Accessories on ebay

ZeGuru · 09-08-2009, 10:11 PM

So I've searched a bit, but I didn't really find a conclusive answer...

I see a lot of accessories coming out of China at pretty attractive prices (grips, flashes, remotes, etc...)

Is there a hidden hazard I should be worried about when purchasing a $50 grip coming out of China? (other than lead poisoning)

Or is the problem more along the lines of being made fun of at a Pentax party?

-Thrifty camera re-beginner.

octavmandru · 09-08-2009, 10:45 PM

Check thoroughly the specs. I spotted once a BG-2 with shutter button only.

Daveinozbikes · 09-08-2009, 11:36 PM

Most things these days are made in China anyway.Just check the specs.Things like grips tho" get the Pentax ones or people will laugh at you......

I"ve bought heaps of stuff from China on Ebay and they are very reliable and obliging if something goes wrong..

pbo · 09-08-2009, 11:51 PM

Probably one of the things that matter to me is the shipping time. It's usually 2-3 weeks, so you gotta wait quite a bit of time before your purchase reaches you.

figmental1978 · 09-08-2009, 11:58 PM

I've bought triggers, an umbrella and a light stand from Chinese companies and have had no problems with shipping or communication and the prices are excellent too. Just remember that all the products are knock offs, obviously a $300 radio trigger will be better constructed and more reliable than a Cactus V2s/4 but you pay for what you get. My Cactus V2s is nearly 18 months old and it fires less reliably than when I first got it but for $40 I'll just get another one.

wwwmorrell · 09-09-2009, 12:03 AM

Have bought heaps of accessories, filters, lens pouches, sensor cleaner etc out of China & Hong Kong.

Never a problem, quality as good as you will find in most local shops & shipping has been usually fast, but thats shipping south to Oz, going north up to you guys might be a different story.

Oldphoto678 · 09-09-2009, 06:43 AM

Maybe it's just me, but I don't trust some of the aftermarket products. Not sure what camera you have, but I just bought a genuine Pentax grip ($80.00 and battery ($40.00 new in the box off ebay for my K10. Come to think of it, I also got my camera from Calumet on ebay ($399.00). If you look around you can find some good deals.

Rodney...

VaughnA · 09-09-2009, 09:48 AM

I've bought a good bit of stuff from DealExtreme.com. I wouldn't trust the flashes but the little cheap accessories seem to work fine. I'm getting ready to order a couple of lens caps and filters myself.

I've bought the following stuff so far and have been pretty happy with it:

Circular Polarizers (cheap but it seems to work ok).
Manual Extension tubes: Work great
Remotes: Wired and wireless, cheap and work perfectly.

Ratmagiclady · 09-09-2009, 10:04 AM

Certain things are more or less OK to buy cheap. (As is often discussed on the accessories forum, I'd say that grips aren't one of them when you can have a new genuine Pentax one that's weathersealed and matches for just a little more: they seem to do OK, but it's not worth the risk of wasting your 50-75 dollars (or in some rare instance a much more expensive camera) on a cheapie when it's not much more to get the real deal. If you can't afford the extra money for a Pentax grip, it's a bad bet to spend some on something that might not work or last, never mind possibly trash your camera.

Where you save your money is on things that have less about them that can go wrong. Hoods, maybe infrequently-used filters, suchlike.

Maybe electronic things like remotes as mentioned, where they're useful-but-non-critical and the worst that can happen is you need to buy another one.

ZeGuru · 09-09-2009, 10:56 AM

So it looks like I'll be searching for a genuine Pentax grip, that's what I needed to know. Especially since it "plugs" in to the camera, I can just imagine something going wrong.

As for the rest of the stuff, I've bought camera parts from China and Hong Kong before, so I'm used to the wait. I've also bought a power cord for a notebook, and the darn thing gets so hot, it could probably start a fire (I don't use it anymore).

Ratmagiclady · 09-09-2009, 12:21 PM

Originally posted by ZeGuru

So it looks like I'll be searching for a genuine Pentax grip, that's what I needed to know. Especially since it "plugs" in to the camera, I can just imagine something going wrong.

As for the rest of the stuff, I've bought camera parts from China and Hong Kong before, so I'm used to the wait. I've also bought a power cord for a notebook, and the darn thing gets so hot, it could probably start a fire (I don't use it anymore).

I was tooling through Adorama last night just wondering where memory card prices were at this point and noticed they have an open-box demo under their 'used' department for around a hundred, which isn't too bad. They turn up on the marketplace here a lot, too: there's a lot of em out there.

ZeGuru · 09-10-2009, 08:38 PM

I bought a used Pentax grip locally tonight and it came with two batteries. I under estimated a bit on how big this camera is(especially with the grip), but I like it!

I also just bought a new lens on ebay as well, I bought a Pentax SMC DA 18-55mm. It didn't come with a hood or the original caps, but I got a pretty fair price on it.

Anywho... Is there a way to buy the Pentax branded hood and caps?

saien · 09-13-2009, 02:35 AM

You can get those on the Pentax Webstore PentaxWebstore - Caps Covers & Hoods

Probably cheaper elsewhere though?

09-08-2009, 10:11 PM	#1
ZeGuru New Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 24	Accessories on ebay So I've searched a bit, but I didn't really find a conclusive answer... I see a lot of accessories coming out of China at pretty attractive prices (grips, flashes, remotes, etc...) Is there a hidden hazard I should be worried about when purchasing a $50 grip coming out of China? (other than lead poisoning) Or is the problem more along the lines of being made fun of at a Pentax party? -Thrifty camera re-beginner.

09-08-2009, 11:36 PM	#3
Daveinozbikes Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Dawesville,Western Australia. Photos: Gallery Posts: 128	Most things these days are made in China anyway.Just check the specs.Things like grips tho" get the Pentax ones or people will laugh at you......I"ve bought heaps of stuff from China on Ebay and they are very reliable and obliging if something goes wrong..

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09-08-2009, 10:45 PM	#2
octavmandru Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: somewhere around Posts: 615	Check thoroughly the specs. I spotted once a BG-2 with shutter button only.

09-08-2009, 11:51 PM	#4
pbo Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 891	Probably one of the things that matter to me is the shipping time. It's usually 2-3 weeks, so you gotta wait quite a bit of time before your purchase reaches you.

09-08-2009, 11:58 PM	#5
figmental1978 Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Melbourne Posts: 789	I've bought triggers, an umbrella and a light stand from Chinese companies and have had no problems with shipping or communication and the prices are excellent too. Just remember that all the products are knock offs, obviously a $300 radio trigger will be better constructed and more reliable than a Cactus V2s/4 but you pay for what you get. My Cactus V2s is nearly 18 months old and it fires less reliably than when I first got it but for $40 I'll just get another one.

09-09-2009, 12:03 AM	#6
wwwmorrell Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Mount Buller, Australia Posts: 397	Have bought heaps of accessories, filters, lens pouches, sensor cleaner etc out of China & Hong Kong. Never a problem, quality as good as you will find in most local shops & shipping has been usually fast, but thats shipping south to Oz, going north up to you guys might be a different story.

09-09-2009, 06:43 AM	#7
Oldphoto678 Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Athens GA. Posts: 98	Maybe it's just me, but I don't trust some of the aftermarket products. Not sure what camera you have, but I just bought a genuine Pentax grip ($80.00 and battery ($40.00 new in the box off ebay for my K10. Come to think of it, I also got my camera from Calumet on ebay ($399.00). If you look around you can find some good deals. Rodney...

09-09-2009, 09:48 AM	#8
VaughnA Banned Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Virginia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,363	I've bought a good bit of stuff from DealExtreme.com. I wouldn't trust the flashes but the little cheap accessories seem to work fine. I'm getting ready to order a couple of lens caps and filters myself. I've bought the following stuff so far and have been pretty happy with it: Circular Polarizers (cheap but it seems to work ok). Manual Extension tubes: Work great Remotes: Wired and wireless, cheap and work perfectly.

09-09-2009, 10:04 AM	#9
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Certain things are more or less OK to buy cheap. (As is often discussed on the accessories forum, I'd say that grips aren't one of them when you can have a new genuine Pentax one that's weathersealed and matches for just a little more: they seem to do OK, but it's not worth the risk of wasting your 50-75 dollars (or in some rare instance a much more expensive camera) on a cheapie when it's not much more to get the real deal. If you can't afford the extra money for a Pentax grip, it's a bad bet to spend some on something that might not work or last, never mind possibly trash your camera. Where you save your money is on things that have less about them that can go wrong. Hoods, maybe infrequently-used filters, suchlike. Maybe electronic things like remotes as mentioned, where they're useful-but-non-critical and the worst that can happen is you need to buy another one.

09-09-2009, 10:56 AM	#10
ZeGuru New Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 24 Original Poster	So it looks like I'll be searching for a genuine Pentax grip, that's what I needed to know. Especially since it "plugs" in to the camera, I can just imagine something going wrong. As for the rest of the stuff, I've bought camera parts from China and Hong Kong before, so I'm used to the wait. I've also bought a power cord for a notebook, and the darn thing gets so hot, it could probably start a fire (I don't use it anymore).

09-09-2009, 12:21 PM	#11
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by ZeGuru So it looks like I'll be searching for a genuine Pentax grip, that's what I needed to know. Especially since it "plugs" in to the camera, I can just imagine something going wrong. As for the rest of the stuff, I've bought camera parts from China and Hong Kong before, so I'm used to the wait. I've also bought a power cord for a notebook, and the darn thing gets so hot, it could probably start a fire (I don't use it anymore). I was tooling through Adorama last night just wondering where memory card prices were at this point and noticed they have an open-box demo under their 'used' department for around a hundred, which isn't too bad. They turn up on the marketplace here a lot, too: there's a lot of em out there.

09-10-2009, 08:38 PM	#12
ZeGuru New Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Saint Paul, MN Posts: 24 Original Poster	I bought a used Pentax grip locally tonight and it came with two batteries. I under estimated a bit on how big this camera is(especially with the grip), but I like it! I also just bought a new lens on ebay as well, I bought a Pentax SMC DA 18-55mm. It didn't come with a hood or the original caps, but I got a pretty fair price on it. Anywho... Is there a way to buy the Pentax branded hood and caps?

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09-13-2009, 02:35 AM	#13
saien Inactive Account Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Hobart, Australia Posts: 79	You can get those on the Pentax Webstore PentaxWebstore - Caps Covers & Hoods Probably cheaper elsewhere though?