[Aardvark]

Hi all,

I travel a lot and I often enjoy visting different camera stores.


If you are ever in West Yorkshire, Janet Green Photogaphic in Halifax and Bradford Camera Exchange in Bradford stock Pentax and a reasonable range of lenses and accessories. I have bought with them for 25 years. Service is first class.


Can anyone give me any pointers as to a good Pentax stockist in the Orlando or Kissimmee ares of central Florida

If you are interested in guitars, I can recommend Georges Music at the top of I drive near Wet and Wild. Over the years we have bought 3 guitars and many many extras and we always get a 1st class service.

I hope that this type of thread is allowed

[Tord]

If you end up in the Gothenburg, Sweden, area, the best is Scandinavian Photo (Ågatan in Mölndal), that caters for pros, enthusiasts and amateurs, all treaded with great respect, and very knowledgeable staff. And yes, most of them handle English well enough! Just helped me with my K-5 problems (got a new one without any charge!). You can buy from Scandinavian Photo over the net, too, and their web site is (mostly) in both English and Swedish.

In Scotland I guess Ffordes is the best - I have found their prices decent, and knowledge unsurpassed. They deal mainly in used cameras and lenses, but have new gear, too! Most trade is over the internet.

[Don From The Radio]

Just stay away from Delaware in the U.S. the only two camera shops we have here are 100 miles from where I live and neither carries Pentax. Also, none of the shops in Philadelphia carry Pentax anymore. If I want to hold a K-5 before I buy one, I have to drive to New York and visit B&H in person.

Thank goodness for the Internet, I suppose.

[JACOBY]

Bernies Camera in Pgh Pa. Lots of good old camera gear and very good service they folks are great to chat with also.

[jogiba]

I don't understand the people that need to see a camera in person before they buy it. I purchased my first SLR that was a Canon Pellix QL w/58mm F1.2 in 1966 when I was in Alaska from a dealer in Hong Kong by mailorder and in 1984 I purchased the Pentax 6x7 system with ten lenses from 35mm Fish-eye to 400mm F4 and 1° Pentax digital spotmeter from another Hong Kong dealer by mail order. Do you not understand what you are getting or what ? Do you enjoy paying the higher price with sales tax ?

[eddie1960]

if you end up in toronto we have a good number of quality stores depending on what you want
For Pro level there is Pro Camera Store Canada - Shop for a Digital SLR, Camera Lens and more at Vistek, your Visual Technology Experts - Toronto Calgary Edmonton Ottawa Canada
Henrys Downtown id the Biggest store in the Chain Henry's Canada - Shop for Digital SLR Cameras, Digital Cameras, and Video Cameras
I prefer Downtown camera around the corner from them though better Staff been around eons Welcome to Downtown Camera - Notice the K5 body only for $984 Wow that's new
and also downtown is Aden Camera who generally have the lowest price but service is so so , i usually just get others to match them Aden Camera
There are also some really good specialist stores that don't carry Pentax (or for that matter much else mainstream ) but they are slowly going by the wayside as people retire. my favourite is about to close Harry's Pro Shop is a Camera Store based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

We really are spoiled her for choice compared to many other cities in North America

[RoxnDox]

I don't understand the people that need to see a camera in person before they buy it. I purchased my first SLR that was a Canon Pellix QL w/58mm F1.2 in 1966 when I was in Alaska from a dealer in Hong Kong by mailorder and in 1984 I purchased the Pentax 6x7 system with ten lenses from 35mm Fish-eye to 400mm F4 and 1° Pentax digital spotmeter from another Hong Kong dealer by mail order. Do you not understand what you are getting or what ? Do you enjoy paying the higher price with sales tax ?

I like to hold a ${THING} in my hands before I buy one, whether the final purchase is on line or over the counter. No matter how many times you look at pictures of it, or how many reviews you peruse, or how many times you pore over the technical specifications, you cannot tell how it's going to feel in your hands until it actually *sits* in your hands... And, if you find packing something up to return or exchange to be a royal Pain In The A** like I do, then doing the online purchase thing drops way down in desirability...

Some folks are fine with online, others prefer hands-on. Just one of those YMMV things, not necessarily anything to do with our level of understanding or desire to pay more...

Jim (camera was bought by wife as gift, in a good store - Rockbrook Camera in Nebraska. Lenses have been bought both in person and online...)

[bigted]

I like to hold a ${THING} in my hands before I buy one, whether the final purchase is on line or over the counter. No matter how many times you look at pictures of it, or how many reviews you peruse, or how many times you pore over the technical specifications, you cannot tell how it's going to feel in your hands until it actually *sits* in your hands... And, if you find packing something up to return or exchange to be a royal Pain In The A** like I do, then doing the online purchase thing drops way down in desirability...

Some folks are fine with online, others prefer hands-on. Just one of those YMMV things, not necessarily anything to do with our level of understanding or desire to pay more...

Jim (camera was bought by wife as gift, in a good store. Lenses have been bought both in person and online...)

I am totally with you on the handling. I am disabled and if I can't handle it then I can't use it. I need the know how it feels before I put down my money. I knew I wanted the K-r but I needed to know I could hold it and use it. When I bought my zoom I brought my body to the store to make sure I could handle them both. In both cases the only factor was if I could handle it not about my willingness to pay more or my lack of knowledge. I never handled any other camera when I made my purchase because I had done my research and determined the only factor that would have made me rethink my choice was my ability to use it.
I am in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and the two stores that have been great at putting up with me () and relieving me of my cash are Don's Photo and Henry's. There is also another store in town called Independant Photo and I used them before my disability (and in my 35mm days) but I can't climb the stairs to thier second floor location.

[Ratmagiclady]

I don't understand the people that need to see a camera in person before they buy it. I purchased my first SLR that was a Canon Pellix QL w/58mm F1.2 in 1966 when I was in Alaska from a dealer in Hong Kong by mailorder and in 1984 I purchased the Pentax 6x7 system with ten lenses from 35mm Fish-eye to 400mm F4 and 1° Pentax digital spotmeter from another Hong Kong dealer by mail order. Do you not understand what you are getting or what ? Do you enjoy paying the higher price with sales tax ?

Honestly, as much as I love both the Canon FT platform and the old 6x7..... the first real camera I ever bought sight-unseen was this K20d, and I might have gone with a used Nikon if I hadn't handled a K200 in a store and from there figured I could presume Pentax would do OK with more space and weight.

Did take a chance, honestly, but I was happy when the styrofoam came off.


As in, yes, it matters. Sometimes more than specs.

I'd rather, and do in fact have, a camera that *feels* right* over one that feels wrong and someone says is 'better.' Cause however good it is, *I'm* not good if it don't feel right.

(It was actually an old Pentax ad slogan: 'Just hold a Pentax.' It'd still work if people actually could do so. )

(This didn't apply to 6x7s: I was always like, '35mm like handling? No! You're so mean heavy and clunky! But you make me look so good!" (True madness to be shooting weddings with one, especially for someone my size, but that old Vericolor and big old Taks? Magic. )

[Don From The Radio]

I don't understand the people that need to see a camera in person before they buy it.

Two reasons for me. First, I am very particular when it comes to ergonmoics of electronic devices. Second, if I'm going to spend $1000 of my very limited money, I want the gadget I'm buying to be perfect. For me, playing with a friend's K-5 would be enough, but I don't know any other Pentax owners other than the folks here. I will drive to New York when it's time to make the buy unless a used one shows up on the local Craigslist by some miracle.