Photography
Related: About this forumHas anyone purchased from 42nd Street Photo?
I'm considering the Nikon 18-140mm f/3.5-5.6G ED AF-S DX (VR) Lens (67mm), as it is on at about 50% off for new.
Anyone ever use them?
Warren Stupidity
(48,181 posts)They rocked in the 80s. No clue about now.
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)If they've been around that long then I'm sure its fine.
elleng
(130,935 posts)bluedigger
(17,086 posts)I had no complaints - they've been around forever.
Major Nikon
(36,827 posts)I really don't know about today as I just don't keep up on the photography forums much anymore. However, longevity of business is really not a good measure for reputable camera shops. Especially in the NYC area, there's been shops that have been ripping people off for decades and they get away with it because much of their business comes from tourists and other assorted new buyers who have yet to be ripped off by them or just don't know they have been ripped off until they try to get warranty service on their grey market camera and realize Nikon USA will tell them to go fly a kite. Or they call you up AFTER they have your credit card number and tell you they are out of the product you just ordered, but they have a 3rd party product that is "just as good" and keep you on the phone for 30 minutes working the hard sell before they accept your cancellation.
It's really hard to beat the prices at B&H and Adorama, both of which have top notch reputations among shutterbugs. If someone is beating them significantly, then there's probably a reason which you may not like. This is especially true of new Nikon and Canon products as the manufacturers pretty much set the prices for their dealers. If they aren't beating them significantly, then the reputation of the two aforementioned retailers are worth the difference. Cameta isn't bad either. Ritz/Wolf are fine, but their prices tend to be a bit higher. All of these places have solid return policies if you aren't satisfied. I will never deal with Abe's of Maine, or 42nd Street based on personal experience and reputation. I'm not real fond of Beach Camera either.
CurtEastPoint
(18,646 posts)Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)I'm just recently in the market for camera equipment. I've used B&H, and was very happy. The price at 42nd Street is tempting, but I don't need a bad experience.
groundloop
(11,519 posts)I bought a camera from them around a year ago. After I'd placed the order I received a call on the pretense of verifying some information. That quickly turned into a hard-sell sales pitch to try and sell me a bunch of over-priced stuff I didn't need or want.
Also, when I got the camera (I bought just the body) I noticed that it was part of a complete kit (w/lens) which had had the lense taken out - so obviously they sell 'white box' lenses. I'm not sure about this, but I'm pretty sure that you can't get factory warranty service on lenses sold like that, so in my book these guys are shady.
Adsos Letter
(19,459 posts)I finally googled some reviews for the place, and it looks like these days their business model is based on the ol' bait and switch.
I'm glad I asked before I made a purchase.
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Response to Adsos Letter (Reply #9)
csziggy This message was self-deleted by its author.
Stevenmarc
(4,483 posts)Was always a crappy shopping experience, I prefer B&H or Adorama.
TheSnapshotCafe
(14 posts)My grandfather had one before. I still keep it