Where did you buy your camera?

[Renotavern]

I'm thinking of upgrading my current Nikon D3500 - not sure what to yet though (also not set on a budget or exactly what I want yet - some versatile recommendations would be much appreciated though! ) I was wondering where the best place to buy a new camera is to you - I prefer physical stores like this one open near me because you have what you buy there and then, with no worries about shipping, delays and things like that, however there's obviously a huge selection of cameras and more often than not better prices online. And with that - where do you buy your camera/gear, and why?

[Manfred M]

Usually online. Same or better price and free shipping. Living in Canada, I will order from the USA for items that are not available in Canada. I just bought a Nikon D7500 for my wife to replace her D90 online. In general I find I have as much if not more product knowledge than the people in the bricks and mortar stores.

[Rufus]

I bought mine on line and part exchanged some items at the same time. All very straight forward, partly because all the gear was all the same make so I had some knowldge of what the new camera would be like.

I occassionally wonder about buying a tripod, but I think I would definitely want to handle them first. Similarly if I was changing camera manufacturer.

[dem]

Online. Just bought a camera from Jessops, a UK's photo retailer. This saves me half a day driving to the actual shop and saying no, I don't need an extended warranty, a memory card, a bag, a tripod, a UV filter, a sensor cleaning kit, lens wipes and whatever they have a surplus of...

[Shadowman]

Sometimes a distributor will setup at a local camera store and offer discounts, I haven't gone that route but if the price was right I'd probably go for it.

[loosecanon]

Most kit from local shops - usually will match mailorder prices, or indeed be a bit below as if I collect there is no postage for them to pay. I am fortunate un that within a few miles I have branches of the three largest UK photo retailers.

[DanK]

Frankly, I think the quality of the retailer is more important than online vs. bricks and mortar. In principle, I like the idea of bricks and mortar, but the last time I tried to make a serious purchase in a local store, it was such a bad experience that I ended up walking out. By the same token, it's easy to find people who have had awful experiences online.

So, I only buy from vendors with good reputations and usually buy online. I most often buy from B&H; their prices are competitive, they stock almost everything, and my experiences with their customer service have been consistently excellent. I've been buying there for years, and I honestly can't remember a single negative experience. However, I have had good experiences with other reputable online vendors, as well, such as Adorama and a place in Utah the name of which I now forget.

The problem with online purchases is obvious: you can't put your hands on the product. Therefore, it's fine when you know what you want, or when a phone call will resolve your questions, but it if you want to know how a camera fits in your hand, etc., you won't get that.

I mostly shoot Canon, and I also buy some refurbs from them directly. They have periodic sales during which their prices are excellent, and they have the same warranty as new goods. The refurbs I have purchased from them have indistinguishable from new goods.

[LePetomane]

There are no camera shops where I live in Sheridan. The closest one is in Casper Wyoming but I have no reason to go there. I shopped at West Photo and National Camera Exchange in Minnesota when I lived there.

[Renotavern]

A lot of interesting replies, thank you all! I feel like the general consensus is online is easier if you know what you want. Manfred's post particularly interested me, that he often knows as much if not more about the camera than the shop employees, a situation I've definitely seen before. I definitely prefer handling a product first, even if it's just a store display model. Do you think your likeliness to return something bought online is higher than something you had a play with in store and bought there?

[rpcrowe]

I most often purchase a camera online as a manufacturer refurbished item. I have had excellent results buying this way because (IMO) the quality control of refurbished Canon cameras is better that the quality control at the Canon assembly line. I have purchased several Canon DSLR cameras this way and have never been disappointed. I purchased my refurbished Canon 7D2 directly from Canon on sale, many years ago and the price has not been beaten since...

BTW: I am talking about items that have been refurbished by the manufacturer (such as Canon). I am not talking about pseudo-refurbished items; ones that have been returned to the brick and mortar store, given a once over by a minimum wage clerk and declared as "REFURBISHED"...

As far as the expertise of a clerk in a brick and mortar store goes, that expertise can be really good or totally non-existent.

The selection of products at a brick and mortar store can also be excellent to very small.

One thing that has never been mentioned on this forum is the possibility of a little bit of shenanigans at a brick and mortar store. Early in my Navy career I needed to moonlight to supplement the atrocious salary that the military was paying me and got a job selling cameras at a very large discount store in Norfolk Virginia. We earned a base hourly salary and did not receive a bonus for any sales. EXCEPT: items which were not selling well for one reason or another. We could receive a bonus which could amount to five to ten hours of our base salary for selling one of these items. It was pretty easy for a poor guy to rationalize that the camera I was selling (for which I would receive a bonus) was every bit as good, if not better, that the cameras to which no bonus was connected.

I also second the recommendation of B&H as an online retailer. Another excellent seller is Adorama. If an online retainer or eBay source has a price drastically below what either B&H or Adorama is selling the product for; it very likely could be a scam.

Both B&H and Adorama usually include free shipping. Another important factor for me, as a Californian, is that these companies do not charge a state or local sales tax for items. This saves a Californian from 8% to 9% (depending on the municipality in which the customer resides). This can amount to a significant savings for a high value item. BTW: Amazon charges California tax...

I have also purchased used gear from eBay and in direct sales of a craigslist advertised item. There are ways to recognize scams in eBay listings. I won't get into that except to say, I don't think it is a good idea for a person without considerable expertise to purchase used...

[mark4583]

I have purchased from B&H, Adorama and KEH, Bought a lot of used MF from KEH and its was like brand when it was listed as VG, Just purchased a D750 from Adorama last night.

[pendennis]

In the past three years, I've bought two Nikons - D500 & D750 - both from a local camera store, and his prices matched Adorama, B&H, and Cameta. And for buying the cameras, I got $100 gift certificates for any items in the store. I've also bought some new Nikon lenses and other gear from the same store, and he always meets, or beats NYC online stores.

[JBW]

I'm thinking of upgrading my current Nikon D3500 - not sure what to yet though (also not set on a budget or exactly what I want yet - some versatile recommendations would be much appreciated though! ) I was wondering where the best place to buy a new camera is to you - I prefer physical stores like this one open near me because you have what you buy there and then, with no worries about shipping, delays and things like that, however there's obviously a huge selection of cameras and more often than not better prices online. And with that - where do you buy your camera/gear, and why?

B&H because they ship to the Philippines, have competitive prices, a large selection and when on those rare occasions something goes wrong they correct their mistake at no charge.

[CP140]

I looked online at both US and Canadian sites. By the time I factored in shipping, taxes etc., it was only a few dollars more to go to the local shop and ask them to order one in for me... so I went with the local store.