luca_giuliani Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Hi everybody. My name is Luca and I'm writing from Italy. I'm lookin for a 17-55 f/2.8 for my Nikon D80. I'll be in Houston in early march for a seminar so I was wondering if you can suggest me the best place in town for shop this item or perhaps the best an secure site where to shop and have it sent to our offices in Houston. Thanks in advance for your help. appreciate ciao luca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nancy s. Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 B&H Photo/video in NY City is very reliable and would likely give you a reasonable deal on a new lens and ship to Houston. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_mchugh Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I would recommend B&H also, but it may be tricky, they are strict about verifying the credit card and most likely will only allow it shipped to the cardholders home or registered address. Call them and ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurt l Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 i have no local camera store,but i have one about 100 miles away that i buy from and ups to me,they are close to b&h price on items that i got so i supported the camera store. i have ritz 30 miles away but i have no use for these over priced clowns.i have tried a couple online or from photo books, but as others will tell you stick with B&H photo if you order, and you will enjoy your purchase not regret it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seawolff Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I have just bought and received from AbesofMaine.com Service was great, got what I bought. $1,174.99 plus $15 shipping. I have bought from them in the past and service and price has always been right on. What everyone said about BHPHotoandvideo.com is also very true, hard to beat the price, can't beat the service. As a NY resident I have to about 9% sales tax so on a large ticket item from NY vendors like BH so I go out of state for big purchases with similar prices. BH is my preferred vendor, though, especially when I can go in to the store!Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luca_giuliani Posted January 11, 2007 Author Share Posted January 11, 2007 what do you think about Adorama ww.adorama.com?? is a reliable seller?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_Ingold Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Adorama is a reliable vendor. I've made many purchases from them. The downside, compared to B&H is that you have no idea whether an item is in stock unless you phone in your order. Secondly, there is no way to track the status of your order online until it has actually been shipped. I've been stung a few times with backorders. B&H won't ship to hotels or UPS/FedEx stations, but offer other options. Call them and ask. Your Houston office, with a permanent address and someone responsible to sign for the package is a definite possibility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pablito_pistola Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Adorama has gotten better over the years but they used to be dismal. Still not as good as B&H, IMO. Another source I've used a couple of times reliably when B&H is out of stock is Beach Camera. That's where I got my 17-55 2.8 because B&H was out of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eye-of-searle Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 B&H is the best online dealer and will be considerably cheaper than local stores here in Houston. I order all my stuff from B&H and have zero complaints. But, if you do choose to buy in Houston, the two best stores are Houston Camera Exchange and Camera CO/OP. I like CO/OP for their friendly and helpful staff but they are smaller than HCE so check to make sure they have the lens first. HCE is larger and usually has most items but still check ahead of time. I compared the local prices to B&H recently and B&H is clearly cheaper. 10 to 30% cheaper is most cases. Plus, you save tax with B&H and shipping rates are really cheap for normal UPS (3-5 day). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bwcombs Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 As others have said, B&H would be a good source, but someone at your office in Houston will have to purchase and supply a local shipping/billing address. One advantage to that is you could have the lens waiting for you when you arrive. I'm in Dallas not Houston, but someone here must know of several good camera stores in Houston that they could recommend. The only one I know of is the Houston Camera Exchange. You could email them and inquire. http://www.houstoncameraexchange.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 B&H has some show special once in a while. This current deal on the 17-55 DX ends on January 15. Hopefully there will be another one when you are ready to buy:http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=470446&is=USA&addedTroughType=search Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_smith3 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 I suggest the following mail order companies: B&H Photo or Hunts Photo and Video For Hunts, email Gary Farber at: digitalguygary@wbhunt.com I have used both stores with great success. In Houston, Houston Camera Exchange. If you use the local Houston store, make sure they have the lens in stock and reserve or hold it it for you. I live in Houston. Where is your office located? HCE is on Richmond, west of the Galleria. Joe Smith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marike1 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Shun, What exactly is the deal? I bought the USA version of the 17-55 2.8 yesterday from B&H and it was $1199 with a $40 mail in rebate, bringing the total to $1159. I went to the link that you provided, but it is strange in that it has no links to let you know what product category you are currently in, i.e. Cameras & Photo Gear < Lenses & Accessories < Digital Camera Lenses & Accessories, etc. But the price is 1149 even for a USA lens. Not a big deal, but now I don't feel that I got such a great deal. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicaglow Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Just to give a contrary view: I believe we really need to shop at local stores when we can, and support them with local dollars. There isn't a decent film-camera shop for 175 miles from where I live, so I use BH Photo a lot. But if I can save up the purchase, like bricks of film or equipment, I'll drive to town and buy it there. For one, I need the "local" store, and for another, their prices are as good as BH Photo and for Nikon lenses, usually cheaper, and I don't have to pay shipping. Too many people complain about this or that legendary camera store going out of business (I've seen it in Portland), but then we're quick to recommend buying mail order from NYC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 As I said, those are B&H's show specials. They provide those information in trade shows and PhotoShop training classes, which they sponsor. The current one expires in 4 days (January 15). To see them all, go to B&H's web site and type "PSNOV06" in the search box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marike1 Posted January 11, 2007 Share Posted January 11, 2007 Shun, sorry. You did mention that it was a show special. I just wasn't familiar with that terminology, so I guess your first post went right over my head. Since I will end up paying $1159 for the 17-55 once I get the rebate, I'm not going to worry about $10. Thanks again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luca_giuliani Posted January 12, 2007 Author Share Posted January 12, 2007 Thanks to everybody for your answer. I feel more confortable now for this deal. To aswer Joe the office where I have to go for the seminar is located in 10200 Bellaire Boulevard. I never been to Houston so I don't have any idea.I only hope that is not too far. I sent an email to camera exchange because I noticed that they don't have an online stock catalog. grazieluca Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tirta s Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 The link that Shun Cheung provided is a better deal than B&H's regular price. It's $1149 plus you also get the $40 rebate, so after rebate it's $1109. That means $50 off their regular price. I just bought the lens from B&H 2 weeks ago from the same link that Shun Cheung gave in another thread. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eye-of-searle Posted January 12, 2007 Share Posted January 12, 2007 You will be on the westside/southwest of town a bit farther out than HCE but it's maybe a 10-15 minute drive. In Houston terms? Your close! Warning! It's a great store full of all sorts of inventory so try to get in and out quick or you will end up broke. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stef_priemen Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 Hi guys, by coincidence I will be in Houston as well in march and have the same idea as Luca. But my question is, does anybody know if there are any differences between European and US models of the Nikon D70 (which I will go for)? Please help Kind regards Stef Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShunCheung Posted January 28, 2007 Share Posted January 28, 2007 There is no such thing as the European or US models of the D70. They are all the same although the menual they come with may be in different languages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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