Camera shops?

[fuzzystone]

I'm considering treating myself to a digital SLR, and wonder how prices compare in Florida? Does anyone know of any good camera shops -that display the prices upfront? ;) I'm not sure whether the price difference would be enough to make it worthwhile (especially if I had to pay VAT and duty when I came home.)

[Andre]

It's not usually worth it - certainly avoid the electronics shops in Kissimmee, etc. Ritz in the Florida Mall are reputable, as are Circuit City/Best Buy/etc. You could even try WalMart. Watch out for warantee issues too (for example, the Canon 400D - or Digital Rebel range in the USA - is NOT covered outside of the USA although ironically Canon lenses ARE covered worldwide)

But to save any money, you really need to get mail-order delivered to you - check out www.bhphotovideo.com (http://www.bhphotovideo.com) for some ideas on prices.

And as you say, if you get charged VAT & duty on your return to the UK then any small gains will be wiped out.

Andre

[james weir]

Most of the cameras on sale in the US have different model numbers,you
will find online sellers in the UK are usually lower than US prices.In the US
warranties are usually for 90 days and due to importer agreements the
warranty is only valid in the US,hence the different model numbers.

[Ruth]

Don't bother - my DH was looking for one last year and went everywhere. Some of the 'specialist' shops didn't know the technical details about them and if you are after a digital SLR then you're likely to be over you allowance.

I have just this minute ordered a Canon 400D from Tesco direct for under £400 and canon have a £50 cashback offer going too. I also went through Quidco and used 2 discount vouchers so it's working out at inder £340 - plus clubcard points and Amex points! If you live near a big store and can collect then you can save another £4.85 delivery.

I would suggest you treat yourself now, knowing you've a UK guarantee and then you've time to get used to it before going on hols!.

PM me if you want the tessco codes or website where i saw the deal.

happy snapping !

Ruth

[Andre]

That's an excellent price on the 400D from Tescos, and it's a fabulous camera. I agree, snap it up now [sorry about the pun].

Andre

[Ruth]

Andrew - do you know what memory card i need to get - it's a b'day pressie so trying to keep it a secret - can't very well ask him !

Ruth

[Andre]

Compact Flash - get a nice big one, maybe 2GB or 4GB, or at least a couple of 1 GBs. I tend to prefer two smaller cards rather than one huge one. Also might be worth getting a decent speed one, like SanDisk Ultra III for example, or Lexar x133. Something like http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-CompactFlash-GB-ULTRA-II/dp/B0007QU6WY/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/202-0468426-6873428?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1175961421&sr=8-3 should be fine.

The Canon 400D is a very nice camera, he'll love it.

Andre

[Malcolm]

www.ritzcameras.com there prices are close on what Jesups cameras are, if you were to go in and say you can get it cheeper in UK they often have an up to date jesups catalouge under the counter..

[Ruth]

Thanks Andre - I don't do the 'techy' stuff. Will have a look on Amazon

Ruth

[Serendipity]

There was a story in the Orlando Sentinel where a UK guest had been overcharged by around $800 on a camera he bought from a well known camera shop on the 192. The case was taken up by a 'Champion for the People' type columnist in the Sentinal but the story that went with it was a warning to all tourists to VERY carefully check prices before you part with your cash and don't assume prices will be cheaper here in the US. The guy did get his money refunded in the end but I bet he really didn't need the hassle he had to go through.
I bought online recently from a US camera store and really do regret it. Three months down the line and I'm still $600 out of pocket and still fighting. Mine wasn't a case of not checking prices, I did so very carefully before I bought, they just a blatantly ripped me off!
Same with a Toshiba laptop I bought here last year. I will never buy anything like that over here again. Two VERY costly mistakes to the tune of $1800 and lots of legal wrangels I really can do without.

[Andre]

Be very, very wary of using online Camera retailers in the states. There are a couple that I'd trust, the main one being www.bhphotovideo.com (http://www.bhphotovideo.com) who IMHO are a 100% trustworthy professional camera dealer with years of experience. Many of the rest are complete shysters, but with flashy looking websites. Check out the link below for "CCI Camera City (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1734.html)" for some customer feedback on one US dealer.

Here's a summary of a posting I made a while back on a US Disney Photography board:

Re: some of the cheaper US Internet retailers, such as GeniusCamera.com, Royal Camera, USA Photo Nation, InfinitiPhoto.com or CCICemera City

After a bit of online research DO NOT TOUCH any of the above even with a very long bargepole. They are all based in Brooklyn, and although they hide the fact, many are actually the same company - and all are allegedly "bait and switch" scammers. i.e. the sort of place that will offer you a great price on a camera, then once you've checked stock levels and placed the order you'll get a phone call to "security check your card details", during which they will high-pressure sell you very expensive addons, tell you that batteries and chargers are not included in their price (i.e. they've removed them from the manufacturer's box and you'll have to pay lots extra for them), etc.

And if you do hold out, suddenly the camera is out of stock and there's a 4-6 week waiting time for more deliveries... Also there are some (possibly completely unrelated, of course) stories of card fraud occuring soon after dealing with these sort of companies. Well, draw your own conclusions.

For more information, during my research I found a few very useful online resources for potential photographic purchasers (and a fascinating tour into the darker areas of human nature in some cases):

SheddingSomeLight.com (http://sheddingsomelight.com/buy-cameras/cameras-index.html) (company backgrounds and details of some of these 'dealers')

Don Wiss's Brooklyn Stores photo web page (http://donwiss.com/pictures/BrooklynStores/) (a heroic guy who cycles round Brooklyn taking photos of the real store-front addresses of these places)

ResellerRatings.com (http://www.resellerratings.com/) (perhaps best of all for potential purchasers of any electronic goods, gives impartial comments and ratings of hundreds of dealers based on direct consumer feedback. Just for the sheer fright-factor, try this one: CCI Camera City (http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1734.html), aka Royal Camera, aka The Camera Source)

I hope my research and some of the above links can help someone else out. Suffice to say I've narrowed my US purchasing options down to a few: B&H (obviously), Cameta Camera (lots of very good online reviews and decent prices & package options too), 17th Street, and maybe Adorama (although their ratings have slipped a bit recently).

Needless to say, I went with B&H PhotoVideo and got perfect service and good prices from them.

Andre

[Serendipity]

I wish I had seen your post first. We used www.expresscameras.com (http://www.expresscameras.com) and have been completely ripped off. Now I have to go through the hassle of claims via the credit card company to try and get my money back. After confronting them with the fact they had blatantly lied to us they agreed to a refund. We returned the items to them and now can't get an answer. They now have the the products back AND our cash! This has been going on since January and is very annoying.

[rusty30]

I remember going into one of the shonky camera places on the 192 once. We wanted a teleconverter for our camera and knew we could get one at home for about £120. We thought it might be cheaper in the US.

DH went in and saw one behind the counter (not priced). He asked the guy and he didnt even blink, just said "$650". DH just turned round to walk out and the guy shouted after him "How about I do it for $300 then?"!!!!!!!

We both realised right then that these places were as dodgy as hell and have never been back. Ritz camera at the Florida Mall is OK, but not especially cheap. You are better off sourcing a deal from home - you will nearly always find someone willing to pricematch.

[Andre]

I wish I had seen your post first. We used www.expresscameras.com (http://www.expresscameras.com) and have been completely ripped off.

You sure have. I'm so sorry you didn't see my earlier post on this subject (I've posted the above info on the DIBB before). Have you now checked these scam artists out on the websites I listed, they are one of the worst offenders by the looks of it.

If you paid on credit card and the other party have promised a refund which they have not issued, the card company should sort it out for you directly without too much hassle.

Andre