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I need and would appreciate advice on purchasing a camera
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Jul 17, 2014 14:56:08   #
jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania
 
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)

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Jul 17, 2014 15:02:34   #
AndyCE Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
 
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)


Hi James, and welcome!
I personally haven't dealt with either store yet, but will on my next purchase of a lens. However, many people on UHH have, and I haven't seen one negative post about either store.
Andy

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Jul 17, 2014 15:04:20   #
GAH1944 Loc: SW Mich.
 
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)


in my opinion, both are honorable dealers. I've purchased from both. also, Amazon.----------good luck

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Jul 17, 2014 15:10:05   #
boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander
 
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)


I have used both and they are both first rate. Cameta Camera is another trustworthy outfit. Also don't forget Camera Cottage. It's run by a regular here. MT Shooter.

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Jul 17, 2014 15:13:32   #
minniev Loc: MIssissippi
 
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)


We lack photo stores too so all my purchases are online. I have purchased cameras and lenses from Adorama and B&H, and have never had a bad service experience with either one. Both are reputable and experienced. I have also purchased cameras from Cameta and from Amazon, also with good experiences. I have had phone discussions with Cameta and Adorama (to clarify questions before ordering), and found them helpful, knowledgeable and courteous. I once bought a camera from Abes of Maine and the camera was fine but they worried me to death trying to sell me extra stuff that I didn't need so I didn't use them again.

Some online retailers close for Sabbath and Jewish holidays which can delay orders if you're in a huge hurry. Their sites will tell you if this is the case. This was a factor for me once when I had a broken camera and a plane reservation for a photo trip in less than 48 hours: Amazon got that order.

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Jul 17, 2014 15:16:21   #
Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.
 
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)


I buy most of my photographic equipment from B&H and have never had a problem. I've been buying from them for around 20 years, and have never used any other company (other than buying direct from Nikon) because I've always been happy with their service.
I would recommend refurbished over new or used.

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Jul 17, 2014 15:18:00   #
BigWahoo Loc: Kentucky
 
GAH1944 wrote:
in my opinion, both are honorable dealers. I've purchased from both. also, Amazon.----------good luck


I agree; I have also bought some used equipment from KEH It was better than described.

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Jul 17, 2014 15:20:53   #
DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX
 
I have purchased from B&H and have been extremely satisfied. Adorama enjoys a very good reputation also, but I cannot speak from personal experience regarding Adorama. MTShooter enjoys a very good reputation as well and you would be dealing with the owner. If you order online from B&H and Adorama by online, you won't pay taxes. Good luck and have fun.
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)

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Jul 17, 2014 15:30:29   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)

Both are excellent, and there are many other excellent dealers. See what each is charging for what you want. With brand name bodies, they will generally be about the same. If they are including lenses or other items, the prices can vary a bit. Avoid package deals that include a dozen items you'll never want or use.

When you decide on a particular camera, check back here and tell us what dealer you're considering. Ignore dealers that are advertising low prices for new items. Refurbished is good - my first choice when shopping.

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Jul 17, 2014 16:06:10   #
Hershel Loc: New York City
 
To all who spoke well of us, please accept our sincere thanks for the compliments and our gratitude for your patronage.

To Jamesl, please feel free to avail yourself of the many valuable free services B&H Photo offers regardless of where you make your purchase.

All the best.

HERSHEL

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Jul 17, 2014 16:39:42   #
amehta Loc: Boston
 
jamesl wrote:
I joined up to the group a few months back and follow it regularly. We have many talented and knowledgable people here. I am going to be looking to purchase a new, refurbished or used camera as soon as I can. I am retired and don't have a lot of extra money to work with so I need to be careful. I would like to know, what company would be the best to buy from. I have looked at some cameras advertised by "B&H Photo" and also some from "Adorama" as well as some others. I have had no personal experience with any of them. Does anyone here have any experience doing business with these two? Are they trustworthy and reliable? Also are there any other companies you have worked with and would recommend so I could check and see what they have to offer. I would go to a camera store locally if we had any, but we don't have any now. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, I just want to be sure I am dealing with someone reputable. Thanks. :)
I joined up to the group a few months back and fol... (show quote)

Both are excellent, both are very, very good at graciously accepting my money. :-D

For used gear, another good option is KEH. Their rating system is extremely conservative, which I think favors the buyer.

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Jul 17, 2014 17:05:05   #
onyxtiger Loc: Northern California
 
I've dealt with B&H, Adorama, and Cameta. B&H is wonderful. Out of their way customer service.

Cameta was good also.

Adorama was not so good for me, but others here speak highly of them. So Adorama is probably ok, too.

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Jul 17, 2014 17:16:28   #
SharpShooter Loc: NorCal
 
James, welcome to the Hog.
Both of those outfits are great to buy from.
I prefer to buy from Adorama. It's not be cause I feel they a any better to buy from, but they have an educational arm called Adorama TV. Their uTubes are the best learning videos on the Internet and I have used them a lot.
So my choice is to support them since I benefit a lot from Adorama TV. Outside of that, it's a toss-up. :thumbup:
SS

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Jul 17, 2014 17:36:05   #
jimni2001 Loc: Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA
 
As you can see there are some B&H folks here and they do a great job of taking care of us and I assume all of their customers. Adorama is also excellent. What kind of photography do you wish to pursue? I have also bought from Amazon but would suggest either of these other companies first though as they are companies that specialize in photographic equipment. Let us know what you get.

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Jul 17, 2014 18:09:06   #
jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania
 
boberic wrote:
I have used both and they are both first rate. Cameta Camera is another trustworthy outfit. Also don't forget Camera Cottage. It's run by a regular here. MT Shooter.


Thanks, I didn't know about them, but I will definitely check them too.

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