Pentax K-X.. Buy from Adorama?

[zack_rose]

<p>I want to buy my first DSLR and am leaning heavily to the Pentax K-X. At the local camera shop and elsewhere the camera sells for the recommended $650 with the kit lens. I have seen (grey market?) cameras on eBay for as low as $480 new, but I assume these are basically as-is with no warranty or support. On Adorama they have the K-x listed at $529 with free shipping. Should I be right in my assumption that this is the same basic situation as eBay? From what people I know with DSLRs have experienced it seems like a good idea to have a warranty of some kind since these camera can have lots of problems.</p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

<p>Thanks<br>

Z</p>

[helen_oster]

<p>"Grey market" refers to products imported directly into the US, rather than through the manufacturer's authorized agents / distributors. It is perfectly legal to directly import & sell these products in the US; the term "grey market" was coined by manufacturer's authorized distributors who wanted to discourage consumers from buying these (less costly) goods<br>

With no factory authorized middle-man involved in the import of these products, costs are lower, so the price is lower to our customers. Many items which are in short supply or not imported at all by the manufacturer's authorized distributors are available in direct import.<br>

Any of our products which are being sold as such will be clearly marked, and you are more than welcome to contact me directly should you have any concerns regarding a specific listing.<br>

There is no difference in the actual products. Occasionally manufacturers will name them differently for example the Olympus USA Digital Stylus Cameras are called Olympus MJU Cameras in Europe.<br>

The important thing for you to know, is that on direct import products purchased from Adorama, we offer the same warranty as the USA warranted products carry for a period of one year. The only difference is that you would need to ship it to Adorama for warranty service.<br>

I hope this helps.<br>

If you have any further queries please don’t hesitate to drop me an email.<br>

<strong>Helen Oster </strong><br>

<strong>Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador</strong><br>

helen.oster@adoramacamera.com</p>

 

[jgredline]

<p>Helen, pretty much answered much of what I was going to say. Having said that, I will add that all my Adorama purchases have gone very well. I bought my K-7 from them and had no problems registering it for the three year warranty with Pentax.</p>

[MattB.Net]

<p>I bought my K-x (and a bunch of other items since) at Adorama and have had no problems whatsoever.</p>

[wtlwdwgn]

<p>You can't go wrong buying from Adorama. Often they sell for less than eekBay.</p>

[joshroot]

<p>Also, if you buy through the photo.net interface, you support the site by buying from Adorama:</p>

<p>Either click on the "store" tab at the top of the page or see to the link below for more info:</p>

<p>http://www.photo.net/support/</p>

[stemked]

<p>Did you see the $100 cash for clunkers? If I lived ANYWHERE near NY I'd be hoofing there ASAP, bring along my clunkers and get $100 off a K7!</p>

[henryp]

<p>Helen knows whereof she speaks. I'd only add you cannot go wrong double-checking any retailer with whom you're unfamiliar at <a href="http://www.resellerratings.com/">Resellerratings</a>.</p>

<p>Henry Posner<br /><strong>B&H Photo-Video</strong></p>

[wayne_campbell]

<p>I have bought so much stuff from Adorama that my wife would divorce me if she knew. They have always been top notch, lowest price, and willing to return something with no hassles if it comes to that. I wouldn't have any qualms about buying from them. Plus they offer free shipping!</p>

[geoffs1]

<p>Another vote for Adorama; great store. One thing to check: sometimes Adorama's price through Amazon is better than directly through their web-site (go figure...).</p>

[mountainvisions]

<p>Adorama has been good too me. I don't love there used rating scale (spoiled by KEH) but they have always taken back used items that didn't meet my expectations.</p>

<p>As far as new stuff, always a good experience.</p>

<p>Of course I'm store agnostic, B&H is darn good too. Actually I think B&H and Adorama both being top notch works for us. They obviously don't want a bad experience pushing us to the other for good. Competition is good for all of us!</p>

<p>Of course as Josh noted, buying from Adorama via clicking the links on this site is good for the site. And if you are asking questions on the site, helping the site out with some indirect coin is a good thing for you as well.</p>

[steve_t.1]

<p>If I don't buy locally, I buy from 3 locations:<br>

<br />Tie for First Place, Adorama and B&H. When I've bought I'll check both sites, and quite often their prices are darn near a match. The decision to go to one over the other was typically a matter of which shop had the gizmo I wanted in stock at the moment I wanted to buy. No reservations about using either shop.<br>

<br />#3- Amazon, if, and ONLY if the product is shipping directly from Amazon and not one of their 3rd party partners. Adorama is a 3rd party partner, but I go right to Adorama if I'm buying from them (via the P.net link, of course). I'm funny about those 3rd party configurations... but direct from Amazon's warehouses has been good. A few times their box packing has left something to be desired...<br>

<br />Cameras, lenses, flashes, and even my new computer monitor, all mail order.</p>

[zack_rose]

<p>Thanks for all your responses. I must say the price was so low it seemed too good to be true. I would be paying over a hundred dollars less for exactly the same thing vs going to the camera shop. It's nice to support local businesses but that is a huge difference.</p>

[michael_kuhne]

Zack, welcome and enjoy your new K-x!! You can't go wrong with either Adorama or B&H- I speak from years of personal experience. You can be sure it will come with a USA warranty unless otherwise noted- just as they say here. Both these stores are authorized Pentax USA dealers.

 

We'd enjoy hearing of your experiences with your new camera.