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Originally Posted by pinniped
Here is my dilemma: Canon, Nikon, Minolta, and Sony all have fairly new "prosumer" models out now, released in late '03 or early '04. All have received fine reviews from the main review sites. All of them sell for $650-800 shipped. The problem is that I haven't found a single vendor that offers these cameras at a fair price and doesn't have pages and pages of very negative customer reviews from people who have been baited-and-switched, had their camera never show up, had a camera show up without the UPC bar code (I guess the code tore off when it fell off the truck ;)), etc., etc., etc. Problem after problem - and the only positive reviews look like poorly-written planted comments. I know the easy way out is to go to my local high-end camera store and pay about $1100 for the $650 camera, but know walking out the door that I have what I paid for.
Or...I can wait until Costco has what I want. (They are always a few months behind, but they frequently have good stuff at 10-20% higher than the best online price, which is a premium I'd be willing to pay to walk out with the gear in hand.) So my question is: how do you guys buy cameras? I have always had great luck buying computer gear from deep-discount online shops, but camera stuff seems to be different. Ripoffs abound. And is it any coincidence that every single online camera vendor is based in Brooklyn? Is it just one big company? I also checked out my local retail mom-and-pop shops like Ritz, but found the prices no lower and their technical knowlege quite lacking. I bit the bullet and went to my local pro-photography shop and paid the retail price. I made them very happy and supported a local business. Edited to add: Don't forget to add in the cost of the lenses. Good glass can easily exceed the price of the camera body itself! |
Originally Posted by pinniped
So my question is: how do you guys buy cameras? I have always had great luck buying computer gear from deep-discount online shops, but camera stuff seems to be different. Ripoffs abound. And is it any coincidence that every single online camera vendor is based in Brooklyn? Is it just one big company?
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Reputable NYC camera stores
I have dealt with the following online camera merchants:
B&H Photo & Video ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com ) (by far the most highly rated mail order camera shop - I love 'em) Adorama (http://www.adorama.com ) (good reviews, bought a few things from them, never a problem) 17th Street Photo ( http://www.17photo.com ) (bought a Nikon flash based on their price and high reputation - great to work with - no problems whatsoever) Check out http://www.reselleratings.com and http://www.epinions.com for their reviews of these guys. Just make sure that you get a product that carries a warranty for the area in which you live. Nikon USA, for example, will not perform service on a camera that was purchased with an non-USA International Warranty. This is so they can control distribution of their products, apparently. |
Originally Posted by pinniped
So my question is: how do you guys buy cameras? I have always had great luck buying computer gear from deep-discount online shops, but camera stuff seems to be different. Ripoffs abound. And is it any coincidence that every single online camera vendor is based in Brooklyn? Is it just one big company?
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For reviews I like www.megapixel.net , though this is aimed at professionals and more serious hobbyists than I am.
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Lens lens lens!!
For me, the most important feature is lens quality. I am not so interested in megapixels; if the lens is poor, what use is having 5 megapixels?
After consulting with a friend of mine who is a professional photographer I chose the Panasonic FZ-2 as it features a Leica lens. For all intents and purposes, the FZ-2 is a Leica camera as Panasonic manufactures these camera's for Leica. 80% to 85% of the camera are identical -- the Leica has those extra's which double to triple the price. Since it is an SLR type camera, the transition for me has been quite easy and the camera does take some very nice photo's. In many Japanese pro-photog circles, the FZ-2 is considered to be amongst, if not, the best of the digital camera's for amateur's. Best part, the camera is not terribly expensive. |
Originally Posted by uastarflyer
This one i think you can get an underwater case for - colleague of mine took it on a diving trip back then. some very nice underwater photos...
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/P1/P1P.HTM |
Great - thank you for all of those links. I will take a look at those vendors...
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Beware of Brooklyn
While there are good shops in Brooklyn, there are several about which you should beware.
B&H Photo is reputable and honest. I know people who have dealt with them without trouble. SOme of the Brooklyn shops use tactics similar to this: You see an exceptionally low price for a hot new camera. You go to their website and place an order. You will receive an e-mail or phone call from them that they need to "verify" the order. When you call them back, you will get a high pressure salesman who will push all sorts of unnecessary extras upon you. For example, they may charge 4-5X the normal price for a memory card. Or, they will tell you that the regular battery is no good and you need an overpriced extra battery. Just check out the prices! One site I know that does this is Broadway Photo (www.bwayphoto.com), but lots of the Brooklyn places are shady. If you do not order anything extra, suddenly the camera will become backordered. They will make you keep waiting for weeks. And not all the cameras come with US warranty. Just a few words of caution. If the price is super low, there's a reason. People in the past used to use ads from those places for price matching with Starwood, etc.. I am not sure if you can do that with the print ads in the back of photo magazines. Best wishes. |
I ordered a coolpix 5700 from http://www.freedelivery4u.com last week and they rates were cheap. Epinions dont have good reviews about them. But what the heck? I called them and they said it will be shipped this thursday. As long as I get original camera in new factory sealed box I dont care. I will wait and watch. anyone else has experience with http://freedelivery4u.com ?
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You're braver than I am, Debo! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you...let us know how it turns out. :)
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Originally Posted by Pakse
Howdy,
I like my current camera - but it lacks a bit and I'd like to replace it. Why post this here under travel technology? Well one of my big uses (in terms of numbers of pictures snapped) is out of airplane windows (I fly too much). And my camera does a very poor job of that. Currently I've got a Kodak DX4330. I like a lot of it. Here's what I hate about it and would like a new camera to do better.
Here's what I like about it and would like the new camera to have as well.
Anyway - if any of ya'll have any ideas for me - I'd love to hear them. Thanks in advance. Keep the faith, Pakse 1. Lots of experience with Canon cameras. 2. Canon has camera experience, and is not just an electronics company. 3. Small 4. 4 Mpixel 5. Does videos 6. Bought with a waterproof enclosure designed for the camera...operates all controls, through the case. The availability of a diving case is what closed the deal for me. I can take it on the jetski, the boat, fishing, to the beach, by the pool, hunting...and the camera is always safe and dry, and I can take pics, where I would otherwise never take the camera. As far as your concerns: It takes great pictures out of plane windows. Just did some while crossing the Italian Alps. Zoom is 3X. Digital goes much further. My normal shot is 1024, digital zoom looks fine even far in. Any farther, and the shake is so bad on such a small camera, that a tripod would be required. Takes 3 minute videos with sound. 4 Mpixel is alot. I have a 256 MB CF card, and can shoot lots of pics before needing a card. Camera is well built, but not what I would call tough. The dive case hardens it up alot, but I still would avoid dropping it. |
I think you will find a lot of very happy customers for both Adorama and B&H Photovideo. I recommend them without reservation. I have seen things for a few dollars cheaper but these guys have had brick and morter stores for decades and sell to a lot of pros in NY. I have bought multiple cameras, optical devices, accessories, etc from them, both new and used. I have always felt I was treated fairly and professionally.
As far as shutter lag, Leica makes a non-SLR digital camera that they say addresses this issue. |
Originally Posted by debo_nair
I ordered a coolpix 5700 from http://www.freedelivery4u.com last week and they rates were cheap. Epinions dont have good reviews about them. But what the heck? I called them and they said it will be shipped this thursday. As long as I get original camera in new factory sealed box I dont care. I will wait and watch. anyone else has experience with http://freedelivery4u.com ?
Did you get your camera? I ordered from them on the 17th, and the web site said it was being delivered today. All I got was a "free gift" of a cheap media holder and a note saying my order would be following. The order on the website shows delivered, which is really annoying, and the website says the business is closed. Just wondered if you got your order or not |
Fishy...
:eek: I, too, wonder whether you got your camera.
As an example, I see the Canon Powershot S410 at 271.00, while even with discount, at Dell, it is 339. The S500 is listed as about 335.00, at Dell, 430.00. The site is registered to Wieslaw Komoszewski, in Brooklyn, NY. Read my above post- it sounds like it could be one of these scams, particularly if there are negative reviews on epinions... Just interested to hear how it turns out. These guys could take your money, sit for a while making excuses about the camera being "backordered," and make you wait, unless you pay for ridiculously overpriced accessories. As an example, check out the price he has for a Kingston 256 MB Compact Flash card. He wants 149.95. I paid about 35 dollars for mine. They will tell you that the original battery is good for like 10 minutes, so you need an overpriced "high capacity" battery. I found an aftermarket battery for my S400 for about 9 dollars. Let us know, but it sounds fishy. |
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