online camera retailers

[techno]

I am looking at purchasing a DSLR. I know there are a few photography aficionados on here as well as the occasional pro and also some with recent buying experience.

With the proliferation of online buying options, there are so many choices that it becomes confusing.

Anyone want to share their experience, good or bad? I would prefer to have a reliable warranty as part of the deal.

[monstermick58]

Yes there are people hear that are pro's (now now people) like MattyVas, but I was just googling some tips on how to improve my photo taking skills with my point and shoot and flicked over to here and well... here I am.

      What has become obvious is that a lot of Pro's and keen amateurs do, is carry a nice point n shoot camera with them all the time, in fact Matty does this evidenced by the night photo's he took at Bar Italia, I think he now uses his iphone for the same reason.

     Someone will chime in and ask-

What do you want to do with your camera? IE; Sport, Macro etc

Do you own any gear that will/will not be compatible with your new camera? IE; lenses, bags, filters etc.

How much do you want to spend? Again with the price of DSLR's getting cheaper by the minute you may want to look at clearance houses.

Size?? If you don't mind lugging around a large camera then, fine, but there are some very good cameras that are more compact.

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 that I use which is a pretty good camera, the only thing that I don't like about it is that you cannot control the depth of field (which annoys me) but apart from that its very good camera.

Happy Shooting   






                                       Mmick

[techno]

Hi Mick. thanks for the reply and the valid questions. That kind of info will help.

I am after a DSLR because of the ability to shoot video as well as stills. The bulkiness of a DSLR over a compact won't put me off. If I just want to take some snapshots I will probably use my iPhone as its much more portable.

I previously had a film SLR so I have some gear (tripod, bag, Nikon 35-70 zoom) but nothing that would restrict my choices. The lens is not an expensive one.

Been looking at the Nikon D5100. I know the Canon D600 has more manual control in video mode but I hear rumours of a D650 on the horizon.

I may just get the body and buy lenses separate rather than go for a kit.

[mattyvas]

Okay I'll chime in and give you my opinion.

Mmick's questions are excellent, I too would ask the most important question. What do you want to do and how much do you want to control.
Firstly you don't need a DSLR to shoot stills and video, many if not all "point'n'shoot" cameras will do video and many higher end items will do HD video also.
A model like this also has a certain amount of manual control as well which does give you some creative ability over your photography.
If all you wanted to do was shoot stills and video then spending money on a DSLR is kind of over kill, it's like buying an SBK to go to the cafe for coffee/cake.

If you actually wanted to start practicing and improving your photography then sure by all means buy the bigger camera and lenses that come along with it.
I use an array of cameras as Mmick has said, personally I am a Canon fan I just like there products and the way the menu systems work.
There is also the now very popular segment called mirco four thirds, which is a mirror-less interchangeable lens camera system that is light and full of features. Olympus and Sony are the main player in the area and have many options available.

As for places to buy there are lots of options but I would steer clear of grey import sales, many ebay sellers have great pricing but the stock comes from Hong Kong or Singapore and aren't covered by warranty here.
Have a look at these places.

www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au
or
www.digitalcameragear.com.au (which is run by OzMo's "cakeman")

For research you can look at www.dpreview.com

All I know is that almost everyone who has ask me about which DLSR to buy has bought it and inside of a year decided it was too difficult to use and they should have bought a high end digi clicker because it was easier to use.

Anyhow that's my view.

cheers
Matty...   

[J5]

it's like buying an SBK to go to the cafe for coffee/cake.

and whats wrong with that ?? someones gotta keep the belief alive

, personally I am a Canon fan I just like there products and the way the menu systems work.

from my experience most pros go canon and there lies the positive that there is plenty of used lenses around

most money should be spent on lenses , buying a used lense will save you money and if you find
you arent using it you will get your money back again

As for places to buy there are lots of options but I would steer clear of grey import sales, many ebay sellers have great pricing but the stock comes from Hong Kong or Singapore and aren't covered by warranty here.
Have a look at these places.

canon aus will cover grey import , they may not give you immediate service but they will still
cover it under warranty

and when a new grey lense costs much less landed than what you pay in aus and it comes out of the same factory then there
isnt a great deal of reason to not go grey , esp when the dollar is so good

example gf had a lense crap itself common fault , canon wanted $650 to repair , they would do her a special price of
$1550 for a new one , a grey landed in 4 days was $900 which they said they would still cover under warranty

remember to use ebay feedback over the cheapest one on there


do you really want to do video ??

you can do some great pics with point and shoots that costs a couple of hundred or less

and from personal experience once you have a smaller cam you are more likely to throw it in rather than crap that slr is too huge
to bother taking it out for the day

[mattyvas]

First I've heard that Canon will cover grey imports with warranty.
The CPS (Canon Professional Services) that I use will not cover you for warranty work
if you've bought the product through overseas grey import providers.

They will warrant a product bought from OS if it is a full production line item.

And yes you are right J5 it's the lens that matters especially now days.
The camera is mostly a software system that delivers interpreted data to a storage device.
Lenses are always your best thing(s) to invest in.

[J5]

First I've heard that Canon will cover grey imports with warranty.
The CPS (Canon Professional Services) that I use will not cover you for warranty work
if you've bought the product through overseas grey import providers.

They will warrant a product bought from OS if it is a full production line item.

the examples i gave above were when gf took her 5d into canon at north ryde
and had the discussion re lense repair v replacement , and the sheepish repsonse of yes
you should just buy it on ebay since it comes from same factory and yes we know you can
get it far cheaper

[suzyj]

If you care what aperture you're shooting at, then a DSLR is probably a good thing to have.  I haven't found any other camera that allows me direct control of stuff like that.  Otherwise, as Matty et.al have said, one of the wonderful new mirrorless cameras is the go.

As for where to buy, I've bought most of my camera gear used from ebay.  Generally much cheaper, but you have to know exactly what you want and sometimes it fails spectacularly.

Kristibelle just bought a Sony video camera (a cool interchangeable e-mount lens thing that accepts my boatload of Nikon lenses via an adapter) from the Sony store, who were able to beat online prices.

Oh, and if you want to take photos at the creek, you want a thumping big 300+mm lens.

[cakeman]

Hi Ozmos, i noticed quite a bit of traffic to our www.Digitalcameragear.com.au website from here so though i would investigate.

Thanks Matty for the plug, i do appreciate it.

Someone raised the question of canon warranty on grey imports..... Canon will not (or arent supposed to) give warranty on Non Pro lenses and bodies. So in laymans terms, if you have a L Series lens, it will be warranted, but expect it to sit at the back of the pile for a few weeks befor it even gets a look at, the same for 1D series bodies.

Like Nikon Australia, Canon is a seprate entity all together from there overseas offices (Japan, USA etc). If you purchase from a retailer who sources there stock locally then it comes from Canon.Nikon Oz therefore there is profit in it for them and they will warrant it (naturally). If it is purchased overseas or through a grey market chanell, you are bypassing the local distribution chain so it would be costing Canon/Nikon money to warrant these items, so understandably you can see why they dont.

There are also arguments (though not confirmed) that lenses and bodies are manufactured within a set of predefined quality control range. It is rumoured that if these products are pushing the limits of the QC they are sent to smaller distributors (generally distributors who provide grey imports).

At the end of the day, if you are in the market for entry level gear and can save a little, fine, go get the best price. Though if you are a serious amateur or pro, questions need to be asked if saving a bit is really worth the possible problems.

Thats just my 2c

Anyway guys and gals, looking forward to getting back out there with y'all soon!

Cakey!!

[techno]

Thanks Cakey.

That answers a lot of my questions about warranties. As I said at the start, having backup is important. There are lots of grey imports, in fact Ebay is mostly full of them. I must be old because I remember when Ebay was full of people flogging their second hand stuff to make some cash. Seems like that now happens on Gumtree.

[J5]

I must be old because I remember when Ebay was full of people flogging their second hand stuff to make some cash. Seems like that now happens on Gumtree.

thats because ebay has driven up the fees greatly

whereas gumtree is free

[kyle]

I'll post up to reply to your original query, I recommend a couple of shops..

www.d-d-photographics.com.au - if you know what you're after, they're one of the more aggressively priced online retailers in Aus. I've spent upwards of 23k with them over the last 4-5 years and my only complaint is average customer service, like I say though, know what you want they're the go.

www.bhphotovideo.com - Biggest online retailer in the world IIRC, When the AUD is good, buy there, shit's pretty cheap and they have EVERYTHING!

[mattyvas]

I'm not sure if DD have changed their practice or been forced to but they were a huge importer of grey market product which is why they were so very cheap compared to other retailers here.

BH are excellent, the only problem with them or Adorama for that matter is that they have an agreement Aus customs and everything gets sent via courier so there is no way to avoid import duty, you'll get hit with GST etc...
So yes the dollar is great but when you compare the best online retailers here the prices are very similar once you take into account shipping and being stung by import duty.

[techno]

BH are excellent, the only problem with them or Adorama for that matter is that they have an agreement Aus customs and everything gets sent via courier so there is no way to avoid import duty, you'll get hit with GST etc...

As I understand it, the GST exemption applies up to $1,000. So if my purchase is less than that, I should avoid GST right?

BTW leaning towards buying local, if at all possible.

[Betty]

As I understand it, the GST exemption applies up to $1,000. So if my purchase is less than that, I should avoid GST right?

You may also want to be careful of shipping charges, conversion rates and even 'declared value' ... or customs may even apply their own valuation.