If you read any photography article, or watch any photography videos, they will at some stage discuss GEAR.
The intention of this article is not to argue that some gear is better than others, nor that new gear allows you to take better photographs.
It is the photographer that sees and creates images, the camera is merely a tool to aid him or her to capture the shot.
Yes modern cameras are more advanced than older ones, they have higher ISO capabilities, have a wider dynamic range, and better focusing systems etc, all of which will allow you to capture an image easier or in difficult lighting conditions, but it remains a tool for you to use.
Personally I use Canon gear, the reason for this is that when I purchased my first digital camera, many years ago, this was a Canon, and which was purchased on the suggestion of the shop assistant !!!
As I have acquired new lenses and equipment over the years, these are always to fit and to be used on a Canon camera, hence after several years you have a portfolio of lenses and kit that can only be used on a Canon camera.
I have often looked at other camera makes, but the problem is that I would have to sell my gear and then buy a whole new system, this would become financially unviable.
When the Canon R5 and R6 cameras came out I seriously looked at purchasing the R5, but could I honestly justify spending £4300 on a camera, when my current 5DSr was giving me superb images, has a 50 megapixel sensor and could be used with all my gear, yes it does not have a tilting screen, it had a mirror in it, and has been around for a number of years.
Cutting along story short, I decided that the cost of the camera was prohibitive.
Move forward to November last year when I did a stock-take of the cameras, lenses and equipment that I owned. One camera body was not being used, even though it was a brand new replacement for one that me and it went for a swim in the River Brathay, and I had 4 lenses that were rarely used.
I took the plunge and sought a trade-in value of this equipment, and to my surprise this came back at £2800.
This got me thinking, could I use this money to fund the purchase of a Canon R5 camera?, in short yes it could, but £4300 was still a hell of a lot of money to spend.
I then began to think if the Canon R5 could be purchased cheaper than that what was being advertised in the UK at that time.
I soon landed on some grey import sites which were offering the camera, with an adapter at prices that were 35% or more less than UK prices.
“Too good to be true”, and “you only get what you pay for” were phrases that were being rattled around in my head, so a substantial amount of investigation and research work needed to be done.
The output of this research was that one supplier had received a 4.5 star review rating out of 5 stars.
How about import taxes? with Brexit we are now a stand-alone country and import duties need to be considered before buying from abroad, but the sellers web site clearly stated that these were included in the price.
What about delivery costs? again included in the cost.
What about a guarantee? here was the first set back, I believe that Canon UK will not support the initial 12 month guarantee period, so if something goes wrong with the camera, then you are on your own, but guess what, the supplier provided a 3 year warranty, yes you do have to pay for any repairs, but they then refund the cost.
What rubbish I here you say, but there is feedback on there web site that they do and will honor this commitment.
So after several weeks of mulling over this scenario, I took the plunge, traded-in my equipment, received the monies from this then placed my order with Panamoz.
I was full of worry and concern thinking what have I done, is it the right thing, but several hours after ordering the camera, I received a e-mail confirmation of this.
2 days later I received a update and tracking number, I then spent a further 4 days tracking my camera from half way round the world, from China to good old blighty.
In all it took 7 days to arrive, not the quickest delivery, and you need o factor in the long delivery times, but when I inspected the camera which was very well packaged, I was well pleased with it, why, well as I said the UK price of the R5 was £4300 at the time I was looking to purchase one. I got the camera and a basic RF/EF adapter for £2900, a saving of £1400, I got a brand new R5 for £100 new money.
I am not suggesting that everyone should go out and purchase from grey importers, everyone’s needs are different, and, I do except that there are risks in doing this.
All I can say is that in my experience I have managed to acquire a new Canon R5 camera for the grand total of £100 new money.
I will reiterate, by purchasing this camera, it will NOT make me a better photographer, nor will it make me take better photos, but it will assist me in these activities.
The Panamoz web site is: https://panamoz.com
