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Forum: Photographic Technique
06-14-2008, 12:20 AM
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Thanks all for the concern. If I could find a place that wasn't B&H or Adorama that had the same kind of selection and were reputable with a good return policy, I would frequent that place. Thanks for the buydig suggestion, XMACHINA, but they seem to do the restocking thing fee which, while I understand, is undesirable.
The important thing is that, while the buying experience may have been subpar, the camera so far is not... the K200 is truly impressive. If only I could find some time to go shooting...
--Dan
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Forum: Photographic Technique
06-13-2008, 12:09 PM
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I've been lurking on these forums for a month or so, and I think I have enough to add here to finally jump in, considering I just bought a bunch of Pentax gear after shopping at these two establishments in person. As a NYC resident who recently decided to go the Pentax route and a long-time B&H shopper, I thought I'd share my experience on buying a new K200d and lens:
1) Go to B&H as I always do (had been a Canon film SLR user, haven't had much time for photography the last few years but wanted to get back into it), start playing with a bunch of the SLRs. Ask the guy at the Pentax/Panasonic desk some questions, get back "you'd probably be happier with a Nikon." Great. I'd been shopping at B&H for years, and while their salespeople tend to be great some clearly are not as good. Figure at this point I'd see if I would receive better treatment at Adorama, since many of my friends swear by this place.
2) Go do Adorama. Unlike B&H, they have virtually no Pentax equipment on display (one K20d, no lenses). Get a ticket and ask to see the K200d -- no can do. Salesman says they wont bring up any Pentax stuff till after you buy it (B&H has always brought stuff up for me if it wasn't on display). Frustrated.
Now I'm thinking to myself, do Pentax shooters simply get treated as 2nd class citizens? Unfortunately, I'm starting to learn the answer to this question the hard way.
3) Go back to B&H. I'm ready to buy. Wait on line, ask the salesman to see the K200d and a lens. He tries to push Canon/Nikon (I'm starting to notice a pattern). Salesman asks what I want then leaves to go look for it (in theory). Comes back after 2 minutes and says they don't have the items. Funny, because on their website it says they do. And lo and behold, when I walk over to the Pentax area I can see the lens/camera combo I want just sitting on the shelf ready to be demoed. At this point I am pissed... don't want to give B&H my business this time after that kind of treatment. Admittedly, this was a Friday morning when B&H tends to be crazy busy, but just because we ask for Pentax we're not going to be taken seriously?
4) On Sunday, go back to Adorama. It's a beautiful day, I had a free afternoon and I wanted to take some photos and Adorama's pricing was good. If not for the timing, I would have just ordered online because both B&H and Adorama had failed me. This time, I actually get a salesperson who knows Pentax and is happy to help me. Walk out with a big bag and a much lighter wallet ;-) In retrospect, I should have taken the salesperson's card.
So what's the moral of this story? I don't know. I have not had to return anything to Adorama yet, and B&H has always been OK about returns so I can't pick one place. However, B&H was just so rude during this experience that I've been going back to Adorama instead (though I would still go back to B&H). B&H has more Pentax stuff on display, but no one seems to want to sell it. Maybe it's just best to buy Pentax gear online...
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