Pentax dealer in Toronto area?

shuttervox · 02-11-2009, 01:42 PM

I am seriously thinking of getting a Pentax DSLR, but would really like to handle one first, and there is no one in my area (Rochester NY) that stocks Pentax.

However, I will be taking a trip to Toronto soon, and was wondering if there are any shops nearby that carry either the K20d, the K200d, or the K2000.

I hear that Pentax is more popular in Canada...

Ever see a Pentax on a store shelf anywhere?

[kurt]

k100d · 02-11-2009, 01:47 PM

Henry's is a big chain
Downtown there's Downtown Camera, Aden Camera, Vistek. Aden usually has some pretty good prices.

dkittle · 02-11-2009, 02:08 PM

I typically find out Aden's price on their website (adencamera.com) and then go to Henrys (Henrys.com) to buy the goods - they'll price match. Downtown camera is about a block away from Henry's 'superstore'.
I don't really recommend Vistek at all, their sales people are rude and unnknowledgable about Pentax stuff from my experience (though the people on the first floor (gels and such) are really nice).

shuttervox · 02-11-2009, 02:27 PM

Quote:

Henry's 'superstore'.

Ah, excellent.

I just called them, and they have all three models in stock.

You lucky Canadians. Seriously.

Are Canadian photographic consumers just like massively smarter
than US consumers, or what's the deal?

[kurt]

Last edited by shuttervox; 02-11-2009 at 02:34 PM.

mbh · 02-11-2009, 02:30 PM

And you'll find prices in Canada very competitive with American prices, especially after exchange.

I'd just head to Henry's. They'll have all three bodies and several lenses on display.

dkittle · 02-11-2009, 02:35 PM

Not everything that is on the website is in the store, but a lot. You'll almost for sure be able to play with all the current bodies and most of the lenses.

k100d · 02-11-2009, 02:48 PM

toronto's a pretty big city so the selection is pretty good.
but a lot of photographic stuff is so much cheaper in the states through amazon, bh, etc.

Steinback · 02-11-2009, 04:20 PM

Henry's Superstore is probably the best choice for seeing all three bodies at once - their locations are usually very good about letting you try different demo bodies or lining up a couple of competing products next to each other so you can see how they compare, especially if you come in at a slow time of day.

Shopping for cameras in Toronto for a Canadian is roughly equivalent to camera shopping in New York for an American, the difference is that the prices and selection here (especially for more unusual items) generally aren't as good if you're comparing Toronto to New York directly.

augustmoon · 02-11-2009, 04:23 PM

So far, in all 3 cities I live and spend time in, only Toronto still has dealers with physical stock on-hand.

The big difference though, is the distributorship. Pentax USA (for whatever reason) has made it more difficult or more expensive for dealers to carry the line. (agreements and minimum purchasing allocations) While I believe there isn't such a structure for the Canadian dealers.

In the States, the online stores (B&H, Adorama, Amazon) have more of a presence and offer more competition than online within Canada (prodigital 2000) In the States if you order from a different State, you pay no State sales tax. In Canada you pay tax, period, so even if ProDigital has a good price, you'd still have to add all the taxes to it. And if you order from B&H and ship to Canada, there's tax, and if it goes UPS, brokerage fees, etc... So the local stores don't suffer quite as badly as in the States.

Plus Toronto being a big city, I'm sure if you were in NYC, you'd also find some Pentax Action. If you are heading to NYC anytime in the near future, B&H is a fun place to kill a day or so!

Originally posted by shuttervox

Ah, excellent.

I just called them, and they have all three models in stock.

You lucky Canadians. Seriously.

Are Canadian photographic consumers just like massively smarter
than US consumers, or what's the deal?

[kurt]

djayvo · 02-11-2009, 07:43 PM

A word of advice for used equipment is to still shop around. I went to one Henrys chain and debated buying a used lens but held off for some reason the next day went to my local Henrys store and it was $20 dollars more for the same type of used lens. New stuff though is all priced the same.

Stratario · 02-11-2009, 07:46 PM

I suggest you go to Henry's and play all you want and make up your mind what you want to buy. Then go back home and order your stuff from ProDigital2000 on ebay. They have good prices and you don't pay any taxes. If you buy from Henry's you'd have to pay PST plus GST, about 13% total. Then somehow you can get the GST, or 5% of it back but probably it's a hassle.

weaponx525 · 02-11-2009, 08:10 PM

Just for window shopping, you may want to try London Drugs out. I know the ones in Vancouver all have KM and K20D's for sale with the 16-50, 50-135, and 16-45 for sale along with the 50mm/f1.4.

dave9t5 · 02-17-2009, 09:30 PM

Black's Photography has good pricing also.

It's a big chain and the selection is somewhat limited, but the prices seem to be the best in Toronto for what they do have.

-Dave

dave9t5 · 02-24-2009, 12:05 PM

I got a K-m + 18-55 kit at Black's last week.

CAD$530 pre-tax ($600 w/tax).

That's about USD* $425 / $480.

-Dave

* USD = Universal Shekel Denomination.

**Lowell Goudge** · 02-24-2009, 12:12 PM

I have seen pentax in Japan Camera (a chain in many malls), Blacks (a chain in many malls), henrys (a chain but main store downtown), downtown camera (downtown), Just cameras (in mississauga), Aden Camera (downtown), Visteck (downtown)
Take your pick

02-11-2009, 01:42 PM	#1
shuttervox Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Canandaigua NY Posts: 74	Pentax dealer in Toronto area? I am seriously thinking of getting a Pentax DSLR, but would really like to handle one first, and there is no one in my area (Rochester NY) that stocks Pentax. However, I will be taking a trip to Toronto soon, and was wondering if there are any shops nearby that carry either the K20d, the K200d, or the K2000. I hear that Pentax is more popular in Canada... Ever see a Pentax on a store shelf anywhere? [kurt]

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02-11-2009, 01:47 PM	#2
k100d Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 3,911	Henry's is a big chain Downtown there's Downtown Camera, Aden Camera, Vistek. Aden usually has some pretty good prices.

02-11-2009, 02:08 PM	#3
dkittle Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toronto, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 429	I typically find out Aden's price on their website (adencamera.com) and then go to Henrys (Henrys.com) to buy the goods - they'll price match. Downtown camera is about a block away from Henry's 'superstore'. I don't really recommend Vistek at all, their sales people are rude and unnknowledgable about Pentax stuff from my experience (though the people on the first floor (gels and such) are really nice).

02-11-2009, 02:27 PM	#4
shuttervox Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Canandaigua NY Posts: 74 Original Poster	Quote: Henry's 'superstore'. Ah, excellent. I just called them, and they have all three models in stock. You lucky Canadians. Seriously. Are Canadian photographic consumers just like massively smarter than US consumers, or what's the deal? [kurt] Last edited by shuttervox; 02-11-2009 at 02:34 PM.

02-11-2009, 02:30 PM	#5
mbh Junior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Posts: 39	And you'll find prices in Canada very competitive with American prices, especially after exchange. I'd just head to Henry's. They'll have all three bodies and several lenses on display.

02-11-2009, 02:35 PM	#6
dkittle Inactive Account Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Toronto, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 429	Not everything that is on the website is in the store, but a lot. You'll almost for sure be able to play with all the current bodies and most of the lenses.

02-11-2009, 02:48 PM	#7
k100d Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Toronto Posts: 3,911	toronto's a pretty big city so the selection is pretty good. but a lot of photographic stuff is so much cheaper in the states through amazon, bh, etc.

02-11-2009, 04:20 PM	#8
Steinback Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: GTA, ON, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,673	Henry's Superstore is probably the best choice for seeing all three bodies at once - their locations are usually very good about letting you try different demo bodies or lining up a couple of competing products next to each other so you can see how they compare, especially if you come in at a slow time of day. Shopping for cameras in Toronto for a Canadian is roughly equivalent to camera shopping in New York for an American, the difference is that the prices and selection here (especially for more unusual items) generally aren't as good if you're comparing Toronto to New York directly.

02-11-2009, 04:23 PM	#9
augustmoon Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Toronto, San Diego, Seattle Posts: 455	So far, in all 3 cities I live and spend time in, only Toronto still has dealers with physical stock on-hand. The big difference though, is the distributorship. Pentax USA (for whatever reason) has made it more difficult or more expensive for dealers to carry the line. (agreements and minimum purchasing allocations) While I believe there isn't such a structure for the Canadian dealers. In the States, the online stores (B&H, Adorama, Amazon) have more of a presence and offer more competition than online within Canada (prodigital 2000) In the States if you order from a different State, you pay no State sales tax. In Canada you pay tax, period, so even if ProDigital has a good price, you'd still have to add all the taxes to it. And if you order from B&H and ship to Canada, there's tax, and if it goes UPS, brokerage fees, etc... So the local stores don't suffer quite as badly as in the States. Plus Toronto being a big city, I'm sure if you were in NYC, you'd also find some Pentax Action. If you are heading to NYC anytime in the near future, B&H is a fun place to kill a day or so! Originally posted by shuttervox Ah, excellent. I just called them, and they have all three models in stock. You lucky Canadians. Seriously. Are Canadian photographic consumers just like massively smarter than US consumers, or what's the deal? [kurt]

02-11-2009, 07:43 PM	#10
djayvo Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 86	A word of advice for used equipment is to still shop around. I went to one Henrys chain and debated buying a used lens but held off for some reason the next day went to my local Henrys store and it was $20 dollars more for the same type of used lens. New stuff though is all priced the same.

02-11-2009, 07:46 PM	#11
Stratario Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Ontario, Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 366	I suggest you go to Henry's and play all you want and make up your mind what you want to buy. Then go back home and order your stuff from ProDigital2000 on ebay. They have good prices and you don't pay any taxes. If you buy from Henry's you'd have to pay PST plus GST, about 13% total. Then somehow you can get the GST, or 5% of it back but probably it's a hassle.

02-11-2009, 08:10 PM	#12
weaponx525 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 138	Just for window shopping, you may want to try London Drugs out. I know the ones in Vancouver all have KM and K20D's for sale with the 16-50, 50-135, and 16-45 for sale along with the 50mm/f1.4.

02-17-2009, 09:30 PM	#13
dave9t5 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada & Taichung, Taiwan Photos: Albums Posts: 329	Black's Photography has good pricing also. It's a big chain and the selection is somewhat limited, but the prices seem to be the best in Toronto for what they do have. -Dave

02-24-2009, 12:05 PM	#14
dave9t5 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Toronto, Canada & Taichung, Taiwan Photos: Albums Posts: 329	I got a K-m + 18-55 kit at Black's last week. CAD$530 pre-tax ($600 w/tax). That's about USD* $425 / $480. -Dave * USD = Universal Shekel Denomination.

02-24-2009, 12:12 PM	#15
Lowell Goudge Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 17,891	I have seen pentax in Japan Camera (a chain in many malls), Blacks (a chain in many malls), henrys (a chain but main store downtown), downtown camera (downtown), Just cameras (in mississauga), Aden Camera (downtown), Visteck (downtown) Take your pick