Canon 20D USA vs. International

[DXD]

Ok so I know which camera but I don't know which camera :)

The problem I'm having is that I can get a Canon 20D NEW Body only for $700-$800 but it's an "International" model. To get a "USA" model they are at minimum $1300 this is about a $600 difference.

Hopefully someone here can help me with my decision. I called Canon directly and they say the only difference is the USA warranty and who can/will repair it if it breaks?

Is that really IT? Is it really the exact same camera battery strap etc ....

One retailer told me the international version comes with nothing but the body no battery or strap or anything.

If I got an international version amd I out to screw myself if it breaks, but then again I can get 2 international models for the price of one US model.

Is the software different or the firmware.

Thanks for any replies.

[Rex914]

Sounds like a trap, especially if they already kindly tell you that it's literally the body only. You'll need to pay for the rest of the package and it'll probably add back up to the original price. Pay the full price ($1200-$1400) for the 20D and avoid the hassle of falling into a trap that will force you to pay more than you bargained for.

[DXD]

I agree with you about avoiding the hassle. I called Canon directly and asked them about this and they said the only difference was the Waranty and that if the camera does need to be repaired it would need to be sent back to wherever I bought it and that a US repair company would not be able to repair it but said that it was exactly the same camera, box, manual, everything that the US version has.

So what gives. Canon forces retails to charge $600+ more for a 1 year warranty and to ban US Canon repair places to NOT repair Non US Canon Cameras even though they are the same. I've called several camera repair places. Ritz for one who sends it out said they could not repair it unless it was the US version, but a local mom/pop place that repairs camera's says the camera is exactly the same and anyone should be able to repair it.

It's not the fact that I think the camera will fail it's the point of why is there a $600 difference for the same exact camera. The person at Canon could not even explain why. That's why I came here to see if anyone else knew anything about this $600. I guess the international versions are considered "GREY" market but that is something I don't know much about.

If it was $100 or $200 maybe even $300 difference then I would just by the US one but we are talking about a $600 savings. I could buy 2 international ones for the price of one US one.

[DXD]

Just to put some closure to this thread.

I've purchased on ebay a US model of the Canon 20D. Of course it was more expensive but since I could not get any straight answers out of shop owners or Canon them selves I felt it wasn't worth the risk.

If you buy the International Body I found it as low as $700.00 US
If you buy the US Body I found it as low as $1299.00 US

$600 difference is quite a bit of money. I'm not even a camera professional but I wanted to buy something that would do a better job then simple point and shoot cameras. I've had a Kodak DC camera and a Sony Cybershot and both seem to hold be back on occasion when I wanted to take that special shot. For example a recent eclipse I wanted to take some pictures of it and well simply it was impossible.

Anyways the package I ended up getting had plenty of extras and only cost $1600 NEW with shipping. (Camera, 2 lens, filters, 2 bags, 2 tripods, memory card, extra battery) so although I spent more then I orginially intended to I fell I still got a great deal and now have the comfort of knowing I have a US warranty and if anything happens or goes wrong with it I'm not gonna have any problem getting it replaced or repaired in the US.