Where do Australians buy their NEW lenses from?

**Digitalis** · 07-20-2010, 07:13 AM

I get my gear from a brick and mortar shop here in Adelaide. I know the guy who owns the place really well, and he gives me good prices. Plus, I get to examine the hardware i'm buying to make sure there are no surprises when I take it home. I'm wary of buying online, however if a Voigtlander 125mm f/2.5 in pentax K mount and in good condition/w box+hood showed up on e-bay from a reputable seller, that lens would be Mine!

as moivous said, here in Adelaide the prices are a bit exorbitant, however I consider it a small price to pay for good customer service and piece of mind.

ndolling · 08-14-2010, 05:20 PM

Originally posted by ndolling

Interesting... Might have to give this a try for the DA*50-135...

I'd been waiting until the dollar went back above US$0.90, and it did recently, so I gave this a try.

I rang Ted's in Rundle St where I bought my K7 and had had good service. I related the story in Grimmus' post and the girl on the phone suggested I email their Pro/Govt sales rep, Simon.

I took a pdf of the printout from my cart at Adorama, showing their prices for the DA* 16-50, DA* 50-135, and DA* 55, related the story in Grimmus' post, as well as pointing out the claim on CR Kennedy's website about being globally competitive.

About half an hour later I had a very friendly call from CR Kennedy, asking for some more info, and then a couple of days later I got an email from Simon, with prices for all three which were between 15 and 20% better than the best price I could find locally.

I was pretty happy with this, but I asked if they could do better if I bought all three (hey - if you don't ask you never know), and while they said they couldn't, they did say that CRK had offered to throw in a Vanguard case!

They couldn't *match* the Adorama prices, but they got close, and I'm happy to pay the extra to look after the local guy (although they're probably not making much on it), and for the local warranty, so I've got all three on order

(my wife is hoping this will keep my LBA at bay for a few years).

Interestingly in my case, they said all the lenses would be ex-stock, so I don't know if this means Pentax Japan didn't come to the party as in Grimmus' experience. He also said that Adorama's prices were shaking things up a bit lately, so maybe CRK can start to use this to negotiate a bit of a better deal for us Aussies.

Anyway, kudos to Ted's for going the extra mile and kudos to CR Kennedy for looking after their customers, and to both of them for the friendly way they went about it... the whole experience for me was surprisingly refreshing.... last time I tried to get another big camera store in Rundle St to get closer to an internet price I had a much less friendly reception (and I've never been back as a result).

Nick

JayR · 08-15-2010, 05:03 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

I get my gear from a brick and mortar shop here in Adelaide. I know the guy who owns the place really well, and he gives me good prices. Plus, I get to examine the hardware i'm buying to make sure there are no surprises when I take it home.

[/I][/B]as moivous said, here in Adelaide the prices are a bit exorbitant, however I consider it a small price to pay for good customer service and piece of mind.

yeah, although i get a bit i can trust off ebay (FA ltds) i grab a fair bit of my stuff from Photoco in the central markets. They always look after me and do a decent price. Also CR Kennedy will basically price match anything on the net, and with all the SDM complaints, when i finally get around to picking up the 16-50 and 50-135, I'll probably get them that way so I have the warranty... I do like real customer service.

FWIW, i though Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers. Not a single Pentax camera or lens when i went in there... And kind of sniffy that I asked for more than Canon/Nikon.

**Digitalis** · 08-15-2010, 09:12 AM

" Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers."

I love those guys whenever I'm feeling depressed about the state of the world I go in and torture some of their reps with really hard questions hehehe

ndolling · 08-17-2010, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by JayR

FWIW, i though Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers. Not a single Pentax camera or lens when i went in there... And kind of sniffy that I asked for more than Canon/Nikon.

I guess things can change, and sadly you can come across those types anywhere... but I had quite a different experience when I was looking for the K7 back in April. They were about the only shop in the city centre that had any Pentax dslr gear on display.. They didn't have the K7 but they were friendly enough when I asked about it and quite happy to deal, even when i pointed out that their "special" advertised price on the K7 wasn't that special.

Their current catalog even has a page dedicated to Pentax.

JayR · 08-22-2010, 05:11 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

" Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers."

I love those guys whenever I'm feeling depressed about the state of the world I go in and torture some of their reps with really hard questions hehehe

haha, Im sure.

Photoco in the markets have been good to me though.

**Digitalis** · 08-22-2010, 05:36 AM

"Photoco in the markets have been good to me though."

yeah they are pretty good, I have seen some very rare photographic equipment in their store...it wasn't there for long of course!

jezza323 · 08-22-2010, 01:55 PM

ive only bought the 1 new lens, which was from citiwide on ebay, mainly because i had a 20% discount voucher to use with a paypal ebay purchase, along with $50 paypal credit. made it a very cheap lens

trublubiker · 08-24-2010, 05:26 AM

The Australian distributor has been having a lend of us for years.

There has been no change in their pricing since our dollar was around $US0.55.

They price matched a grey price when I got my Sigma 105 and I got my 40 Ltd last year when the dollar was in the mid 90's.

I have however noticed that the Sigma 150-500 is not too badly priced compared to o/seas, so I guess they have set their price to reflect the current buoyant oz dollar. There may be other lens too.
A Canadian website is selling the 14mm 2.8 for around $CAD580 whereas the local price is over $1000.

Must be some way we aussies can put a rocket up CRK and get them to be realistic with their pricing.

JayR · 08-24-2010, 07:50 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

yeah they are pretty good, I have seen some very rare photographic equipment in their store...it wasn't there for long of course!

for sure
they have a 67 in there now too.

Originally posted by trublubiker

Must be some way we aussies can put a rocket up CRK and get them to be realistic with their pricing.

they will generally try to match any grey import, but not ebay.
just take the quote you can find to them or your shop for them to go to CRK

I was going to do this for the 16-50 & 50-135 due to SDM risk, but recently found some online at stupid cheap price that would still be way lower than paying full price and getting a repair.
fingers crossed they arrive ok

but i still like going in the shop, buying a lens/accessory every now and then... they even had the sigma 150-500 in pentax to test out (as well as letting me crack off a few shots with the 645D when it was in store)

08-14-2010, 05:20 PM	#32
ndolling Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 27	Result! Originally posted by ndolling Interesting... Might have to give this a try for the DA50-135... I'd been waiting until the dollar went back above US$0.90, and it did recently, so I gave this a try. I rang Ted's in Rundle St where I bought my K7 and had had good service. I related the story in Grimmus' post and the girl on the phone suggested I email their Pro/Govt sales rep, Simon. I took a pdf of the printout from my cart at Adorama, showing their prices for the DA 16-50, DA* 50-135, and DA* 55, related the story in Grimmus' post, as well as pointing out the claim on CR Kennedy's website about being globally competitive. About half an hour later I had a very friendly call from CR Kennedy, asking for some more info, and then a couple of days later I got an email from Simon, with prices for all three which were between 15 and 20% better than the best price I could find locally. I was pretty happy with this, but I asked if they could do better if I bought all three (hey - if you don't ask you never know), and while they said they couldn't, they did say that CRK had offered to throw in a Vanguard case! They couldn't match the Adorama prices, but they got close, and I'm happy to pay the extra to look after the local guy (although they're probably not making much on it), and for the local warranty, so I've got all three on order (my wife is hoping this will keep my LBA at bay for a few years). Interestingly in my case, they said all the lenses would be ex-stock, so I don't know if this means Pentax Japan didn't come to the party as in Grimmus' experience. He also said that Adorama's prices were shaking things up a bit lately, so maybe CRK can start to use this to negotiate a bit of a better deal for us Aussies. Anyway, kudos to Ted's for going the extra mile and kudos to CR Kennedy for looking after their customers, and to both of them for the friendly way they went about it... the whole experience for me was surprisingly refreshing.... last time I tried to get another big camera store in Rundle St to get closer to an internet price I had a much less friendly reception (and I've never been back as a result). Nick

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07-20-2010, 07:13 AM	#31
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	I get my gear from a brick and mortar shop here in Adelaide. I know the guy who owns the place really well, and he gives me good prices. Plus, I get to examine the hardware i'm buying to make sure there are no surprises when I take it home. I'm wary of buying online, however if a Voigtlander 125mm f/2.5 in pentax K mount and in good condition/w box+hood showed up on e-bay from a reputable seller, that lens would be *Mine!* as moivous said, here in Adelaide the prices are a bit exorbitant, however I consider it a small price to pay for good customer service and piece of mind.

08-15-2010, 05:03 AM	#33
JayR Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Adelaide, SA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 273	Originally posted by Digitalis I get my gear from a brick and mortar shop here in Adelaide. I know the guy who owns the place really well, and he gives me good prices. Plus, I get to examine the hardware i'm buying to make sure there are no surprises when I take it home. [/I][/B]as moivous said, here in Adelaide the prices are a bit exorbitant, however I consider it a small price to pay for good customer service and piece of mind. yeah, although i get a bit i can trust off ebay (FA ltds) i grab a fair bit of my stuff from Photoco in the central markets. They always look after me and do a decent price. Also CR Kennedy will basically price match anything on the net, and with all the SDM complaints, when i finally get around to picking up the 16-50 and 50-135, I'll probably get them that way so I have the warranty... I do like real customer service. FWIW, i though Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers. Not a single Pentax camera or lens when i went in there... And kind of sniffy that I asked for more than Canon/Nikon.

08-15-2010, 09:12 AM	#34
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	" Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers." I love those guys whenever I'm feeling depressed about the state of the world I go in and torture some of their reps with really hard questions hehehe

08-17-2010, 02:46 PM	#35
ndolling Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Adelaide, Australia Posts: 27	Originally posted by JayR FWIW, i though Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers. Not a single Pentax camera or lens when i went in there... And kind of sniffy that I asked for more than Canon/Nikon. I guess things can change, and sadly you can come across those types anywhere... but I had quite a different experience when I was looking for the K7 back in April. They were about the only shop in the city centre that had any Pentax dslr gear on display.. They didn't have the K7 but they were friendly enough when I asked about it and quite happy to deal, even when i pointed out that their "special" advertised price on the K7 wasn't that special. Their current catalog even has a page dedicated to Pentax.

08-22-2010, 05:11 AM	#36
JayR Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Adelaide, SA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 273	Originally posted by Digitalis " Teds on Rundle Street were a pack of tossers." I love those guys whenever I'm feeling depressed about the state of the world I go in and torture some of their reps with really hard questions hehehe haha, Im sure. Photoco in the markets have been good to me though.

08-22-2010, 05:36 AM	#37
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	"Photoco in the markets have been good to me though." yeah they are pretty good, I have seen some very rare photographic equipment in their store...it wasn't there for long of course!

08-22-2010, 01:55 PM	#38
jezza323 Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brisbane Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,421	ive only bought the 1 new lens, which was from citiwide on ebay, mainly because i had a 20% discount voucher to use with a paypal ebay purchase, along with $50 paypal credit. made it a very cheap lens

08-24-2010, 05:26 AM	#39
trublubiker Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Hunter Valley NSW AUSTRALIA Posts: 143	The Australian distributor has been having a lend of us for years. There has been no change in their pricing since our dollar was around $US0.55. They price matched a grey price when I got my Sigma 105 and I got my 40 Ltd last year when the dollar was in the mid 90's. I have however noticed that the Sigma 150-500 is not too badly priced compared to o/seas, so I guess they have set their price to reflect the current buoyant oz dollar. There may be other lens too. A Canadian website is selling the 14mm 2.8 for around $CAD580 whereas the local price is over $1000. Must be some way we aussies can put a rocket up CRK and get them to be realistic with their pricing.

08-24-2010, 07:50 AM	#40
JayR Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Adelaide, SA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 273	Originally posted by Digitalis yeah they are pretty good, I have seen some very rare photographic equipment in their store...it wasn't there for long of course! for sure they have a 67 in there now too. Originally posted by trublubiker Must be some way we aussies can put a rocket up CRK and get them to be realistic with their pricing. they will generally try to match any grey import, but not ebay. just take the quote you can find to them or your shop for them to go to CRK I was going to do this for the 16-50 & 50-135 due to SDM risk, but recently found some online at stupid cheap price that would still be way lower than paying full price and getting a repair. fingers crossed they arrive ok but i still like going in the shop, buying a lens/accessory every now and then... they even had the sigma 150-500 in pentax to test out (as well as letting me crack off a few shots with the 645D when it was in store)