[Timbuctoo]

Hello all,

After pottering around with a K100D for awhile now I decided to upgrade to a K10D & Pentax 16-45mm kit from ProDigital. Has anyone dealt with them before? They are a Canadian EBay shop and seem to be quite well set up with a lot of gear from all brands. I guess I'm a bit careful so I made sure I used PayPal but I'd still like to know If anyone has dealt with them.

I'm also looking to buy a few good Pentax lenses from that Japanese EBay store called Matasui or something like that. They always seem to have a bit of Pro stuff on hand but once again some feedback from you Pentax users would be welcome.

The lenses I'd like are the one I'm getting the 16-45mm, 50-150, Zeiss 85 1.4 a decent 100mm macro and something of the 135mm variety. When your spending any money on EBay any feedback is good.

Tim H

PS> The storm season is almost upon us here in Darwin Australia so I hope to test the K10D in the elements. I'm looking forward to trying out the new camera once it ships to me.

[J.Scott]

I bought my K10D from them and had no major problems. The camera was out of stock in their warehouse when I ordered but they received a shipment within a couple of days and I was in possession of the item in 7 days from purchase. I called once to get an update and the girl there was friendly and helpful; everything I would expect.

There have been a few members here that have had similar positive experiences.

Link

Link

Link

Link

I just did a quick search on this forum so I am not sure if all the links are actual customers.

[ChrisA]

After pottering around with a K100D for awhile now I decided to upgrade to a K10D & Pentax 16-45mm kit... <snip>
PS> The storm season is almost upon us here in Darwin Australia so I hope to test the K10D in the elements. I'm looking forward to trying out the new camera once it ships to me.

Careful... the body is weather sealed, but the 16-45 isn't.

[Myltlpny]

I bought my 50-200mm zoom lens from ProDigital and was very happy with them. Prompt shipping and excellent packaging. Their prices were good, too.

[Timbuctoo]

Thanks guys for the replies. It's good news that they seem a decent crew at ProDigital, I think I might use them more often because they have some good packages for the K10D + Accessories atm.

I promise I won't take my 16-45 out in the rain, I don't want to have to buy another one. I have a neat makeshift weather protector that will work great for smaller M42 lenses. The M42s and the older cheaper primes are best for lightning as I feel you get less distortion from them and if they happen to get damaged they pull down easily or you can just buy another one. I'll post some lightning and storm pics after our next decent storm.

Does anyone know how good those new Zeiss manual focus lenses are? They really look great but they are rather expensive. It's tempting to wait and see what Pentax releases just after Christmas.

Tim H

[Groundloop]

I recently bought a 540FGZ from ProDigital and overall I'm satisfied, it just took longer for it to get to me than I expected. I ordered it on Thursday morning and it arrived the following Tuesday afternoon. They didn't charge my Visa until Monday morning and when they emailed me that the flash had shipped, they didn't give me a tracking number. Given that the city they're located in (Stratford) is less than a 2 hour drive from me, I just thought I'd have the flash in my hands a little quicker. Anyway, the flash arrived well packed, it works perfectly and the it was the best price I could find in Canada by at least $100.

I haven't used any of the Zeiss lenses since I sold my Contax system many winters ago, but I certainly had no complaints about any of the ones I owned (25mm 2.8, 50mm 1.4 and 135mm 2.8). I was very excited when I heard that Zeiss was making some lenses in Pentax mount, but unfortunately they're not giving them away , so I don't think I'll be adding any of them to my modest collection.

[tranq78]

ProDigital is the flea-Bay outlet for bricks & mortar chain Carman's Photo, if I remember correctly. Carman's is a chain of stores run by owner/managers throughout southwestern Ontario, Canada. When I used to live there the owners/stores I dealt with were always friendly. I haven't been to a Carman's store in quite a few years since I no longer live in Ontario.

[Timbuctoo]

So I ordered my K10D and 16-45mm kit from Prodigital and I still haven't received my product or tracking number from them. I messaged them yesterday asking for the tracking number and today I get this message from them;

There has been a problem. Please contact Amyw@carmans.com

If you just spent over $1000.00 on camera gear and you received a message like that do you think it would give you a load of confidence. I emailed them but I'm now concerned that I may not get my camera gear. I hope I can at least get my money back if theyv'e stuffed up.

If this order goes sour my wife will poison me!!

If someone lives near the main Carmans store in Canada maybe they could stop by and inquire about it for me. My name is Tim Hutchins from Darwin Australia and I ordered a Pentax K10D with Pentax 16-45mm lens kit off EBay (Prodigital 2000, Carmans EBay shopfront). The order date was Thursday 18th October 2007. I'm sure there's plenty of Canadians in here and we are practically brothers you guys and us, lol.

Maybe someone has some ideas to deal with this. I have to shoot a wedding in 2 weeks so I really need the new camera.

Tim H

Tim H

[Peter Zack]

You might have to make some calls unless someone else likes in the area. There are numerous locations but one of them should be able to tell you which branch does the Ebay trading. Here's the store numbers:

YellowPages™: ontario carmens camera, Complete Business Listings

[Timbuctoo]

Thanks Peter, I'm see if I can contact someone about my camera tonight. I hope I eventually get it so I can do this wedding.

Tim H

PS If anyone lives near a Carmans in Canada maybe you can pop by and ask which Carmans outlet has the EBay shopfront called Prodigital 2000. Thanks all.

[J.Scott]

When I spoke to Amy regarding the delay in shipping I think she mentioned that the warehouse was in Stratford; but not at the Carman's Photo Source retail outlet in the same town. It must cost a lot to call from Australia - unless you use Skype or something similar. I doubt if they are going to stiff you for the camera; their Ebay feedback record says otherwise. The local number I have is 519-271-4552 and the address is 257 Monteith Ave., Stratford, Ont.

This is from their Ebay listing:

Due to an overwhelming amount of Email, if you do not receive a response quickly please call us at 1-866-227-6267 Ext #20. Email can take up to 24-48 hours to get a response.

I am not sure if that toll-free number will work outside of North America, but give it a try.

If you don't have any luck today (Thursday Oct. 25) give me a Private Message through this forum and I can call them Friday on your behalf.

[m8o]

Does anyone know how good those new Zeiss manual focus lenses are? They really look great but they are rather expensive. It's tempting to wait and see what Pentax releases just after Christmas.
Tim H

This is OT regarding ProDigital.... but regarding this question above, I've heard pretty much only great things. The thing also that I heard is they'll be manufactured by Cosina, who has stopped making their own high-end Voigtländer line as a result; belief and talk being they can charge more with the Zeiss name, thus higher margins. The sales channels are not yet dry completely for Voigtländer, and if you can snag one of them, the general consensus is you'll be getting a lens of the Zeiss quality for a fraction of its cost. I just bought the [edit: not 135mm] 125mm f/2.5 Macro APO-Lanthar and it's really about the best lens I have in terms of sharpness right off wide open, complete lack of CA or purple fringing, and buttery bokeh.

[Timbuctoo]

Yes their EBay warehouse is in Stanford, I read that on my PayPal receipt. It does cost a lot to call from here so if I don't here any by the middle of next week I'd love someone to call for me on my behalf. They were meant to email me today but so far I haven't heard back from them.

You guys are probably right, they won't stiff me on the camera but when you've been saving for 1 year to get ones and you've been stiffed before it make you less confident with the EBay system. Maybe the extra waiting will make me more appreciative of the camera when it arrives and I did pick up a Pentax 28mm f2 lens the other day for $10.00.

About the Voitlander lenses, yes I have heard they are great. If I was to get one it would have to have the A contacts and I'd probably do for something in the 70- to 90mm range.

I'll let you guys know how the camera order is coming along and whether I have heard from Carmans.

[Timbuctoo]

Well I received no reply from Amy today, she's the one I was told to email from Carmans Stanford, Canada. What is it? 12 hours difference between here and there. It really isn't hard to check your emails I would think. Ringing them will almost cost me as much as the UPS postage fees so if someone from Canada wants to call on my behalf feel free, I'd love to even get a one sentence response from them. Oh, and I'd at least like to get my camera before my wife gets back next month or I'm dead. The annoying thing is EBay are wiping there hands of it because I received a message from Prodigital2000 telling me to email Amy which according to EBay is problem resolved. Sorry if I sound a bit annoyed in this message but it's stinking hot here tonight and a full moon so maybe I'm going crazy.

Tim H

PS> I think I posted most of the details in an earlier message.

[Peter Zack]

Pm sent Tim