I am about to replace my several years old Canon Digi Rebel with a Nikon D40 simply because I am tired of the wait for the Canon to power up after going to sleep.
In looking around I see that not many places have the body only, in fact that some say that the D40 is offered only in a "kit" with the 18 - 55 lens.
So this brings up the question of reliability of the places that are offering the body only at prices as low as $320.00 as compared to $500.00 at places like B&H.
Broadway Camera is one of those places, for example. Any experiences with that out fit? Any general observation on how to tell the honest from the less than?
Typically camera prices are fairly uniform and anything significantly cheaper is a scan. B&H/Adorama are aways some of the cheapest around and the most you'll beat them by is maybe a few percent, not 30%. Places like Beach Camera/BuyDig are also legit and sometimes a bit cheaper but for something like a D40 not by more than $10 or $20.
I am about to replace my several years old Canon Digi Rebel with a Nikon D40 simply because I am tired of the wait for the Canon to power up after going to sleep.
In looking around I see that not many places have the body only, in fact that some say that the D40 is offered only in a "kit" with the 18 - 55 lens.
So this brings up the question of reliability of the places that are offering the body only at prices as low as $320.00 as compared to $500.00 at places like B&H.
Broadway Camera is one of those places, for example. Any experiences with that out fit? Any general observation on how to tell the honest from the less than?
I have bought from B&H for years, but ...
This gets asked so much and takes so long to explain it should be made a sticky.
Wiseman once say: If it seems too good to be true it is because it is.
Broadway Photo is a classic bait-n-switch shop. First, they do business under about a dozen different names - Digital Liquidators, A&M PhotoWorld, BWayPhoto, etc. They have a building in Brooklyn with several doors, thus several different addresses but they are all the same outfit.
Here is how the game works: They advertise tantalizingly low prices. You call in to order, they take your order and then they ask you if you want to buy [significantly] overpriced accessories like filters, extended warranties, spare batteries, tripods, bags, etc.
If you say no, then they will sometimes tell you that the camera you ordered doesn’t come with a battery and charger and try to sell an overpriced accessory battery and charger.
If you continue to refuse to buy their overpriced accessories they will continue with the hard-sell but will eventually give up and let you go leaving you to think that your order has been placed for just the camera/lens you wanted, at the price that was advertised and without their overpriced accessories.
What will always happen is that about 1-3 days after placing your order they will call you [sometimes email you] under the pretext that they are confirming your shipping address or confirming your credit card info, etc.
What they are really doing is taking another shot at selling you their overpriced accessories and they will sell you hard. If you refuse to buy them this time you will find that the camera/lens you wanted is "currently out of stock" but they will let you know when they get them in, or perhaps that they do have a 'super-duper' "kit" version in stock that is $300 more but comes with a lot more "stuff".
If you let them charge your card they will keep the charge open until you buy the accessories or demand to cancel your order.
YOU WILL NEVER GET THE CAMERA/LENS ONLY, WITHOUT THE OVERPRICED ACCESSORIES, AT THE ADVERTISED LOW-LOW PRICE - NEVER.
Bottom line is that there is no free lunch, prices that seem too good to be true are, and there is no good reason to buy mail-order photo equipment from anyone other than B&H or, if you must, Adorama.
Cheers and good luck.
__________________ "I love Americans, but in France the government fears the people, in the U.S. the people fear the government." Anonymous
If you're looking to comparison shop I've used Abe's of Maine. They have a good online presence and the price is slightly less for a Nikon D40 than you quoted for B&H.
The D40 18-55 kit is only $479 through Amazon. I'd recommend checking sites like Fatwallet and Slickdeals for the kit. It's often on sale through other vendors, and the replies on those boards will usually give good feedback on the reliability of the company selling it.
The D40 18-55 kit is only $479 through Amazon. I'd recommend checking sites like Fatwallet and Slickdeals for the kit. It's often on sale through other vendors, and the replies on those boards will usually give good feedback on the reliability of the company selling it.
Unless you like warranty service because Nikon USA requires a dated receipt from an authorized Nikon USA dealer in order to receive free warranty service.
And if you happen to get a grey market camera on eBay or Amazon then you are really SOL because Nikon USA will not repair - under any circumstances or for any price - grey market equipment.
But then again, that extra 3% cash-back from FatWallet might make up for it.
__________________ "I love Americans, but in France the government fears the people, in the U.S. the people fear the government." Anonymous
I didn't know that Amazon was a grey market reseller
After a bit of googling it would seem that Amazon themselves ARE an authorized Nikon dealer (the only online-only one), but that you need to be sure you purchase directly from THEM and not a third party reseller.
I didn't know that Amazon was a grey market reseller
After a bit of googling it would seem that Amazon themselves ARE an authorized Nikon dealer (the only online-only one), but that you need to be sure you purchase directly from THEM and not a third party reseller.
Interesting.
I didn't know that Amazon still sold electronics on their own, just 3rd party sellers.
Doubly interesting that an on-line only store is Nikon authorized as Nikon themselves make such a big stink about not buying from Internet-only companies.
I guess a buck is a buck and Amazon must move a lot of prodcut.
__________________ "I love Americans, but in France the government fears the people, in the U.S. the people fear the government." Anonymous
I have spent several thousands with B&H over the years and know many others who have done the same without one problem. Also know many people who swear by Adorama.
Good rule of thumb: If the on-line price variance is large between B&H/Adorama and the on-line vendor you are looking at... do your homework before you buy. Especially on newly released, high demand items.
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Buying a camera online is pretty simple. Just stick to the list below. You'll get close to the lowest (legitimate) advertised prices, and won't have a hassle.
Adorama.com
Amazon.com (make sure that you're dealing with Amazon, not some third party)
bhphotovideo.com
calumet.com
onecall.com (possibly legit retailer for Nikon only, not sure)
For the D40, you may want to consider the newer (better?) D60 instead.
What I normally do is trying to price match those ads .
That's how I purchased my first DSLR (which is same as yours, Digital Rebel/300D/Kiss Digital depends on where you are).
__________________
I'm reading FT on Friday night because I have 6AM flight on Saturday morning...
After a bit of googling it would seem that Amazon themselves ARE an authorized Nikon dealer (the only online-only one), but that you need to be sure you purchase directly from THEM and not a third party reseller.
I've purchased several Nikon bodies from Amazon.com and received service from NikonUSA on said bodies so it's safe to say there are authorized.
They can also be one of, if not the, cheapest places to buy a dSLR body. Pretty much everything else can be bought cheaper from a photo specialty store.
