Where do you buy your gear?

[invisible]

Where do you guys buy your new (not second-hand) photo gear?

Also, what are the reasons for your choice? Do you always buy from the same retailer?

[Chiller]

I have bought the majority of my stuff from Henrys Camera. And even some of my used stuff. I have never had a problem with them in person , or purchasing online.
I have purchased from Camera Canada, in London, but throught their online service. It was fast and effecient, but when I sent friend in to buy something from the store in London, they were rude.

[bjorkfiend]

...

[MissMia]

I have purchased everything online from stores like B&H.

[invisible]

I use www.photoprice.ca (http://www.photoprice.ca) to look for the best price, then contact the local stores to see if any of them would match. I almost always end up buying from the same local store (whose regular prices are inexplicably high, which rubs me the wrong way).

It seems to me that some brick & mortar retailers still haven't realised how internet has changed the rules of the game. They justify their high prices saying that they provide service and advice that competitors don't. Unfortunately, the fact is most heavy users of gear don't need the service that much anymore. They know exactly what they want before they even enter the store. They've done the research on the internet, they've read the reviews, they've seen sample photos... so they just want the best possible price –especially in times like these.

In my particular case I buy from local stores to support local businesses (I'm all for sustainability). Also because I rather solve my warranty issues with them in person than having to mail the gear to a place out of province. Considering the alarming number of lemons and bad-quality product out there (i.e., lenses never quality-tested), that's no small detail to me.

[Overread]

Amazingly - dispite the bad rep they get in the UK - I have bought a majority of my stuff from Jessopes. My camera started from there and then I made a big order about half a year later for a host of gear which helped me get a good price of the store manager.
I also visit this great little place in Reading - who actually has stock in the shop compare to many jessopes stores - and I now get much of my gear from there (though not had a big sum to pay as yet).
I just prefer the shop environment to the online - and in the case of the bigger order of gear I prefered dealing with one retailer with a shop rather than a host of websites (though I only deal with the reputable shops - amazon etc....)

[ann]

until recently i purchased all my equipment and supplies from the same local dealer (for over 15 years) then ",my" sales person left and i haven't been there since.

now i buy from calumet out of chicago . They are not the cheapest, but their level of service is terrific, and i get a small pro discount and work only with the same fellow.

[PhotoJet]

I am a huge fan of KEH, but I also buy through Amazon (who mostly deals thru Adorama). I rarely buy anything locally except maybe storage media & batteries.

[Chris of Arabia]

I must admit, I'll buy just about anywhere that has what I want. I've bought now in UK stores, UK online stores, Hong Kong stores, Hong Kong online stores, Saudi stores, Bahraini stores, Canadian stores and probably other places too.

[Lord Montagu the 3rd]

I get my kit at LCE Reading!!!!! Why?? Because its the best!!! ;-)

[Antarctican]

At my local camera store...Downtown Cameras. Why? Because of the service...they take the time to patiently explain options etc. to a neophyte like me. Henry's (mentioned by Chiller) is a bigger camera store and is about 50 yards down the road from Downtown Camera, but a jerk of a salesman I encountered there several years ago turned me off the place.

[ann]

i used to buy a few things at B&H until they made me mad. I bought almost a thousand dollars of stuff, they were rude and couldn't even take a moment to say, "thanks for your business" or even a simple "thank you". I figured they didn't want my money.

[Jeff Jarboe]

I mostly get my new gear from B&H, because they generally have the best prices and availability. But I’ve also deal a little with Adorama, Roberts Imaging, KEH, and Freestyle. And I just order a new scanner from Calumet to night.

[kundalini]

The first two digital camera bodies I bought local. Pretty much everything else has been through B&H or Adorama, with one exception of a body from Sigma4Less (the D700). I've only had good experiences from them all.

[Matt-l]

The store i work at. DEALSSSSSSSS

Polls closed.

[Fox Paw]

I've bought everything from one local store. Mostly I want to support the local retailers, even though I know I'm paying more. But their advice and assistance have been helpful. When I had a problem at the outset installing the Canon software, I called and they explained what I needed to do differently. When my sensor got dirty and I didn't know what to do, they cleaned it without charge and explained how I could handle the problem in the future.

[Alex]

A buy at whichever place is able to give me what i want fastest... if the price is reasonable.

I am impatient when I want something ;)

Oh, in practice that means specialised online shops usually.

Local photo shops turned me off at some point by being too arrogant and unwilling to help..