jari_rokka Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Difficult decision: Buy Mamiya RZ 100-200W lens from KEH (grading= "Excellent Plus" 90-96% of the original condition. Shows moderate wear. May have slight marks on finish. Glass very clean) or same lens (actually older Z-model) in Demo condition from Adorama ($133.00 more expensive in Adorama).Please, your recommend?Jari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_henry1 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 KEH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry_ Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Try to get a 'e-mail' reply from Adorama: will they take the lens back with the only cost being your shipping expense to return the lens? KEH will take anything back within a few days of receipt (you have to pay the return postage.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jari_rokka Posted January 19, 2004 Author Share Posted January 19, 2004 Ooops! Lens is $165.00 more expensive in Adorama (= 133.00 Euro).Jari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobar57 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I can't speak for Adorama,I have purchased only once from them and one of the items was subtituted without my consent; never. From KEH I have purchased more than a dozen Nikkor AI lenses, all of them into the category of Excellent or Excellent Plus. From my experience, even the ones on the Excellent category, I had a hard time trying to find any blemish on the cosmetics, the lenses were superbs. Maybe one or two of 15 lenses have a tiny rub or insignificant, hard to see scratch. Go with them with confidence, they are very conservative in their grading system, I always hear praises from satisfied customers as me. They also have a 14 days no questions asked return policy(from the date of the invoice)(it will be wise to call them in advance if you plan to return an item and get a RMA # or at least the name of the salesperson), there's also a six months repair policy. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobar57 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Clarification: The above statement: " Maybe one or two of 15 lenses have a tiny rub or insignificant, hard to see scratch." is concerning the cosmetic of the lens : barrel,aperture ring,etc.; NOT the lens itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobar57 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Clarification: The above statement: " Maybe one or two of 15 lenses have a tiny rub or insignificant, hard to see scratch." is concerning the cosmetic of the lens : barrel,aperture ring,etc.; NOT the lens itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
george_rhodes Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 KEH for sure! I have purchased numerous items from KEH, all in as good or better condition than advertised. They are excellent to deal with and have been absolutely honest and dependable in their dealings with me. Also, their prices are extremely reasonable and they will match or beat the lowest price of any of their competitors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
incitatus_rex Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Another endorsement for KEH. I purchased a view camera lens from KEH, listed as in bargain condition. I could not find any blemish on the glass, cosmetics were perfect and shutter speeds were correct; I haven't quite figured out why it was listed as bargain. Finally, the price was less than that that some ratty samples were going for on ebay. Finally, they have a return policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christian deichert Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I have often noted that KEH tends to grade their items very carefully, even downgrading them at times (i.e. classifying something as EX+, even if it's actually like new). I have never had this experience with Adorama; if anything, Adorama can be optimistic about the condition of the equipment it sells. Bottom line here, if you have a newer lens for a lower price at KEH, go for it. I have never had any problems whatsoever with items graded EX or EX+ at KEH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OCULUS New York Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Just bought a mint ("Demo") Leitz Summilux 75mm f1.4 from Adorama. I questioned if it had a shade or not. He knocked $20 off and said send it back if you're not happy. I got it, it had integral shade and is gorgeous...cheaper by $100 than anywhere else. But it is a rare lens. FWIW: I tried to access the Adorama site through a link, here, so that the Photo.net chit could be registered, but due to the flukey nature of this site's server (which seems to be nigh impossible tonight), I gave up and called them. My experience in last 30 days....hope it helps. Ray Hull Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
._._z Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Adorama rates gear haphazardly, and some of the gear I've played with has been in lousy condition. (To be fair, I don't remember how those specific items were rated.) I don't recommend buying from them unless you can go to the store and compare different versions of the same used item. More, Adorama salesmen -- unlike those at B&H or KEH -- get commissions (or "spiffs") for selling slow-moving items. I've seen items highlighted on their computer screens (leaning over the counter) as being eligible for spiffs. Consequently, I'm less likely to trust opinions from Adorama reps. I have no problem buying new or Adorama-branded gear from them, but not used gear. In fact I buy film and other items from them several times a year. But I prefer buying in-store from B&H. KEH is great. They are the largest US seller of used camera equipment, their grading system is very conservative, they offer the same return policy as Adorama and KEH, and I've had excellent experiences with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve g Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I have ordered used equipment from Adorama, and can say that I was not terribly impressed with their prices, product quality or service. I had an FM2n listed as 'very good' die on me within 30 days. It had unfortunately died at an inconvenient time for me and I needed it back quickly. After playing phone tag with them, it came to the point that they did not have any 'very good' models in stock so the only way for me to get it back as quickly as I wanted was to step up to the 'excellent' models and pay the difference. My only other option was to wait a week or two for them to repair my broken camera. They offered to pay for standard shipping back, which of course because of my rush was not enough, so I had to pay the difference to the faster shipping. When I received the bill it included a tax charge on the full price of the 'excellent' model as it was shipped to an NY address while the original purchase I made was shipped to CT 30 days beforehand. All said I lost my camera for a week and paid an extra $80-$100 to have one back in time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jfk Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 KEH ordered from adorama, switched lens on me and sent a lens with fungus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek_stanton2 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I've ordered Hasselblad and Mamiya 6 stuff from KEH. Each item was in better condition than described. I've also bought from Adorama, but don't find their ratings to be as favourable to the customer. As well, having seen how they 'handle' their used goods, i'd not be too enthused about buying from them without personal inspection. But, as noted above, a return guarantee is a priviledge that should ease your mind a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fxdonny Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 Another vote for KEH. I've bought a "bargain" conditon lens from them that turns out to be good. No scratch at all, only some dust inside and some signs of wear. On eb*y, some might have rated this as excellent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas_green1 Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 It's a no brainer. I'd get the lens from KEH if the cost was the same. I'd be willing to bet that the condition of the KEH lens is AT LEAST as nice as the one from Adorama, given their integrity and conservatism in grading used gear, and Adorama's mediocre reputation on the same issue. Also, KEH is just a more reputable dealer in general, while Adorama is rather borderline. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason michael Posted January 19, 2004 Share Posted January 19, 2004 I'll second (or third or fourth etc.) the opinion that KEH provides quality products which are more often than not in better shape than indicated/rated. The lenses I get from KEH are superior to the lenses I have received elsewhere (including Adorama). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles_feigenbaum___dallas_ Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 KEH! or ROBERT WHITE in ENGLAND. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s._c. Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 The last time I looked at an expensive lens in Adorama, I asked the salesman for the E+ one. It was unfounded as several times when I called ahead and was not in the store when I arrived later in the day. He then showed me two V lenses and insisted they were beautifully clean. The haze was so bad, I could not see through it! This was after he cleaned it. I stopped shopping there. Keh usually gets good recommendations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r s Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 Adorama's used department is horrible and I would stay away from them. Personally I don't give ANY business to Adorama anymore but that's a longer and not very interesting story. B&H gets all my on-line purchases these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry_menzin Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 I've bought 5 lenses from Adorama and 4 were in better condition than the grade on the website indicated. One was not and I returned it. Adorama has a 10-day (or 14-day) policy on returns of used equipment. Unlike B&H, they don't require an RMA number to return items. Your mileage may vary but Adorama tends to have better prices than KEH on a lot of items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay_. Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 Definitely KEH. Both B&H and Adorama's used prices are generally high, and I personally wouldn't buy anything used other than a lens shade or something like that from Adorama, as their grading is not very consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
christopher perez Posted January 20, 2004 Share Posted January 20, 2004 How about a third option: MidWest Photo. Prices slightly better than KEH and just about equal quality on the things they list (ie: conservative descriptions). They're on-line at http://www.mpex.com I've used both KEH and MidWest Photo, and prefer the later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jari_rokka Posted January 20, 2004 Author Share Posted January 20, 2004 Thank´s everybody for your response!I think it is wise to buy from KEH. I don´t find lens from MidWestPhoto what I want. I also send two times E-mail to MXV Photographic (England) but don´t get any response..?Jari Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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