[alanfvic (Alan)]

I have bought a number of Canon Lenses from grey marketers, the price advantage is worth the risk for me. I think the grey marketer can still call on Canon warranty in the county of origin, but there is no direct Canon warranty in Australia.

It is true that Ted's can't match the grey marketer's price. Canon charge the retailer more for the same gear in Australia. Manufacturers charge different wholesale prices in different regions. I can't see any justification for the practice and fight it in any way I can.

I similarly have a region free DVD player and buy other region DVDs. I am waiting to get a region free blu-ray player.

If a retailer charged well dressed customers more than shabby customers, we would be outraged, but manufacturers are doing just the same thing.

N.B. Stefan, on the question of cleaning sensors, I have seen dust spots like yours, but they just went away after a senser self-clean (550D). To check, take a photo with a blank background and very small aperture (e.g. F22 against a clear sky), the dust spots should be smaller and clearer then.