Advice Needed on USAPhotoNation.com

[Martha]

I am buying my first digital SLR camera and want a Canon Rebel I need only the body since my son-in-law has Canon cameras and will give me a few lenses. He has used this site in the past for different things but I wondered if anyone here has used them recently to buy a camera. I'm looking at this (http://www.usaphotonation.com/prodshelf.asp?sortby=mfg_name&dept_id=2525&shelf_id=&pagenum=2)page. Here are 2 camera descriptions:
CANON
EOS400D Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Black Body Only) (EOS-400D, EOS 400D, XTi)
Price: $249.00
CANON
EOS-350D Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only -Black) (EOS 350D, EOS350D)
Price: $219.00
CANON
EOS-350D Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only -Black) (EOS 350D, EOS350D)
Price: $299.00

The last 2 seem to me to be the same but why, I'm wondering, is there such a difference in price. I would really appreciate any help and advice that anyone can give. Thanks.
Martha

[JulieM]

Martha,

I'm afraid those prices seem just too good to be true. I did a quick search and found these reviews (http://www.epinions.com/USA_Photo_Nation_Online_Service/sec_~opinion_list/display_~reviews/pp_~1/pa_~1#list)at epinions.com. More could be found I'm sure if you search a bit more...

Julie

[Martha]

Thanks, Julie. They did seem awfully low but I supposed that it was because of the fact that no lenses were included, . That's why i posted here-I'm not too trusting about ordering online unless I either know the company or they are recommended by people I trust.
Martha

[JulieM]

You are definitely going to save money if you only need the camera body but from ads I've seen recently, I think the price will more likely almost 3 times what you saw from that vendor. I got an ad in the mail today from a local source and the xTI body was $729. I have never ordered camera equipment on-line but there are certainly reliable sources out there. B&H, for one, has an excellent reputation. I hope that you'll get some advice from others here who have experience with on-line vendors...

[Bayla]

Wow Julie,

I don't think I've ever seen such bad reviews and ratings for an online company before (& I do a lot of shopping online!)

Bayla

[JulieM]

Scary, isn't it? These are really big ticket items and one big concern is that you'll be caught without a valid manufacturer warranty. My very cautious brother-in-law inexplicably ordered his Nikon D200 on-line earlier this year from a vendor he wasn't familiar with. Red flags went up when it arrived and all the literature, both print and electronic, were in a language other than English. He guessed that the camera wasn't licensed to be sold in North America at all and was able to return it. He went back to B&H and I'm sure won't go anywhere else again...

[Stoney]

Martha, you might try this site for reviews on the cameras you have an interest.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
Click in the box where it says "All cameras alphabetically"; find the camera you are interested in and you will have all the info you can digest. You can go right to the "Conclusions" page and get a feel for the camera based on the testers comments. Then you can back track to the other pages if you are still interested in the camera after reading the conclusions.
Once you determine the one you like, go to Costco's website if you are a member, enter it in the search box. All cameras they sell does not always come up if you just go through the menus that leads to digital cameras. Their prices are competitive and the service is good.
Hope this helps a little.
David

[jo]

I think I tried to buy a camera from them -- ridiculously low price -- the order went through, but I got a message to call them. On the phone they tried to sell me the camera with lenses. I said I only needed the body. Then the "customer service rep" said the one at that price was in Chinese so I said cancel the order. And it took a lot of insisting to get it cancelled.

If it sounds too good to be true it's probably a come-on.

[Martha]

Thanks everyone for the replies. I can't click on any links anywhere on the forum tonight without my computer freezing up and me having to press Ctrl + Alt + De.. Microsoft says it's a Yahoo Browser problem. So frustrating!!

BHPhotoVideo.com was another site My son-in-law mentioned-he said they were reliable. He also told me to watch out for the language problem and for the salesmen trying to sell all sorts of other things--that's why I wanted to see what experiences others have had. I have some prices from B H and while they were higher, I guess you get what you pay for!

Stoney, I belong to Sam's club but there is a Cosco about an hour from me.

Again everyone, thank you so much!
Martha

[kImages]

Martha - I've used B&H a number of times. I always get good service and rapid delivery from them.

[lexcell]

B&H is a very reputable dealer. They do sell both USA and Import products but, they list them as such so you know what you are buying. DO NOT BUY IMPORT!!! Canon and Nikon will not repair, clean or even look at them for any price let alone under warranty.

As for the low price...even if B&H is not the lowest price, at least you can use them as a guage. If someone else has the same item for just a few dollars more or less it's likely to be legitimate. If they are as low as the dealer Martha asked about...run, don't walk the other way. You will be ripped off!

Basically all dealers pay the same price for cameras. If they take advantage of buying quantity there is a slight discount and if they pay by a certain time there is another discount. Otherwise, the prices are not that flexible.

Great job everyone on researching and coming up with some excellent information regarding this disreputable dealer.

[bayhli]

He went back to B&H and I'm sure won't go anywhere else again...

Julie,

Does your brother-in-law reside in Canada? I ask because I want to order from B&H but I find their shipping to be so extremely high it's ridiculous. I'm wondering if I am misinformed with regard to the actual shipping charge (I use their auto postal calculator) - perhaps it's lower than I think. Has he ever commented on it?

Anyone else in Canada purchase from B&H to comment on their shipping charges?

[JulieM]

Julie,

Does your brother-in-law reside in Canada? I ask because I want to order from B&H but I find their shipping to be so extremely high it's ridiculous. I'm wondering if I am misinformed with regard to the actual shipping charge (I use their auto postal calculator) - perhaps it's lower than I think. Has he ever commented on it?

Anyone else in Canada purchase from B&H to comment on their shipping charges?

Pat,

No, my brother-in-law is in the US. I've not ordered anything from B&H either. With the better-than-par exchange rate and Canadian prices having not yet adjusted downwards, its very tempting, isn't it? If you decide the shipping rate eats up the price advantage, though, you might try Vistek.ca (http://vistek.ca/). They recently opened an outlet here in Ottawa which I found to be very good. I've purchased from them in-store and their help staff was very knowledgeable and their selection seems to be wide.

[Woodmaker]

Here is a web site that is helpful in determining it's reliability..

http://www.resellerratings.com/

Tom

[Chuck S.]

Martha - I've used B&H a number of times. I always get good service and rapid delivery from them.

For anyone who has joined NAPP, B&H offers free shipping! Just took advantage of that for a new lens.

[JulieM]

Here is a web site that is helpful in determining it's reliability..

http://www.resellerratings.com/

Tom

Thanks, Tom. I've bookmarked that for future reference.

[JulieM]

For anyone who has joined NAPP, B&H offers free shipping! Just took advantage of that for a new lens.

Now, I wonder if that will apply to shipping to Canada...

[bayhli]

my brother-in-law is in the US

Julie, I'd sure be having my sister shop and mail for me - wonder if any of mine feel like moving. :D

I've ordered from Vistek a couple of times and they are pretty good, altho once they totally lost my online order. I'm finishing up my camera "needs" list from the U.S. and taking full advantage of our equal money while it lasts. I usually end up on Ebay with good results. CS3 is on it's way to me at great savings!