Warranties: US? Canada? Grey Market?

In this article we'll provide tables of warranty information for major equipment manufacturers. We'll also try to explain the difference between US, Canada, and Grey Market warranties. Although we try our best to find the most accurate and up-to-date information, please note that we can not be held responsible for any mistakes or omissions -- when in doubt please ask first!

Warranty Information by Manufacturer

Here is a list of warranty information by manufacturer and product type. Scroll down for more detailed information on the differences between Canadian, US, and Grey Market warranties.

Canon

Point and Shoots, Lenses, and SLR Bodies

Camcorders

References:

• Sample SLR Warranty, Sample Lens Warranty, Sample PowerShot Warranty. Clearly states that warranty is valid for both Canon Canada and Canon USA

Nikon

Digital Cameras and SLR Cameras

SLR Lenses

References and Notes:

• Nikon is very strict about cross-border warranties.
• Nikon Canada Warranties: 5 years for optics, 2 years for most digital SLRs.
• About Nikon Grey Market: States that Nikon Canada does not honour Nikon US warranties.
• SLRs and Coolpix bought outside of Canada do not get a 1 year warranty in Canada.
  • "Nikon digital products sold in Canada have a warranty which is honoured by Nikon Canada offices, this warranty is not supported by Nikon offices outside of Canada. Nikon digital products sold outside of Canada also have localised warranties and are not supported in Canada."
• Notes that DX and 35mm lenses for Nikon bought from an authorized dealer in another region are eligible for the 1st year of warranty in Canada.
  • "Nikon 35mm/DX Lens products sold in Canada have a warranty which is honoured by Nikon Canada offices, this warranty is supported by Nikon offices outside of Canada for 1 year. Nikon 35mm/DX Lens products sold outside of Canada also have warranties for 1 year and are supported in Canada."

Sony

All Products

References:

• From direct contact with a Sony Canada repair center: they will provide warranty service on all Canadian or US bought Sony products provided they were purchased from an authorized Sony dealer, must be able to demonstrate this with a bill of sale (Canadian or US). Sony Canada repair centers will not honour US-purchased extended warranties, must purchase a Canadian extended warranty.

Olympus

All Products

References:

• Olympus Worldwide Warranty: Olympus has a single, worldwide warranty, valid in all countries for one year. There are absolutely no cross-border warranty issues.

Pentax

All Products

References and Notes:

• Pentax Canada has a domestic warranty with an extra year of Canada-only warranty service.
• Pentax US Warranty Info.
• Pentax Canada Warranty Info.

Sigma

All Products

More info to come, on Tamron!

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How do US vs Canadian warranties work?

A major photographic equipment maker, such as Canon Inc. or Nikon Corp., doesn't directly deal with selling their products. Instead, wholly owned subsidiaries such as Canon Canada Inc. or Nikon US Inc. are each responsible for a geographic region. These responsibilities include importing the products, and most importantly, setting the price. Since these subsidiary companies also run the official repair facilities, they are also responsible for providing warranty service. Thus, they set the rules for where and when warranties are honoured.

Generally, subsidiaries will only honour warranties on products that they themselves sold. So if you purchased your camera or lens in Canada, it would come with a Canadian Warranty. The Canadian subsidiary will honour the warranty, but the US subsidiary will not. If you purchase your camera or lens in the US (and it's not marked as Grey Market), it would come with a US Warranty. You won't be able to get warranty service in Canada, but can always send it back to the States for repairs. Note: some Canadian subsidiaries will honour a US warranty. See the below tables for details.

How about Grey Market?

Grey Market refers to a product that was not imported by the subsidiary. For example, instead of buying the lenses from Canon Canada, the store may have bought the lenses from Canon Asia's wholesale distributor. Because of the different prices in the different regions, this may be cheaper for the store; these savings are passed on to you. If you see Grey Market in a US store, it means "not imported by the US subsidiary". If you see Grey Market in a Canadian store, it means "not imported by the Canadian subsidiary". Stores commonly offer a 3rd-party warranty (not original manufacturer) with Grey Market goods.

Fundamentally, all the products are the same: they all rolled off the same production line somewhere. The only difference is the warranty (and thus support) you get with the product. Grey market does not indicate used, refurbished, or otherwise "bad" goods. It's up to you how important the manufacturer's warranty is, and whether or not it is worth the extra cost.

P.S. When buying from the States we recommend Adorama or B&H Photo Video, two of the biggest and most respected camera stores down south.

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