cliff_gallup Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I am considering buying a Zeiss ZF lens from Popflash (which seems to have very competitive prices) but have never heard of them. Any idea if they are legit? I assume the lenses are priced low because they are grey market. Is there a downside to this? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 from their "contact us" webpage .... Contact Us Please make checks payable to: Tony Rose 2767 Baywater Place Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=2767+Baywater+Place,+thousand+oaks,+ca&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=48.956293,62.314453&ie=UTF8&ll=34.21689,-118.830823&spn=0.003145,0.003803&t=h&z=18&om=1 looks like somebody's (Tony's?) home to me. i wouldnt even consider buying from this "store". B&H, Ritz, Adorama, Berger Bros are stores i would deal with (only). regards, michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Javkin Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Tony Rose has a real store here in the Santa Barbara area (or had, I haven't passed by for a while.) It may have a branch in Thousand Oaks as well. There are better-supplied local branches of stores here (Calumet, Samy's) so I don't shop at Tony Rose, but it's not somebody's home. However, I do agree with Michael that it is safer to buy from B&H, Adorama, or quality local stores if you can find them. The best way to get taken is to try to buy at prices that make you ask if a store is "legit," as you put it. Legitimate stores can't offer illegimate prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.th Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 haven't bought from him myself, but lurk around in other forums (here and elsewhere) where he seems to have excellent reputation. try asking the same in the leica and rf forum, as he deals a lot in rangefinder gear, new and used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 hey Hector ... it's the address listed on the website (Thousand Oaks). if you click on my maps.google link provided and do a "hybrid" view, you'll see that it's a subdivision of homes, and the address shown IS a house. now, i know some folks will list a home for a business address, but if a person has a true storefront, why dont they list that? the fact remains, no storefront is listed at the address listed on the About Us page. i found nothing about PopPhoto at resellerratings.com, which makes me leery. and even if some folks, on other forums, say they've bought from Tony (thorir's comment), i'd still be leery. i'm not disagreeing with anyone's comments in contrary to me, but i still want to say it might not be a good idea. regards, michael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourfa Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Popflash is one of the preferred vendors for the leica and rangefinder crowd. search the leica forum here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary_merideth Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Popflash and Tony Rose are the best. Not only will he not take advantage of a customer in any way he will give the customer any advantage he can. You are missing a fine opportunity to do business with one of the best online merchants on the internet. gary merideth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Beyer Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 He is very legit and I would highly recommend him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_french1 Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Tony is great...I bought a Leica MP from him and the service was fantastic...not sure I would treat him different than the other "bigger" retailers (except for inventory scale) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dstate1 Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 He's the best dealer I have ever encountered. Nobody can touch his level of service. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petrana_batik Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 Tony is a true professional. I've done business with him before, and will do so in the future. Highly recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_smith11 Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I bought a lens from Tony and was very pleased with him and his service. I would not hesitate to deal with him again. Many of his items are grey market, but this is no different from the grey market items you can buy from the big NY stores. I have bought both grey and US lenses and have never had a problem with either. You must decide if grey is acceptable or if you require the US warranty and if the cost differential is justified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonas_yip1 Posted May 9, 2007 Share Posted May 9, 2007 I've bought from Tony with no problems also.... j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ken_hagler Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I've bought three different Zeiss lenses from him, the most recent arriving today. I've been completely satisfied each time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g-man1 Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I bought an epson r-d1 and two filters from him a month ago. Arrived well packaged, was delivered promptly -- no problems, and I would buy again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlos_miami Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I bough my Zeiss 50mm f1.4 ZF from Tony Rose. The quality of service was outstanding and I received my lens sooner than expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spearhead Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 So he's a much smaller business than B&H, it doesn't in any way mean he isn't credible. Having dealt with him, I would say that same thing that everyone else here with actual experience says. I've never seen a bad comment on him anywhere. Music and Portraits Blog: Life in Portugal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arthuryeo Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 Tony Rose (Popflash) is a perfect gentleman. He is swift to ship and so far is always on time with his promises. Good dealer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
williamchuttonjr Posted May 10, 2007 Share Posted May 10, 2007 I bought a Zeiss RF and two Zeiss ZM lenses from Tony. His operation is first class all the way. He is honest, reliable and helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbernabe Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Bought a Zeiss 50mm f/1.4 ZF from Tony. Service was great, price unbeatable and the product, awesome! George Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_sullivan Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 I bought a Ricoh GRD from him. Best price around, fast delivery, everything went perfect with transaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allen_graves Posted May 18, 2007 Share Posted May 18, 2007 Just to add to the chorus: I've bought Leica items from him and he's great. Allen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlo_cruz Posted September 14, 2007 Share Posted September 14, 2007 Excellent internet merchant. Whiter than white. Honest. Fast. Meticulous. Perfect! CC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank_bunnik Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 I ordered a Zeiss ZF 100mm makro planar from Popflash on October 1 2007. Today, October 5 it arrived at my home in the Netherlands. The price was very good, especially now with the very cheap dollar (at least when you live in a euro country. I would not hesitate to buy from him again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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