Buying a Canon 7D On-Line
February 5, 2010 11:08 AM Subscribe
Where's the best on-line deal for a Canon 7-D body from a safe, reputable dealer?
I found a dealer, American Digital and Video, www.amdv.com, that has them priced at $1352.00, however, they classify them as "import models" with a vague explanation as to what that means.
Any thoughts?
I found a dealer, American Digital and Video, www.amdv.com, that has them priced at $1352.00, however, they classify them as "import models" with a vague explanation as to what that means.
Any thoughts?
B&H and Adorama both have them for $1700. Don't buy anything remotely "vague" just to save a few hundies. Better deals won't be found at a small retailer, unfortunately.
posted by Juicy Avenger at 11:18 AM on February 5, 2010
posted by Juicy Avenger at 11:18 AM on February 5, 2010
Definitely buy it from a major retailer. There are a lot of scammers out there--check this fun page out.
But buying gray market is OK, if slightly risky. B&H offers it on a lot of stuff. Generally, it just means that the product is not covered by a US warranty (and the instructions may theoretically be in a foreign language). Some accessories may be for a foreign voltage--so you might have to get a US charger or adapter (generally, the battery and the camera don't care). Personally, I don't think it's worth it.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 11:19 AM on February 5, 2010
But buying gray market is OK, if slightly risky. B&H offers it on a lot of stuff. Generally, it just means that the product is not covered by a US warranty (and the instructions may theoretically be in a foreign language). Some accessories may be for a foreign voltage--so you might have to get a US charger or adapter (generally, the battery and the camera don't care). Personally, I don't think it's worth it.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 11:19 AM on February 5, 2010
Reviews of AMDV at Reseller Ratings.
"Import models" are often called "grey market". It means you get no US warranty. Truly shady companies don't tell you, so this place is one up on that.
posted by smackfu at 11:19 AM on February 5, 2010
"Import models" are often called "grey market". It means you get no US warranty. Truly shady companies don't tell you, so this place is one up on that.
posted by smackfu at 11:19 AM on February 5, 2010
"Import model" refers to it being a grey market item; it does not have a US warranty. Big reputable shops like Adorama and B&H sometimes sell grey market cameras and handle the warranty work for you. I'd trust them to do that, but I'd not be sure about a small retailer on the web that I've never heard of.
posted by zsazsa at 11:22 AM on February 5, 2010
posted by zsazsa at 11:22 AM on February 5, 2010
And while ResellerRatings looks good on the surface, there are all the signs of the classic Brooklyn camera experience: blipped out of existence in 2002, came back up around October 2009 for the holiday season (these operations change storefronts and domain names when they develop a stench); grey market imports, which raises the issue of warranty support; call back required for processing online orders, where you get the upsell on overpriced accessories.
The owners are working out of an address with a reputation, and say that they're not connected with the old management, but it's a Brooklyn camera dealer, and if you want to be perceived as a reputable camera dealer, you're better off not working out of Brooklyn.
Is your peace of mind worth $300? It's your call.
posted by holgate at 11:32 AM on February 5, 2010
The owners are working out of an address with a reputation, and say that they're not connected with the old management, but it's a Brooklyn camera dealer, and if you want to be perceived as a reputable camera dealer, you're better off not working out of Brooklyn.
Is your peace of mind worth $300? It's your call.
posted by holgate at 11:32 AM on February 5, 2010
Is your peace of mind worth $300? It's your call.
Oh, and bear in mind that those prices are to be taken with a road crew's worth of salt: on the "call back", you'll likely find that the $1352.00 model is on back order unless you buy sufficient overpriced accessories to cover their margin, at which point you'll likely be closer to the price offered by B&H or Adorama and still end up with a grey-market camera, possibly with an incompatible power adapter.
posted by holgate at 11:54 AM on February 5, 2010
Oh, and bear in mind that those prices are to be taken with a road crew's worth of salt: on the "call back", you'll likely find that the $1352.00 model is on back order unless you buy sufficient overpriced accessories to cover their margin, at which point you'll likely be closer to the price offered by B&H or Adorama and still end up with a grey-market camera, possibly with an incompatible power adapter.
posted by holgate at 11:54 AM on February 5, 2010
B&H.
If you're going used, buy B&H, don't buy from Adorama used. I've seen the used equipment you get from them (by shopping in the store) and it's not pretty. Stuff in bags, nothing's complete "Oh, you don't have a lens cap? Just grab it from that other camera", the bags are open & spilling stuff all over the place. The sales people are slimy too, at least some of them are.
B&H has a proper used department and I've never had a slimy sales person try to sell me more than I needed. B&H is 100% pro all the way.
As others here have said, import models are "grey market" and come sans warranty.
posted by MesoFilter at 11:56 AM on February 5, 2010
If you're going used, buy B&H, don't buy from Adorama used. I've seen the used equipment you get from them (by shopping in the store) and it's not pretty. Stuff in bags, nothing's complete "Oh, you don't have a lens cap? Just grab it from that other camera", the bags are open & spilling stuff all over the place. The sales people are slimy too, at least some of them are.
B&H has a proper used department and I've never had a slimy sales person try to sell me more than I needed. B&H is 100% pro all the way.
As others here have said, import models are "grey market" and come sans warranty.
posted by MesoFilter at 11:56 AM on February 5, 2010
If you're not in a hurry, check out deal sites like SlickDeals and FatWallet. I've seen several threads that make use of Bing Cash Back (BCB). The only downside is, that you have to wait to get your Bing rebate.
Example: This thread. I'm not sure if tigerdirect.com is an authorized reseller or not.
posted by aGee at 11:58 AM on February 5, 2010
Example: This thread. I'm not sure if tigerdirect.com is an authorized reseller or not.
posted by aGee at 11:58 AM on February 5, 2010
B&H is not only a very trustworthy retailer, they do a better than average job at posting competitive prices. I'd be leary of the condition of a Canon 7D that was several hundred dollars below their price.
posted by birdwatcher at 2:37 PM on February 5, 2010
posted by birdwatcher at 2:37 PM on February 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by santaliqueur at 11:14 AM on February 5, 2010 [1 favorite]