Truths about the Canon Rebel XT 0209B003 from a salesperson

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Phisherman - 12 Nov 2006 20:37 GMT

I ordered a Canon Rebel XT online and called to ask some questions
regarding my order. The salesperson said that I was buying a non-USA
camera and that the Canon I ordered had a limited warranty as opposed
to a "USA" model, the manual was written in Japanese only, the lithium
battery lasts only 25 minutes, the camera won't work without a memory
card, etc. I had to specifically ask if my order was model 0209B003,
if the camera is new and not refurbished, how the order is insured
during shipment, and if the package required a signature. I stated
that I wanted to try the camera out for awhile before buying "extras."
Are any of these things really true about the Canon Rebel XT? I
bought this camera kit (including lens) for $568. TIA

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G.T. - 12 Nov 2006 20:52 GMT

> I ordered a Canon Rebel XT online and called to ask some questions
> regarding my order. The salesperson said that I was buying a non-USA
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Are any of these things really true about the Canon Rebel XT? I
> bought this camera kit (including lens) for $568. TIA

Are any of what things true? Does any of it sound true?

I bought a new Rebel XT in the USA and it has an English manual, the
battery lasts for several hundred shots, and with the correct setting it
works without a memory card.

And what did they respond to: "I had to specifically ask if my order
was model 0209B003, if the camera is new and not refurbished, how the
order is insured during shipment, and if the package required a signature."

It sounds like you should try a different vendor.

Greg

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"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

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Tom - 12 Nov 2006 21:34 GMT

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Colin_D - 12 Nov 2006 21:37 GMT

There's nothing special about a 'USA' model over any other, except that
Canon USA imported it. There should be a world-wide warranty which I
should imagine Canon USA would be constrained to honor, but not being in
the USA I can't guarantee that. Service after the warranty expires may
be difficult from Canon, according to stories around. The American
cameras are labeled Rebel XT, the European/Asian models are labeled
350D, and the Japanese home market calls them the 'Kiss'.

The battery is a NB-2LH, at 720 MaH, and the one with the camera will be
a genuine Canon. Saying that it will last only 25 minutes is an
outright lie. Battery life is usually specified by the number of shots
it will take on a charge, and on a Rebel XT that is in the range of 600
shots without flash, and about 300-400 with flash used some of the time.

No Rebel XT will work without a memory card. The camera may or may not
fire with no card, but since the camera has no built-in memory, you
cannot save an image without a card.

Finally, even if the manual is in Japanese (which I doubt), the English
version is readily available for download from Canon.

All in all, it sounds like a good firm not to deal with.

Colin D.

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J. Clarke - 12 Nov 2006 22:18 GMT

>> I ordered a Canon Rebel XT online and called to ask some questions
>> regarding my order. The salesperson said that I was buying a non-USA
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
> should imagine Canon USA would be constrained to honor, but not being in
> the USA I can't guarantee that.

A warranty in the US is a contract, it is not in general imposed by statute
like it is in the EU. The US market warranty is different from the
international warranty and there is no constraint that Canon USA honor it.
This is also true of Nikon and most other manufacturers of photographic
equipment and many other types of electronics as well and it is so well
known and so widely discussed that I am surprised that you are not aware of
it.

> Service after the warranty expires may be difficult from Canon, according
> to stories around. The American cameras are labeled Rebel XT, the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> The battery is a NB-2LH, at 720 MaH, and the one with the camera will be a
> genuine Canon.

Unless it isn't. The price he paid is well below the market price. What
he's getting may not have much resemblance to what Canon put in the box.

> Saying that it will last only 25 minutes is an outright lie. Battery
> life is usually specified by the number of shots it will take on a charge,
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> Finally, even if the manual is in Japanese (which I doubt), the English
> version is readily available for download from Canon.

If it is a Japanese-market camera then why would the manual _not_ be in
Japanese?

> All in all, it sounds like a good firm not to deal with.

Agreed.

> Colin D.

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default - 12 Nov 2006 23:07 GMT

> No Rebel XT will work without a memory card. The camera may or may not
> fire with no card, but since the camera has no built-in memory, you cannot
> save an image without a card.

Actually you can save your images that you take without a memory card. I
just took the card out of my Rebel XT and hooked it up to the PC via USB and
started Canon RemoteCaptureTask (part of EOS Capture) supplied with the
camera package. The pictures got saved directly to disk on the computer
with no memory card needed. The remote capture program can control most of
the elements of the camera. The rest you can set on the camera itself. Not
having a memory card does limit you to being within 5 metres from a PC
however if you want to save the images.

Without a PC or a card you can still view the picture on the camera's LCD
which is lost as soon as you let the display clear.

Obviously a memory card is a good idea and they are so cheap now that it is
a non-issue to get one, but you can record your pictures without one with
the supplied software and a USB cable. Remote capture is especially useful
for time-lapse photography since it can record a picture at specified
intervals and you don't need to worry about the card filling up if you tell
it not to record to the card.

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Colin_D - 13 Nov 2006 04:49 GMT

>> No Rebel XT will work without a memory card. The camera may or may not
>> fire with no card, but since the camera has no built-in memory, you cannot
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> intervals and you don't need to worry about the card filling up if you tell
> it not to record to the card.

Yes, you can hook it up to a computer, but I doubt that's what was
intended by the OP. The camera by itself cannot save an image without a
card.

Colin D.

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G.T. - 13 Nov 2006 01:47 GMT

>> I ordered a Canon Rebel XT online and called to ask some questions
>> regarding my order. The salesperson said that I was buying a non-USA
[quoted text clipped - 25 lines]
> fire with no card, but since the camera has no built-in memory, you
> cannot save an image without a card.

Use it tethered to the computer.

Greg

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"All my time I spent in heaven
Revelries of dance and wine
Waking to the sound of laughter
Up I'd rise and kiss the sky" - The Mekons

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Rebecca Ore - 12 Nov 2006 23:00 GMT

> I stated
> that I wanted to try the camera out for awhile before buying "extras."
> Are any of these things really true about the Canon Rebel XT? I
> bought this camera kit (including lens) for $568. TIA

I suspect you're going to find that the battery charger is extra, the
USB cable is extra, the body and lens caps are extra, and the camera
strap is extra. And that you'd have done better ordering from some
reputable on-line reseller (B&H, Adorama, Ritz, Staples) which wouldn't
have opened the Canon box and taken out what is in the package and tried
to sell them to you as extras.

Nobody provides the memory card, but those can be found cheaply enough
through Crucial or NewEgg.

B&H has this

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=6222&A=details&Q=&sku=3
71191&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

for $679.95. And B&H has a rebate on it, so I don't know what the
actual price would be.

And that includes the charger, video and USB cables, neck strap, battery
and battery charger, and 1-Year Canon USA limited warranty.

My guess is that for more than $110, you can get the other guy to sell
you the rest of what Canon put in the box. The strap alone will
probably be $15, lens and body caps $25 (maybe each), and the charger
will be equally nicely priced.

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Phisherman - 12 Nov 2006 23:51 GMT

>> I stated
>> that I wanted to try the camera out for awhile before buying "extras."
[quoted text clipped - 26 lines]
>probably be $15, lens and body caps $25 (maybe each), and the charger
>will be equally nicely priced.

I hope not. According to their web site the $568 Canon Rebel XT
includes the following items:

EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens (with lens cap and dust cap)
Battery Pack
Battery Charger
USB Interface Cable
Video Cable
Neck Strap
Viewfinder & Body Caps
EOS Digital Solutions CD-ROM (ZoomBrowser EX, ImageBrowser, ArcSoft
PhotoStudio)
Digital Photo Professional 1.6 CD-ROM (for RAW file conversion)
Instruction Manual CD-ROM (PDF versions of the instruction manuals)
User's Guides
1 Year Limited Warranty

The salesperson said this camera kit is "factory sealed." I thought
of buying locally, but we have a whopping 9.75% sales tax. Thanks for
the Crucial tip on buying CF cards--these are trusted folks and I've
ordered from them several times with excellent service and good
prices. Wow--body caps are $25?!?

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Rebecca Ore - 13 Nov 2006 00:40 GMT

> The salesperson said this camera kit is "factory sealed." I thought
> of buying locally, but we have a whopping 9.75% sales tax. Thanks for
> the Crucial tip on buying CF cards--these are trusted folks and I've
> ordered from them several times with excellent service and good
> prices. Wow--body caps are $25?!?

That sounds better. If you live in NYC and would be hit with the local
sales tax (that sounds like NYC sales tax to me) if you bought locally,
try Ritz or Calumet. They're a bit more expensive than B&H and Adorama,
but Ritz often has free shipping for cameras over $100. Neither are NYC
based.

My other camera is a Leica IIIf black dial. My used body cap was $10.

:).

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