[GordZ]

Hello Fellow Pentax Shooters,
Looking to purchase a HD DA 55-300 4.5-6.3 DE PLM WR Lens
Called 2 Canadian Distributors (Henry's & Downtown Camera)
Down Town will call me back with price Delivery didn't have the Lens Listed.
Henry's after some searching found the lens but couldn't give price or availability. Only way to order it was to come into one of their stores to order it. (2hrs away). Also said Richo/Pentax is a bad probably non existent company. Don't service their products unless sent to New York. I said I was happy shooting with my KP just thought I would treat myself to this Lens. Then he said it was probably discontinued since it was not in his catalogue. He didn't want to service me. Checked with Amazon & they list it can have it for about $475 in a week. Why can't we have good representative from Richo/Pentax with our dealers. What is with this Pentax company?
We should all give them a bit of a shake as Sony, Olympus, Cannon & Nikon are leaps ahead in advertising, service, dealer knowledge and incentives.
Loyal but frustrated
Gord

[mattt]

My experience with Henry's when it comes to Pentax is "dolts".

Service is offered by a 3rd party in Toronto (they closed the shop that was on Argentia after Ricoh acquisition)

Supply chain is an issue, and I suspect a pending price increase.

I've been waiting for 6 weeks for a GRiii (my local B&M Fotosource store - Talk to Joan - she's a straight shooter and caters to a number of local pentaxians).
Another localish shop in St Catharines is a bit tougher to deal with due to low volumes, but Tim can be helpful at times. He's actually got one listed on his website.

I've almost pulled the trigger on a K3 iii a couple times now.. (cameracanada.com).

I think if you're looking to play with it / handle it you're best to connect up with a local pentaxian. (unfortunately I do not have the PLM version of 55-300)

[vector]

I have had no problems getting Pentax gear from a number of retailers and haven't had any of them say anything bad about Pentax or the gear. Actually they have all be quite positive. Most of my stuff is bought in person but they all sell online.

The Camera Store

Camera Canada

McBain Camera

London Drugs

Actually of those options Camera Canada is closest to you and has the PLM in stock: Camera Canada :: Pentax :: 55-300mm f4.5-6.3 HD DA ED PLM WR RE Lens

[FozzFoster]

+1 for McBain camera

They actually have a used 55-300 PLM for sale right now:
https://www.mcbaincamera.com/productdetail.php?mcbain_id=U8902333

$389.99 CAD

[c.a.m]

Actually of those options Camera Canada is closest to you

I'd vouch for Camera Canada (located in London -- B&M store and online). I've ordered several Pentax items from them, most recently a K-3 Mark III, and have received exceptional customer service. They stock a lot of Pentax and are well aware of the brand.

Henry's after some searching found the lens but couldn't give price or availability. Only way to order it was to come into one of their stores to order it. (2hrs away). Also said Richo/Pentax is a bad probably non existent company. Don't service their products unless sent to New York. I said I was happy shooting with my KP just thought I would treat myself to this Lens. Then he said it was probably discontinued since it was not in his catalogue.

Sounds like a pretty aloof staff member. Henry's doesn't stock Pentax, so their knowledge is variable.

- Craig

[AlwaysAl]

Share your concerns with Henry's, not helpful or interested. For my Pentax needs, use three outlets
Camera Canada in London, ON ( Welcome to Camera Canada - Canada's dot.com for Cameras ) - great customer service, and Pentax inventory. They have an online chat function and very responsive.
Burlington Camera ( https://burlingtoncamera.com ) -- great customer service, Pentax inventory varies but can order and will give you and honest answer on delivery/availability. Great selection of used and vintage cameras and lenses
BJ Photo in Waterloo ( Home Page BJ Photo (Canada) | Since 1984 | Waterloo, Ontario's Camera Store and Professional Lab ) -- a small obscure shop with reasonable Pentax inventory -- great customer service and they know their products, Seemingly this shop attracts a lot of shooters and, although not evidenced on their web site, they have an ongoing flow of used equipment for review.

Locally, Sun Camera repair is the factory authorized repair centre for Pentax ( Sun Camera Service Ltd. - Home ) -- I've used these folks a couple of times and been treated well.

[rvandenbrink]

Another recommendation for Camera Canada from me. I’m close enough that I can drive there, bought my 55-300 PLM there - great people!

[ProfessorBuzz]

Share your concerns with Henry's, not helpful or interested. For my Pentax needs, use three outlets
Camera Canada in London, ON ( Welcome to Camera Canada - Canada's dot.com for Cameras ) - great customer service, and Pentax inventory. They have an online chat function and very responsive.
Burlington Camera ( https://burlingtoncamera.com ) -- great customer service, Pentax inventory varies but can order and will give you and honest answer on delivery/availability. Great selection of used and vintage cameras and lenses
BJ Photo in Waterloo ( Home Page BJ Photo (Canada) | Since 1984 | Waterloo, Ontario's Camera Store and Professional Lab ) -- a small obscure shop with reasonable Pentax inventory -- great customer service and they know their products, Seemingly this shop attracts a lot of shooters and, although not evidenced on their web site, they have an ongoing flow of used equipment for review.

Locally, Sun Camera repair is the factory authorized repair centre for Pentax ( Sun Camera Service Ltd. - Home ) -- I've used these folks a couple of times and been treated well.

I've had very good service from all 4 of the above. Sun Camera handled a 645 lens warranty issue - although the lens had to go to the Phillipines!
Burlington Camera will order anything for you, and has bins full of odd parts and accessories, a great used inventory, and the staff are first rate. They don't stock as much as they used to (Covid will do that to a business).
Camera Canada (formerly McKittricks) has stock on a lot of Pentax stuff - sadly no medium format anymore - I got my HD Limited 21mm there recently.
The people at BJ Photo are humble, quiet, and kind, and very patient. I've been back many times.

I used to love Downtown camera, but they basically dropped Ricoh.
I think the former Ricoh/Pentax rep that supported all the stores must have retired, and Ricoh Imaging did not replace that person.
Canon and Nikon have big operations around Toronto, and support the dealers more.

[AlwaysAl]

Sounds like a pretty aloof staff member. Henry's doesn't stock Pentax, so their knowledge is variable.

I still use Henry's for disposables like printer cartridges, etc. At one point (they got a lot of "Pentax" money from me over the years) they were enjoyable to deal with. Reminiscing, a trip to their Outlet on Queen Street (Downtown Toronto) was always an adventure and you never knew what kind of deals awaited. In those days, they seemed to have knowledgeable staff and people that could entertain a conversation with you about the products. Today, there seems to be a consistent turnover of staff who seemingly are told what to sell. Had many staffers tell me that Pentax was either going to be or was bankrupt and their inventory was a reflection of that concern. Further, many of these folks seemingly have no deep comparative knowledge of the products they are selling (I guess the glitz of the store is supposed to eliminate that need). Often wonder if behind the scenes the other featured brands offer more incentives to the sales managers hence the sales direction that is communicated to the staff. Many years ago, had a discussion with the owner of an A/V store in the infancy of video; he gave great oversight to the Japanese marketing model with Sony (remember the Betamax) having the least mark up and promotional considerations compared to the other makes (win a trip to Japan level of promotion to sales staff). He equated this to the quality of the product and often think this may have some relevance to the whole Pentax situation today. With respect to Henry's and the Pentax offering, I don't feel bad, thinking I'd probably get the same "deer in the headlights" look if you mentioned Leica; quality is perhaps above their comprehension.

[ProfessorBuzz]

Reminiscing, a trip to their Outlet on Queen Street (Downtown Toronto) was always an adventure and you never knew what kind of deals awaited. In those days, they seemed to have knowledgeable staff and people that could entertain a conversation with you about the products.

That was just down the road from the Church street location which used to be the flagship, and if I'm not mistaken, is the current (beautifully renovated) location for Downtown Camera.

Had many staffers tell me that Pentax was either going to be or was bankrupt and their inventory was a reflection of that concern

The irony of course is that Cranbrook Glen Enterprises (second owners of Henry's for decades) folded after they opened the fancy new "apple stores" with no inventory. The owner's daughter managed a reboot with different corporate ownership.


The current "Henry's outlet" on Dundas in Mississauga can be fun for a visit - I've gotten a couple of great deals.

[c.a.m]

To be fair, I do buy some stuff from my local Henry's, which is a 20-minute walk from my house. The staff is generally pleasant and positive; I've overheard them providing pretty reasonable advice to customers, including one recommendation of a lower-priced camera over a high-end model. They're my go-to place for accessories such as filters, bags, straps, cleaners, etc.

Anyways, there are alternatives in Canada, including real stores in many (most?) of the larger urban centres. None of the several shops in Ottawa stock Pentax, though.

- Craig

[jgnfld]

I still use Henry's to look at their used gear from time to time as they sometimes have good deals and do warrant their gear for a time. For all else, like new gear, they are pretty worthless. The other options listed here in this thread are FAR better.

vistek.ca is another site I have used that has not been mentioned that sells Pentax and even advertises it on front pages.

[mattt]

I still use Henry's to look at their used gear from time to time as they sometimes have good deals and do warrant their gear for a time. For all else, like new gear, they are pretty worthless. The other options listed here in this thread are FAR better.

vistek.ca is another site I have used that has not been mentioned that sells Pentax and even advertises it on front pages.

my experience with Vistek is outright disdain for Pentax. If you're not a Pro, they dont have time for you and anyone shoots Pentax CANT be a pro... i did by my printer and a bag or two there, and occassionally stock up on papers/inks there.

[AlwaysAl]

my experience with Vistek is outright disdain for Pentax. If you're not a Pro, they dont have time for you and anyone shoots Pentax CANT be a pro... i did by my printer and a bag or two there, and occassionally stock up on papers/inks there.

Also my experience with Vistek...if you're not professional, you have no place in their store. Locally, I think Henry's and Vistek exchange staff to ensure there's that consistent "holier than thou" approach.

[jacamar]

The Henry's website is worth checking for used Pentax lenses.
We shouldn't forget Aden Camera, also in downtown Toronto. I pre-ordered my K-3 III from them and according to their website they have the K-3 III and the Ricoh GRIII and GRIIIx in stock. I bought a K1000 from them, back in ancient times.