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IS B and H the best place
to buy equipment in NY? Mar 11 06 08:34 am Link I buy just about all of my equipment from them.... I am in South Carolina. They deliver very fast and their prices are comparable to many other vendors. Ron [image]http://www.roncasasphotography.com/images/Banner_copy.jpg[/image] Mar 11 06 08:37 am Link Ron Casas wrote: thanks as I am from New york and have always freequented them for video equipment and some still photography equipmet, I need input on the digital matters...now I am in GA, just want other opinions Mar 11 06 08:40 am Link It is by far the most reputable, At least you can come back there and return things with little or no hassle. I have made purchases there since 1990 and had no problems to date. Of course, you might want to bring something there used to sell and not get a good return price for your gear, but they sell used really low priced for the most part too. For a more personal experience, you can try PhotoGizmo on 26th between 6/7th. Or Profoto in the same area. Mar 11 06 08:40 am Link I go to B&H to play, but Adorama to buy. Mar 11 06 08:41 am Link Brian Diaz wrote: okay tell me about Adorama.... Mar 11 06 08:42 am Link images by elahi wrote: Yeah... and Adorama. Mar 11 06 08:43 am Link UdoR wrote: thanks..... Mar 11 06 08:44 am Link I have nothing against B&H however I prefer to shop at my local photo stores and support my community. If it cost me a little more money it's woth it if I have a problem I can go right back to them. you can also buils a repore with store and network. I shop locally. Mar 11 06 08:46 am Link i tried to do that when i shopped for a nikon D2x but due to the relatively low sales volume the local store was not allowed to sell the D2x. for hgh dollar stuff like the 500f/4 i cannot afford to buy locally though. i have bought a lot of equipment from B&H. there is also a pretty good source for used equipment that i use in atlanta. google KEH Mar 11 06 09:00 am Link My vote is also for adorama when i need stuff in NYC. B and H have some serious issues with being pleasant to the customer, and I have never seen so many yellowing white shirts in my life!!!!! ewwww Mar 11 06 09:02 am Link I have used B&H for years, and I reside in Michigan. They are relaible, and they do not practice bait and switch or other sleazy practices that give certain vendors bad names. If you are in Manhattan, visit their very unique store. You select what you want, and then a conveyor system sends everything to a checkout station. For a photographer it is the ultimate toy store. It is only two blocks from Penn Station/Madison Square Garden. Mar 11 06 09:04 am Link photofashion wrote: well the Hasadim are a people unto themselves so I am never offended by them..I know what you mean though..In all my years in NY I have never heard of Adorama....please tell me about them Mar 11 06 09:04 am Link UdoR wrote: The difference at Calumet is the customer service is first rate . It's much more personal . Visiting B&H is like being herded like cattle. The Prices there cant be beat though. Also B&H is a very reputable store. There are a couple of scam stores based in brooklyn that do mail order. Actually I think its one company operating under a few different names. They are easy to spot because of their ads. You will see a riduculously low price for something (a D200 or $1100 or $999 or SONY Z1U for $3000 for instance) . And they tell you the battery and charger etc... are all extra equipment that has to ordered seperately. I will dig for the name of that company and post links to complaints against them. Mar 11 06 09:06 am Link Christopher Lewis wrote: this is true,,,,,but i never YET seen any one of them smile...miserable buggers, Mar 11 06 09:06 am Link images by elahi wrote: Yes. Mar 11 06 09:07 am Link Stephen Bodi wrote: so the prices are better at B and H... Mar 11 06 09:07 am Link John Pringle wrote: ??? Mar 11 06 09:08 am Link Christopher Bush wrote: really? what options do you know of? Mar 11 06 09:09 am Link adorama is good too. B&H and adorama are usually price competitive. my experience is that Calumet is a little more. but they will sell to you on friday afternoon and saturday  Mar 11 06 09:11 am Link images by elahi wrote: better than calumet on most things, but calumet will match b&h's price if you simply must buy it on a saturday. Mar 11 06 09:13 am Link Christopher Bush wrote: Yeah , their used prices kind of suck. Mar 11 06 09:15 am Link images by elahi wrote: used gear at adorama is priced better, but make sure you inspect it closely. and never believe their website. i usually buy used from keh.com. Mar 11 06 09:15 am Link Christopher Bush wrote: yes on KEH Mar 11 06 09:17 am Link the other cool thing about b&h is the express checkout. go on the website and make a list of the item numbers you need. call up and open an order (make sure you specify you'll be picking it up in the store). go in with the order number to the express checkout and watch all your stuff scramble along the ceiling in little carts. it's like the jewish santa's workshop! Mar 11 06 09:19 am Link Stephen Bodi wrote: they would rather lose a sale of two second hand lens totalling over 3,000 dollars rather than throw in a free lens hood to close the deal. Mar 11 06 09:20 am Link I've been purchasing through B&H and Adorama for 20 years ... Not a single solitary compalint on my end .. Tomi Mar 11 06 09:24 am Link Christopher Bush wrote: while the santa remark might be considered offensive to some..THAT SHIT IS FUNNY AS HELL! LOL Mar 11 06 09:26 am Link Never had a problem with B&H. great folks. If your in Georgia you'll learn to shop over the net!! Wait til you see the prices at Showcase and the other local retailers. Buckle up if you want to "support locally". EBay has forced a lot of the players to get competitive or get out. If B&H is remotely close to what I find to be the best price, I'd rather go with them or Adorama whom I've bought from also. Hope this helps, and welcome to Ga! Mar 11 06 09:27 am Link images by elahi wrote: when you go there, you'll know what i mean. Mar 11 06 09:27 am Link Christopher Bush wrote: Oh I have been going for years..I KNOW Mar 11 06 09:27 am Link A personal visit to B&H is worth it if only to see guys dressed like they're in a 19th century Polish stetl, surrounded by the most cutting-edge technology. Those product-moving gondolas by themselves are something! As someone said, it's a photographer's toy store! Mar 11 06 10:16 am Link B&H ... rocks for mail order photo gear, They are #1 in sales, they do about 48 mil. a year. Godd Luck! ... Rick Mar 11 06 10:23 am Link I specifically avoided B&H, and bought a big purchase at Alkit recently. Glad I did and here's why. During a shoot a couple weeks ago, my camera failed. It needed to go back to Canon, and I had shoots scheduled for each of the next five days - I was genuinely screwed. I called Alkit, and with approval from the owner, they loaned me the same model camera as mine from the rental dept. You WILL NOT get that type of service from B&H. They're generally quite rude in fact. It's worth it sometimes to pay just a few dollars more. I can't say enough good things about Alkit Camera - the service is beyond anybody else in the city, IMO. Cheers, Martini Mar 11 06 10:44 am Link Can B&H be rude, yes...at times it feels like you are wearing an invisible suit. However, they have everything I need and I'm not going there to make friends anyway. So, yes to B&H. Adorama and Calumet are good to. If you need the warm and fuzzy feeling and want to feel liked, then go to Calumet...they are much friendlier, and open on Saturdays. Mar 11 06 10:51 am Link I used to buy from B&H all the time -- even got a couple of small items from them last week. They are, hands down, my favorite mail-order dealer. I've had good success with them over the last 10-15 yrs. Now I try to buy everything locally, and only go to mail-order when the local dealer doesn't have something I'm looking for, and can't get it soon. Even though I may spend a few $ more, the service/support I can get locally is worth much more than the savings. Besides, I tend to get better deals than advertised locally - so it's hard to knock that! :-) Mar 11 06 11:08 am Link Never buy anything from rude motherf..kers! Customer service is the key. I have had local salespeople explain how to use equipment. tell me which will break or had complaints. So no B&H. rude rude rude rude ! I have even bought equipment in Canada at Henry's - fully reccommend them - salespeople talk to you like a person. As soon as a saleperson gives me that "gucci' behavior - you mean you dont know this , we are so superior routine - piss on them. I will never lay $1500 on someone or store that has shitty customer service. Mar 11 06 11:25 am Link images by elahi wrote: In terms of just having what you need .... hell yeah Mar 11 06 11:30 am Link Brian Diaz wrote: Oh yeah - that place is the best! Mar 11 06 11:33 am Link i promise not to turn this into a cultural conversation but I once picked up an out of print paperback on The Hasadim in Wliiamsburg and read it...after that I REALLY understtood B and H and didnt take stuff personal...I was like,,"Oh Oh so Im Black and you dont see me..." LOL No, if youre not HAssdim, they just might see you......and it really is a cultural thing Mar 11 06 11:34 am Link |
