Pentax 645N: how can I tell Gray or US?

[garvey_p]

I bought a (supposedly) demo 645N outfit from a dealer who has been

rated very positively here, but I noticed that some of the equipment

has little stickers that read "CE." On the back of the manual, there

is a box that says, "The CE marking assures that this product

complies with the requirements of the EC directive for safety."

 

Does this mean my camera is non-US, or does the US equipment (lenses,

flash, etc.) have this same sticker and description on the manual?

 

The reason I ask is that I bought the camera with the belief that it

was a US demo model (I know, I know, they're all made in the same

place anyway), but if it were a demo *and* gray, I'd expect the price

to be even lower than what I paid.

 

Now I call into question the dealer's integrity, and I wonder: what

signs of use should I look for on the 645N, backs, and lenses that

might indicate it got more than just "demo" use?

Cosmetically/superficially, it all looks pretty good. But the gears

in the backs look like they've seen some use, and the 220 back has

one tiny nick on the outside. Other than that, I'm fairly hard

pressed to find much else on the outside. I was hoping some 645N

owners could please help me out as to what I could look for?

 

I think I am going to return the entire kit and then buy a new gray

one from Delta Intl., which will work out to be less than 10% more

than the demo kit I bought. But I'd like to have as much info about

the current camera when I call to get the RMA, in case they try to

give me a hard time.

 

Lastly, do the gray cameras come with English manuals and such? I

guess I could ask Delta about this when I order.

 

Thanks!

 

Garvey

[art_haykin]

Sounds to me as if you've asked and answered your own question. Was the manual you got in English?

[raymond_valois]

Hi Garvey ...

 

I purchased my 645N in Canada, brand new and so all the manuals and documentation. The manuals have the CE marking on the back page. I hasten to add that I also purchased a Quantum Turbo Battery about a year ago (brand new) and it also has CE makings on the leather casing.

 

Don't know if this helps you.

 

Ray

[_____133]

Garvey, ever tried emailing Pentax USA its serial number? I'm they would get back to you ascertaining the provenance of the camera.

[john_sonewald]

The CE mark indicates that the product has passed a rather stringent set of safety and reliability tests required by the European Union (EU). Products that do not carry the CE mark cannot legally be imported into EU countries. It is somewhat analogous to the UL and CSA marks you see on some US products. Once a product is CE certified, most manufacturer's will place the CE mark all models coming off the production line. It has nothing to do with the ultimate exportation status of the product.

 

Your best bet is to call the official US importer with the serial number.

[kevin_lackey]

<B> From the Pentax web site </B> <P>

 

<i> <b>Gray Market Pentax Products: </B> Asahi Optical Company, our parent company in Japan, will name certain cameras specifically for the USA market. That way, we can tell just by the name if they were originally distributed for sale in the USA. For example, point and shoot zoom cameras are called IQZooms in the USA. They are called Espios outside of the USA. Our SLR cameras are referred to as ZX-cameras in the USA and MZ-cameras in other markets. <P>

 

There has been a lot of press lately cautioning consumers about the dangers of purchasing so called "gray market" products. In an effort to keep Pentax customers protected against this, our medium format bodies, lenses and accessory product boxes have a hologram P designation on them. This designation assures that the product is covered by the Pentax United States warranty. </I>