Hehe.. That's true, although the shop will not offer any local warranty either. The only shop to offer the 1 year warranty is Microsonic, but AFAIK, there is no Tokina distributor here, only in Singapore.
the other day i asked my fren la, (Matthew of Click 'n' Snap in Penang) about Tokina lens and it seems that price can vary depending on the warranty. i suppose the local shops will offer you some warranty for the lens.
Ah! Matthew! I bought my D300 from him! Eh, how come he's your friend??? Such a small world. Hehe.. I just called his father (I think!) up earlier today. He told me the Tokina lens isn't in yet. Hmm.. Isn't the warranty a 3 years international warranty? Seems to be so for those I've asked so far.
you're not the only one who bought camera from him. hehe. know him for a little over a year now. i paid him (and his shop) a visit just a few months back when i went to PG.
Oh, et tu? Ahh.. I just hope he can get me a good price on the Tokina. Since the other guys already have Sigma 10-20mm and Nikkor 12-24mm, I might as well get something different.