Buying adviceGrey import OM-1 Mark II, £350 cheaper. Daft idea?

So after two years of saying my E-M1 II is fine, I'm finally doing it. The OM-1 II is about £350 cheaper from one of the grey import places than from a UK dealer, which is proper tempting. Same camera, ships from Hong Kong, and they give their own one-year warranty.

My worry is if anything goes wrong whilst I'm halfway up a hill in Glencoe, who actually fixes it? I've heard OM won't touch grey stock under warranty, but I've also heard that's a myth. Anyone done it and had to use the warranty? Or is £350 just the price of peace of mind?

£350 is a lot of peace of mind. Most cameras never need a warranty repair. I'd take the money.

I bought my OM-1 from a UK dealer partly for this reason. The body has given me no trouble at all, for what that's worth, but I did need the 300 f/4 looked at after I put it down rather harder than intended on a sea wall at Titchwell. Entirely my fault. The UK service route was painless: booked online, sent it off, back inside three weeks.

A grey warranty means posting it back to whoever sold it, who then posts it on somewhere else, and you're relying on a company you've never spoken to still answering emails in eighteen months' time. Some of them are perfectly good. Some of them aren't. You won't find out which until you need them, which is the worst possible moment to find out.

For a body you're taking up Scottish hills in all weathers, I'd pay the difference. For a lens that lives in a bag, I might gamble.

fen_and_field said:

A grey warranty means posting it back to whoever sold it

That's the bit that worries me. Not keen on my camera going on holiday to Hong Kong without me for six weeks whilst I sit at home looking at the rain

Dreich said:

Same camera, ships from Hong Kong

Also check the charger plug, manual language, and that the menu has English. Usually fine but not always. And resale is lower later, buyers ask for the receipt from an official dealer. Small things, but annoying when you find them after the money is paid.

Dreich said:

I've heard OM won't touch grey stock under warranty, but I've also heard that's a myth.

I've bought grey twice, never had an issue, never needed the warranty. But I'd not do it on something I was relying on in the Highlands in the rain. Read something about Nikon charging a big admin fee to repair grey stuff in Hong Kong as well, so the manufacturers are clearly getting stroppy about it

Look at the UK cashback offers as well, sometimes the gap's way less than it looks once you take the cashback off, OM do them now and again tbf, and you can usually haggle a bit on ex-demo stock as well

Grand camera whichever way you buy it. The OM-1 II will be sound in Scottish weather, I've seen lads using them on the Beara in conditons I wouldn't put a dog out in. Delighted for you

Went UK stock in the end! Found an ex-demo one at a dealer in Glasgow which knocked about half the difference off, full warranty, two hundred-odd shutter actuations. First outing tomorrow up the Campsies, forecast is rain obviously. Thanks everyone, and Fen especially for talking sense