I find myself trying to break away from shopping on Amazon all the time, but I just can’t seem to beat their prices. I have bought a considerable amount of photo gear from Amazon at very affordable prices. However, sometimes that affordability comes to bite me in the arse! Many of the steals I think I am getting, wind up being complete junk.
I remember when I first started up in the world of off camera lighting. I purchased a bunch of “Cowboy Studio” lighting. I thought man this stuff is so cheap! I can get pro grade stuff at a low grade price! Little did I know until I started using it that it was all junk, complete junk actually. I went to tighten a nut on the light stand and over torqued it and it snapped in half.
Some may say I don’t know my own strength, but geez, since when is hand tight over torqued?
Since then I vowed to never buy anything labelled “Cowboy Studio”, I guess that was my first mistake, ordering something with the name Cowboy Studio. Cowboys don’t belong in a studio anyway.
I have had several success stories with some of the “cheap stuff”. Like extra camera batteries for under $5. Oh and how about my shutter release I paid $6 when Olympus wanted nearly 40 for the same thing!
I guess my losses compared to my wins are a wash really. Inevitably I think I have broken even or better. However, it leads me to my question and I am curious to know your responses as I will be in the market for a new camera and some gear this year.
Where do you find your great camera deals? Online, local shops, whats your secret?
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I usually get most of my photo gear from Amazon, although I have gotten some deals from Adorama. We have a decent local store here in Las Vegas but they are usually MSRP and I only go there if I need something right now. And they only carry Nikon, Canon and Sony so I’m out of luck if i want something for my micro 4/3 system. With Amazon Prime it’s 2 day shipping…can’t beat that!
Actually, I’ve had good luck so far with Cowboy Studio stuff…I just had to understand that it wasn’t super robust gear and that the cost/performance trade off was acceptable. However, I’m seeing that it makes the most sense now to save up and get good quality gear right from the start, or I’ll spend the same or more over the long haul replacing it when it breaks.
Great additions, thanks for the input. I love Amazon Prime! It rocks!
Amazon (camera bag, tripod) and B&H (filters) are my starting points because they usually have some of the best prices and largest selections to browse through. I have used Ritz Camera or Best Buy for things I want to hold in my hand while handing over the money (camera body). Newegg is great for memory cards or external hard drives. Monoprice is awesome for any sort of cable you can imagine. If all else fails, a good ol’ fashion Google search never hurts.
Thanks! A good old Google search does prove worthy. Although I ordered a cheap version of PS once via a Google search and they ended up taking my money without giving me the product. It was a secure website and everything, I just got dooped!
I do use Amazon quite often, especially for everyday items like lens caps and inks for my archival printers. I have used B and H and also Blick Art (for paper).
Local camera stores are hard to find right now – perhaps because of the Internet. That said, we do have a nice camera store about 40 miles or so from the house. San Jose Camera has knowledgable sales people that help solve problems like finding a tripod to fit my 6 foot height, balance my husbands bird lens and yet get low to the ground to do the macro work I enjoy. Their prices are competitive,perhaps slightly higher, with web pricing. I also have the satisfaction of supporting a local business, which is important now that I’m trying to start my own small business.
I used to shop at San Jose camera when I lived in Santa Clara. Their prices are very high, but you get the satisfaction of handling the product before you buy it. I also didn’t get the best customer service while I was in their on multiple occasions. May have just been my experience though.