Best Sites to Buy a camera: What are the best, most trusted sites to purchase a digital camera?

nhm_photography

What are the best, most trusted sites to purchase a digital camera?

busted_shutter

Adorama, B&H, Cameta, KEH,

Pepper Loc: Planet Earth Country USA

busted_shutter wrote:

Adorama, B&H, Cameta, KEH,

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

nhm_photography

THANKS ALOT!! :)

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

Amazon is OK if you watch who you are actually buying from.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

nhm_photography wrote:

THANKS ALOT!! :)

You can get surprised even on the best of sites. Many sites have cameras and lenses that are listed as both USA and Imported for the same item at the same price. The difference is usually in the warranty and rebates, if any. USA doesn't mean Made In The USA. It means it has the manufacturer's USA warranty on it. Imported would have a store warranty. Also, prices are quite consistant among the reputable dealers. If you see super low pricing on a particular item at a competing dealer, be suspicious.

sueyeisert Loc: New Jersey

busted_shutter wrote:

Adorama, B&H, Cameta, KEH,

:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

LFingar wrote:

If you see super low pricing on a particular item at a competing dealer, be suspicious.

Absolutely!
Another thing to tip you off is if the camera is priced unbelievably low but accessories like batteries and memory cards are really high-
You are in for a bait & switch and bait never smells good.

Run, do not walk to another vendor.

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

Why do so many of you Guys over there buy on-line...?
Don't you have access to camera stores...?
I'd much rather pop down the road ten minutes and buy direct...if I have any problems, I can take whatever I buy back in another ten minutes rather than all the postage and other hassles...
I guess there's also the risk of getting a grey import and ending up with no warranty...?

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

SX2002 wrote:

Why do so many of you Guys over there buy on-line...?
Don't you have access to camera stores...?
I'd much rather pop down the road ten minutes and buy direct...if I have any problems, I can take whatever I buy back in another ten minutes rather than all the postage and other hassles...
I guess there's also the risk of getting a grey import and ending up with no warranty...?

I can only speak for myself. I have access to many camera stores but I buy from B&H or Adorama so as to not pay state sales tax. On every $ 1,000 I do not pay about $80 in New York State and local taxes. Other things being equal I prefer to have the money myself.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

nhm_photography wrote:

What are the best, most trusted sites to purchase a digital camera?

Robert's, Hunt's and Cameta are three others that are good. Sites that have unusually low prices should be avoided.

Camera maker control prices, so all legitimate sellers will be within a few dollars of each other. Some will bundle the camera with cards, batteries, etc., to make it seem more attractive and have some control over the price.

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

SX2002 wrote:

Why do so many of you Guys over there buy on-line...?
Don't you have access to camera stores...?
I'd much rather pop down the road ten minutes and buy direct...if I have any problems, I can take whatever I buy back in another ten minutes rather than all the postage and other hassles...
I guess there's also the risk of getting a grey import and ending up with no warranty...?

A ten minute walk wouldn't get me anywheres near a store of any kind. A 45 min drive might do the trick, but if I know what I want to buy it's a whole lot easier to just sit down in front of the computer and place an order. I just ordered a new lens yesterday afternoon from B&H. UPS tracking says I will have it in hand by tomorrow afternoon. Usually I have things from B&H the next day but yesterday was a holiday. That's with the free shipping. How can you beat that? Unless the store down the street has the item on the shelf they will have to order it. How long will that take? With the stock B&H has I've never had to wait for an order. If I wanted to be hands-on before buying then I would have to take that drive. Even then I might still end up buying on line, depending on any price difference. It's hard to beat B&H or some of the other big retailers for price and convenience.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

LFingar wrote:

A ten minute walk wouldn't get me anywheres near a... (show quote)

Right!

SX2002 Loc: Adelaide, South Australia

So, it's distance "thing", fair enough...as for having to wait for my store to order things in, never had that problem as I deal with a reputable company...can actually hold the item in my hands rather than imagine it from a PC pic and buy right off the shelf...30 minute turn around time unless I gab too much... :lol:
As I'm a long time customer I always get a big discount off already great prices...

LFingar Loc: Claverack, NY

SX2002 wrote:

So, it's distance "thing", fair enough...as for having to wait for my store to order things in, never had that problem as I deal with a reputable company...can actually hold the item in my hands rather than imagine it from a PC pic and buy right off the shelf...30 minute turn around time unless I gab too much... :lol:
As I'm a long time customer I always get a big discount off already great prices...

Both ways have their advantages, especially when you factor in the distance to the store. Besides, ordering online eliminates the need for me to walk into a photography store with a live credit card in my pocket!