I have gone and checked out some of the cameras I have considered purchasing, but I was wondering what the best store is to shop at. Many have said B&H and Adorama, but are there any others that are reputable? I am going to purchase a Nikon D5100, if that helps anyone. Thanks!
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Best Store to But From?
- Thread starter Vista64
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Go with the ones people recommend (Adorama or B&H). They are both great and I have bought many things from both places. They ship almost immediately and have the best prices around. Personally, I like B&H better because I had an issue with a damaged product from Adorama that I had to return and they were a pain in the a$$. Hopefully this was only a one time thing with an employee that was having a bad day, but it gave me a sour taste in my mouth (although I have spent thousands of dollars with them and NEVER had an issue until that one time). So there is a reason why you keep hearing B&H and Adorama.........they are both great. Go with them, you won't regret it when you get your gear in 2 days (and many times free shipping).
Hank3152
Forum Pro
I sometimes order from Robert's in Indianapolis if I need it quicker (1 to 2 days) since I'm from Illinois.......they are very reputable and their prices are comparable to B&H.....
http://robertscamera.com/
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Regards,
Hank
http://robertscamera.com/
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Regards,
Hank
jeffsvisions
Senior Member
i purchased my camera last month from abesofmaine.com good customer service fast shipping very happy with them
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Keep on Shooting!!!!
Jeff
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Keep on Shooting!!!!
Jeff
I've also had very good experiences with both B & H and Adorama. I'd add Amazon. Doesn't mean there aren't other reputable sellers but I see few complaints about the above.
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http://www.bjaphotos.smugmug.com
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http://www.bjaphotos.smugmug.com
MusicDoctorDJ
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Have you considered 'butting'
from the store you went to look at the cameras?--
J. D.
Colorado
- "If your insurance company tells you that you don't need a lawyer . . . hire a lawyer!"
Hank3152
Forum Pro
....good one..........Have you considered 'butting'
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Regards,
Hank
MusicDoctorDJ
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Yes . . . I knew that.
But you didn't answer the question . . .
Have you considered buying the camera from the place(s) that you went to look at them?
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J. D.
Colorado
- "If your insurance company tells you that you don't need a lawyer . . . hire a lawyer!"
dylanbarnhart
Senior Member
Before you buy any online store, check the ratings on http://www.resellerratings.com to be sure.
I'm with this, it's not free to run a physical store. If you go in, handle the products, talk to the salespeople, etc the implicit arrangement is that you'll eventually buy from the store. If you never go to the store, for research pick the lowerst price you can find on line, but getting free research and then ordering online is a good way to ensure that only models like Apple's (no discounting allowed or they cut your wholesale order) will survive.
learnerguy
Leading Member
http://www.amazon.com
No tax on purchases. If product is in stock, then prompt delivery.
No tax on purchases. If product is in stock, then prompt delivery.
henryp
Veteran Member
Let me strongly support JD's suggestion. It's not ethically right to shop at a B&M store, then give your business to an on-line store. At least give your local store a chance to get your business!
BTW, I'm a B&H fan, but I always support my local stores, if possible.
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Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D50, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
"He had a photographic memory which was never developed."
On the other hand Amazon (Adorama is a merchant of theirs as well) and B&H both support DPReview either through ownership or advertisements.
Since this site offers so much information, the merchants that keep it running should also get their fair share of the business.
MusicDoctorDJ
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Yes, but I'm not really sure how you consider it cost effictive for me (or a lot of others here) to purchase a round trip air fare ticket to New York City so we can go look at cameras in their one and only store, then go home and buy from their Amazon.com website.
Doesn't make any sense . . .
And really . . . just how often do we see paid ads from B&H or Adorama here on DPReview?
Can we all say 'NEVER' together?
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J. D.
Colorado
- "If your insurance company tells you that you don't need a lawyer . . . hire a lawyer!"
Empty Silence.....
Do you not read the reviews on this site? If you do, are you like the guy that comes to your store to feel a camera out and then leaves to order it online. In other words do you simply take the information DPReview provides and run... without bothering to notice the paid ads at the bottom of the page? The ones that start with:
Support this site, buy this [camera model] from affiliate retailers:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydslra580/
Never noticed the header that says "Buy the Nikon D7000 from Amazon" eh?
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond7000/
Those are just a few that they feature on a rolling basis. I have seen B&H as well on the roster.
When you click on the link, the advertiser knows you reached them through the DPReview portal. And so they will continue to advertise here. Which will allow us all to keep using the DPReview database selection and comparison widgets, reading their 20+ page product reviews, downloading the images for comparison between the various cameras one is considering getting, and participating in the forums....for me, this has been far, far, more informative than a trip to In Town Camera Store where someone working a part time job can only give me their opinion about a couple of models they may or may not have any experience with. Often they don't even have the item in stock. But they special order it for me. Yeah right, I can do that to - from home.
Sure, I get to hold the camera which is very important - but within days, I can hold one from the online retailer as well.
With Amazon's free ground shipping and return labels, it costs no more for me to go to the local UPS store and drop of the package if it turns out I don't like it. That's OK as I don't find myself in a situation where I have to buy a new DSLR TODAY.
In over $18,000 of purchases over twenty years from these three retailers, I have not experienced any hassles. And I probably returned a half dozen items for various reasons.
I realize you work in a local store and therefore this is not something you want to hear promoted. There will still be folks who will prefer the personal interaction with someone as cordial as yourself. But for me, the internet has been the way to go.
Unlike JD, I don't work for a B&M camera store.
There are some things that are just better to buy locally, if possible. High on that list are tripods and heads...it's simply impossible to get a sense of how these products will feel (and the "feel" is VERY important). I would never buy these from an on-line retailer. When I bought my current tripod/head, I spent about 1/2 day at my local B&M pro shop...I musta tried 20-30 different combos...with MY camera and lens.
Sure, I could have ordered each of these 20-30 combos on-line, but I'm getting old and I can't remember diddly anymore...like what the 3rd tripod/head felt like compared with this one, the 17th combo! ;-) No, I reject your approach...it doesn't work for some kinds of products.
It might work for a dSLR body...
Let's say I have a D3000 and want to move up to a D5100, D90, or D7000. It might be a reasonable thing to order them, one-at-a-time and try them...stop when I'm satisfied. The flip/down side is that if I stop at the D5100, I may never understand how the more pro controls on a D90 would help my photography!
For the more experienced photographer, I think on-line purchasing makes good sense...more so than for the beginner, who usually don't have a clue.
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Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D50, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
"He had a photographic memory which was never developed."
Are you really sure you tried ALL possible combos?
There are unfortunately too few local stores with the stock on hand to be able to do the kind of variety testing you speak of. Even a big city pro shop may not have Really Right Stuff, Markins, or Arca Swiss heads on hand. Often their only "pro" choices are limited to Manfrotto or Gitzo. I can tell you from experience there is no comparison in ease of use between a custom RRS baseplate vs. the oversized octagonal plate with cork for friction I previously had. How would you be able to know if they don't have them to show you?
I simply narrow down my choices based on manufacturer reputation, maximum/minimum heights, max weights, what others have reported in terms of stability, ease of use, etc. All the data is available. I keep a tape measure handy to get an idea of the physical dimensions. And then I ordered maybe three finalists.
Even with all the in store playing, you still wouldn't know how the tripod feels to carry around in the real world for several days of hiking. Do the legs get hard to tighten when sand gets lodged in the threads? Do levers catch on branches or straps often enough in reality or is that just an unwarranted concern?
Shoes come to my mind as closest to the tripod analogy. I'm quite a fan of Zappos. Here's a product, shoes, that is incredibly fine tuned to an individual fit and a company with the most liberal shipping and return policy around, no cost either way. Yet the concept has proven wildly successful.
Now I DO have my limits. For example, I wouldn't go for one of those mail order brides!
So how would you know you got the best tripod if the store didn't actually carry all the models that are on the market. Not even all the more popular ones?
There is a point when you've reached good enough right?
If there is really a close call, I've been known to buy both (not those specific models) and sent the other camera back. I'm just not that wishy washy on the specifics I need or want in a product. There's no point in finding out how good a D3S with a 70-200 mm lens attached feels in my hand if I have no intention of ever carrying around such a large and heavy assembly. I don't need to see whether I prefer buttons to touch screen displays for example in deciding between a Panasonic or Olympus M-4/3 camera. I know I prefer buttons.
I do learn all I can about it. How else would I know what features are important to me. But that should be standard procedure even when shopping locally.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Before this debate get's out of hand, let it be known that I in fact do support my local camera store - when they carry items that I have an interest in. I would estimate I've done 70% Internet 30% local purchases.
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