I'm always amused when the middlemen are the manufacturer. Canon USA imports the lenses there, and Canon Australia imports them here. There is no practical reason for the difference in price, as there are no additional certifications that they have to meet. The manual may have one or two pages different for contact information, that is about it.
I've purchased many lenses & cameras from B&H in the past, and always had excellent service.
Here is the kicker:
A Canon USA lens warranty is valid in Australia. They are not "Gray" market as long as the supplier is Canon authorised, which B&H are:
Canon offers an international warranty on non-digital Canon compact cameras, non-digital Canon SLR camera bodies, Canon lenses for all SLR cameras, Canon Speedlites and Canon photographic accessories only. If travelling overseas, the Customer may receive warranty service for those Products on these terms from members of the Canon Camera International Service Network. A list of those members is enclosed with the Product. The Customer must present this warranty card and the original proof of purchase to receive warranty service.
(from
http://www.canon.com.au/extend/terms.html)
So why do we pay more again?
