I had purchased last night. At the time I had told him
no, but he said he would never buy a refurb without it and that I
was brave.

Isn't it comforting when a salesman tells you that you just bought an unreliable piece of junk?

Wayne

 

[ellover009]

Isn't it comforting when a salesman tells you that you just bought
an unreliable piece of junk?

Wayne

Not necessarily, that's how they make money by unloading a warantee on you. Every time I go and buy a game at ebgames they try to sell me a warantee for $3 (waste, would never do) and their new, PS3, anything at best buy they try to sell you a warantee for it. Does not make things any more unreliable, they just want to make a living since they don't make much extra on the camera itself so they have to push the gear on people, if the salesman does not follow orders and try to pimp stuff he gets fired.

 

[TimR32225]

They are just one more way for the retailer to make some easy extra profit on you.

Just charge stuff on a credit card that gives double warranty. That way you get 2 years for free.
--

Gallery at: http://www.pbase.com/tim32225

 

[ellover009]

I don't have a credit card, I am going to use a debit card, well at least I don't have to pay a percentage ever to the company so I break even. I think I'm going to go for the 20D, what do you think guys? I'm looking at the refurb unit body $650, they have one with the lens kit for $100 more but we all know the kit is really low quality. What do you guys recommend as a lens? too bad Canon does not make a 18-200 IS range lens for walk around. Now the issue is wich lens to buy and what range I need, I know the 50mm prime is a good lens at a good range, but it might not work so nice indoors range wise. How much will a nice L lens cost me? I've seen them hit the +1k range, perfect lens would be 70-200L IS but it's a bit out of range at the moment, and I have to get familiarized with the camera. What flash do you recommend? This will be my first DSLR, I have some experience with the D200 and 18-200VR combo (at work).
Things on list are
Body (20D)
Lens
additional 3rd party battery if manufacturers are too expensive
Lens
Camera Bag
Memory

Possibly
Flash

Later
Tripod

I have photoshop CS2, all I will need is a noise reduction program, I hear noise ninja is among the best. So guys help me out deciding.

 

[Wayne Larmon]

I think I'm going to go for the 20D, what do you think
guys?

I like my 20D. The 30D has advantages, but you probably know what they are by now, so there is no reason rehashing them.

I'm looking at the refurb unit body $650, they have one with
the lens kit for $100 more but we all know the kit is really low
quality.

Mmm, the build quality is on the low end, but the optical quality is Not Bad. AF isn't the fastest, but its AF tends to be more reliable than third party lenses in the same approx. focal length. Until you get to the approx. $500 price point. Unless you were planning on going for the Canon 17-55 IS, I'd recommend that you get the kit lens. If for no other reason, than it helps resale value. But the kit lens is very usable.

What do you guys recommend as a lens? too bad Canon does
not make a 18-200 IS range lens for walk around.

If you want a 18-200 IS, then maybe you should stop right here and get one of the 12x+ superzoom P&Ss. (The new Sony H9 looks interesting.) The main reason why people get into DSLRs is to maintain IQ (image quality.) IQ deteriorates when lenses get much beyond 3x. Look at lenses that are a constant f/2.8. For zooms. If price and/or size/weight are excessive, then look at constant f/4 lenses.

Now the issue is
wich lens to buy and what range I need, I know the 50mm prime is a
good lens at a good range, but it might not work so nice indoors
range wise.

It depends on what you are doing. The quality-to-price ratio with this lens is so good that it is always a solid recommendation. It is good to have a decent prime so you can experiment to see if maybe you are one of the (rare) people that can go prime-only. And skip zooms entirely. (My wife has a very talented niece that uses a 35mm film Nikon SLR. Her main lens is a 60mm macro. She does amazing pictures. I'm not anywhere near that good, so I rely on zooms.)

How much will a nice L lens cost me? I've seen them hit
the +1k range, perfect lens would be 70-200L IS but it's a bit out
of range at the moment, and I have to get familiarized with the
camera.

EF = lens that works on FF cameras and 1.6x crop cameras
EF-S = lens that only works on (newer) Canon 1.6x crop cameras (300D and newer.)

One issue with "L" lenses is that Canon doesn't make any EF-S "L" lenses. All the "L" lenses are EF. The EF lenses have focal lengths that are designed for FF 35mm cameras. And can be clumsy when used on 1.6x crop cams (like the 20D.) With that said, the 70-200 lenses are very popular with people that use 1.6x crop cameras. But the shorter ones (24-70 f/2.8 "L") are a decidedly clumsy range. 24mm isn't near wide enough for a general purpose lens--you'll keep wanting to switch off to a wider lens when you find out that you can't back up enough to get everything in the frame that you want.

Canon has a 70-200 f/4 "L" for under $600 (US) that is considered to be the entry level into "L." They also have a 17-40 f/4" "L", that is nice, but is losing favor because there is now a good selection of (approx.) 17-50mm f/2.8 lenses that are cheaper than the 17-40 "L", have excellent IQ, and are longer. 40mm is too short. (See the pattern with "L" lenses on a 1.6x crop camera.)

additional 3rd party battery if manufacturers are too expensive

http://www.sterlingtek.com/ln03-canon-bp-511-dlc511.html

I have photoshop CS2, all I will need is a noise reduction program,
I hear noise ninja is among the best. So guys help me out deciding.

I tried NN and NoiseWare and decided that I liked NoiseWare's user interface better. Both of them have free trials, so try them out and make your own decision. I like that I get plenty of effective noise reduction with NW and I haven't looked at the documentation at all. Not once.

I'll let others comment on the other things you asked about.

Wayne

 

[ellover009]

Thanks a lot for the answers Wayne. Reason I originally posted about the IS lenses is because there are times and places when you can't take a tripod with you or if it's a place that has limiting size, a good cruising lens. So something with 18-200IS might not be as sharp as something with less extension but is light enough to carry around and have all the ranges you need such as going on vacation.

super zoom cameras I have tried and they have too much noise, too slow, I want something flexible, powerful and with excellent IQ.

I am really having a hard time deciding, I even put some cash in the bank in case I decide to make the purchase tomorrow over the web.

Way I see things is the 20D is well priced $650 bare, 30D somewhere around $1050, and somehow the D80 keeps sneaking up my list, for $1,250 kit lens (18-135 lens, sharp, some barrel distortion easily corrected, functional kit lens). Why does the D80 keep haunting me, because it has the slightly larger viewfinder its great since I use glasses, being able to display a grid on the viewfinder and it's flash and metering system, it also packs 10mp even if it's not much difference. Maybe I should wait for the 40D to be announced sometime at the end of the month but no love for it unless they stuff it with a slightly larger viewfinder. Reason I am leaning towards the 20d at the moment is that it's priced right. Is the buffer on the D80 bigger?

 

[Alvin Nunley]

When I'm shooting, I have to wear them in order to see the displays. And sometime I wear them when shooting and I have to adjust the dioptric adjuster wheel