What do you really think of KEH?

I eagerly anticipated the delivery of a Pentax Spotmatic F today from

KEH. It was advertised as "excellent". It came wrapped in a plastic

bag which did keep the peanuts out of the mechanism. It would have

been nice if they add thrown in a body cap. It bothers we when I

receive a SLR with no lens and the mirror and body cavity are open to

the elements. I was worried when the battery compartment was empty. I

have other spotmatics so I put in a working battery and screwed on a

lens (screwing is appropriate in this context). Sure enough, an

inoperative light meter. And I had not only ordered online but I had

called them for assurance. I live in Seattle so they were closed in

Atlanta when the camera arrived. Gives me a chance to cool off. The

price was $150 which I consider to be near the top for a lensless

Spotmatic F. To their credit, the body was in nice condition and the

film advance and shutter were smooth at all speeds. What should I do.

I know, I will call them, and then have to endure the pita of sending

it back. I have bought quite a bit of camera gear from KEH and they

just don't do a good job of checking it out. Their quality control

is superficial. ON the other hand, B&H has earned my complete and

total trust over the years. I would be interested in reading your

experience. There aren't that many places to buy used camera gear

anymore, since I have sworn off the baysh++ters.

I find the KEH prices to be pretty reasonable, vice B&H which I find to be really high and a pain to deal with on the phone. The KEH repair guy (Dimitri?) is really nice.

I purchased a Mamiya 645 Pro TL body, back, inserts, 2 prisms, several lenses, and a number of other items from KEH. I had a problem with only one item - a film back that jammed on frame #13. KEH swapped it out and paid to ship it to me (I paid return ship on the back). Their service was excellent, and 1 bad item out of the lot was not bad.

 

I really trust KEH - if there is a problem, they will make things right. What more can anyone expect? It's too expensive to thoroughly test every item.

 

Robert

I also really trust KEH. I have gotten a lot of items from them that are better than I would expect from their grading-- "bargain" items that turn out to be real bargains.

 

I also have had no problem with returns. I got a canon EOS body once that had a really weird problem. I forget what it was-- i think it was that it would rewind when you tried to access the custom functions. Anyway, they were happy to offer a refuund or repair.

 

I sent it back and they repaired it and had it back to me in about a week. I've had it for many years since with no problems.

 

So, yeah, everybody makes mistakes-- KEH fixes theirs.

I've bought from KEH & had no problems - maybe they are simply getting really busy these days & did not check it out thoroughly.

 

I am always glad when I receive an item w/out batteries as there could be an issue during shipment.

 

I'm guessing that they will take care of it for you with no problem.

 

As a reference I have bought new lenses from other retailers and have had to send back due to problems - used/new - anything is possible.

 

Good Luck & hope it goes well

My experience with them has been uniformly positive. Their BGN grade stuff looks better than EX from other vendors.

I have bought from KEH in the past and will do so again in the future. They have never done anything to make me question their judgement, where as BH are a bit coarse on the phone. I bought a lens from KEH recently and it was just like new, while their rating made it sound more like a typical used lens. Perhaps you should have asked them for a body cap. They typicaly list whether caps are included with an item and will happily throw in a generic lens cap if you ask for one. I think that one incident, which they will surely rectify, is a bit light to jump on them about. Just my two cents...

 

- Randy

Keep in mind that KEH deals with a TON of used equipment and some of it is not going to be in good working order. They do an excellent job of weeding it out but an occasional bad item is bound to slip through. I've bought from them and it has always been as good or better than advertised. I recall a black Nikkormat advertised as Bargain and it was a great camera body. You mention you've bought a lot of gear from them before so you must be getting some good stuff.

 

Make sure it isn't just a dirty contact and give them a call. I'm sure they will send another one on its way. Sure you will have to pay for return shipping but they state that up front and sometimes it's the cost of doing business in a used equipment world.

 

Rick H.

I recently bought a manual focus lens wich was 'Like New minus' and the minus was tiny imperfections on and in the included original case. The lens itself was really like new.

 

With that i bought many accessories, ranging from EX to LN. Some had problems but nothing obvious from a quick look. They fixed it with apologies.

 

So, i am very satisfied with them.

 

They have the reputation not to overate stuff and my experience confirms it. Of course, a body or a rated 'EX' (excellent) lens would be a more significative test.

I have been happy with the quality of used stuff I have bought from them, but you get exactly what the ad says and no more. If you want a lens cap or a manual, buy one separately and don't assume anything.

 

Regards, Ross

I don't believe anyone should expect a light meter in a camera that old to still work. The batteries are unobtainable anyway. In my opinion you seriously overpaid for that camera. They are not worth anywhere near that amount. I think they were cheaper than that when new.

The Spotmatic F has a bridge circuit that allows you to use modern 1.5V batteries with it without affecting the meter's accuracy. It is also a strong contender for the title of the best vintage M42 mount camera out there.

 

KEH prices its goods at a slight premium, but not as exorbitant as some other used camera dealers I've seen. Their rating criteria and customer service is also top notch. All these factors make the price of the camera not as unreasonable as you make it out to be.

I have had about 10 - 12 experiences buying from Keh. Every time, the item was better than I expected.

 

As I recall, items that come with caps are indicated 'w/caps' and otherwise, you get the bare item.

 

Conni

KEH is a wonderfull company to do business with. If you feel you didn't get what you expected, just call em and explain the problem. THey do have a great return policy unlike B&H and Adorama who are imposable to deal with.

 

Call Jeannie Cox at 404 748-6041 and tell her the problems, she is maybe the most knolegable and caring person there and will take care of your problem. Say hi for me as well?

I have dealt with KEH for 20 years or so. I have NEVER had a bad experience or a disappointment with them. They guarantee their equipment, even when it's rated "ugly", and their rating system is so conservative that I have never bought anything rated higher than "BGN" that I can remember. Some of the "bargain" rated stuff has been in near mint condition, and even the "ugly" stuff looks pretty nice.

 

I have also bought a fair amount of "as is" equipment from KEH. Average repair time required to set it straight has been about 15-30 minutes, and some of that stuff has been mint too once it was straightened out.

 

I can think of no dealer of photographic equipment, new or used, that I would trust more than KEH.

 

If you're not happy with your purchase, send it back. They'll stand behind it.

 

rick :)=

I like them and use them, and greatly prefer them for used equipment to places like B&H. So that says something. They fit a definite need between overpriced used camera dealers and the discount minefield of using ebay.

 

But I don't expect miracles. I've gotten an 'Excellent' rated lens with a scratch on the rear element, an 'excellent' camera with obvious and significant cosmetic wear (more like bargain grade to my eyes) that I've had to return, and a non-functioning flash (just oxidation on the batt contacts, easily fixed). No problem. I always make sure that whoever is handling the return gets the packing code numbers so they know who at KEH misdescribed the item.

 

I'm also quite aware that KEH does not check older used cameras for anything more than basic functionality and do not CLA the camera as a matter of course. They certainly don't tear into the cameras to look for wear or battery circuit corrosion, etc. They may or may not attach a lens and check the lightmeter. You really need to learn the repair history and potential problems of the camera model you are purchasing. So, if you buy an older 'excellent' rated camera, especially a consumer-level model, and you haven't bothered to research the camera's construction (weak points) or repair history, don't be surprised if the camera starts squeaking and sticking its shutter, or the electromagnets fail, or the camera blows a capacitor a week later.

I also have had absolutely nothing but praise for KEH. Like above posters, body caps and straps etc. are NEVER included unless stated in catalog or net. I also feel you paid way too much for that camera. I recently purchased a bargain grade Spotmatic from them that needed light seals and had some minor mirror separation. I use it as the classic "beater". The cosmetics were next to new and I paid $25.00 for it at KEH. If you are not satisfied, by all means send it back under there return policy. BTW as far as the meter goes, what did you put in for a battery? The above posters mention about expecting corrosion/contacts etc. Every spottie I own (I have 6) has had meter issues. Everyone of them I have been able to get working by simply cleaning/replacing bottom of camera with the film chamber. Good Luck and enjoy those Takumars! Mark PS Much to my wife's regret I purchase from KEH at least 4 times a year....

The lenses I have bought from them have generally been excellent - spotless, bargain grades appearing (at least to me) like new, which was welcoming since I had bought used from adorama before and had some bad experiences.

 

Bought my first camera body from them - a leica m4p bargain grade. Cosmetically it was in good condition - signs of wear near the camera strap rings, and a dent on the bottom plate, but otherwise pretty good and with good vulcanite. The downside was that the rangefinder focus was off - the patch was about 2 mm off when focusing at infinity. Sent it into Sherry Krauter for repairs who adjusted it beautifully and tightened the shutter curtains and some other things up as well, but she stated that the rear door was actually an M3 door. Read into that what you will, I guess. It's a functional camera, technically speaking, but it took another $65 or so in repairs to get it working, IMHO, properly.

 

MY beef is that they don't really give that great details about each used item on their site; although I tend to keep buying from them since (at least I think so) they are economical and are less of a risk than other places, or god forbid, eBay.

 

BH - they're expensive, but I think their repairs department does check out each of their used items pretty thoroughly.