Alternative to B & H, Adorama, Calumet photo?

[jason_b10]

<p>B & H & Adorama seemed to be closed more often than they're open (both are closed until the 27th). Calumet is always hit or miss with accessories - mostly miss. Does anyone know of a reliable superstore that can overnight most, if not all of the following, to me by Friday?</p>

<ul>

<li>Canon Eg-D Precision Focusing screen with Grid</li>

<li>Canon OC-E3 Off-Camera shoe chord 3</li>

<li>Visual Echoes FX3 "Better Beamer" flash extender for the Canon 580EX</li>

<li>JoBu Designs FB-TM2 top mount flash bracket with quick release</li>

</ul>

<p>Apologies if this is the wrong forum for asking.<br>

Thanks</p>

[jenkins]

<p>Yeah tell me about it, my new D7000 is being held up by Passover - *weeps*</p>

[ted_suss]

<p>Where are you located?</p>

[ed_v.]

<p>Search for all those items at Amazon.com. I know a lot of times it will say "sold by Adorama" or something similar, but I tried the first one and it said "ships from and sold by Amazon".</p>

[jason_b10]

<p>Chicago, thanks.</p>

[szrimaging]

<p>Jason, are you downtown? Did you try going to Central? Not sure how much they would have in stock of that, but they might have something.</p>

<p>I would also try Norman Camera out of Kalamazoo/Grand Rapids, MI and Roberts down in Indy.</p>

<p>Should be <a href="http://www.normancamera.com">http://www.normancamera.com</a> and <a href="http://robertscamera.com/">http://robertscamera.com/</a></p>

<p>Can't guarantee they will have any of them. I have shopped with Norman a few times and they are as speedy and reliable as anyone else, their website just sucks.</p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>I know Flash Zebra can sell you an off shoe cord that will work fine with your flash for now.<br>

http://flashzebra.com/products.shtml<br>

You need this stuff post haste, well it happens I understand. I know that B and H and Adorama are well aware of the inconvenience of their religious holiday closings. They work feverishly before and after holiday hiatus to process orders I mean. The announcement re Passover has been on their site for some time. So I just say cut them some slack. If it exists, B and H has it in stock and ships it out fast, not so about all, even Amazon is not as slick IMO. There are closing period alternatives, by now, probably well known in the trade. Canon USA will surely have a distributor list for your items. Good luck, Jason.</p>

[steve_levine]

<p>Every year people gripe about the NYC camera marts being shut down for the various holidays. All one can say is "plan ahead for next year". In years past I can recall needing 20 rolls of film ASAP during said holidays. And I ended up paying top dollar for short dated film too.</p>

<p>When B&H closes, photography sales in NYC is barely breathing.</p>

[ted_suss]

<p>Try Samy's in California</p>

[aplumpton]

<p><em>"B & H & Adorama seemed to be <strong>closed more often than they're open</strong> (both are closed until the 27th)."</em></p>

<p>That's not something that I've seen before. If I have any gripes with the big mail order stores it is only the minimum cost of postage for small or mediumn size items which drives me elsewhere.</p>

<p>I think we should give these guys a deserved break. They are entitled as much as the next person to have occasional holidays, religious or otherwise. Plan ahead and be aware of the holiday periods and you will save yourself a lot of anguish. Whatever happened to Sunday or Saturday being recognised as a day of either relaxation or religious activity? 24/7 is about as nonsensical as walking on streets devoid of pedestrian walks (sidewalks) or driving your car to go to an urban neighbour only two or three houses away.</p>

<p>Google photographic sales and your state or province, and you will find alternatives if you need them.</p>

[jason_b10]

<p>Zach, I'm just a couple of blocks from Central so I had planned to stop by in a couple of hours, but I doubt they'll have items such as the precision focus screen w/grid or the flash bracket. I'll be getting the better beamer from Helix and the flash sync cable and focus screen from Calumet.<br>

I'm likely out of luck with the JoBu top-mount flash bracket, though I'm hoping that one of these three camera shops might have an alternative that will work with my gimbal. We'll see.<br>

thanks all for your help.</p>

[marc_rochkind]

You can't wait a week? As I recall from my youth, when the Pharaoh finally let the Jews go, it was FORTY YEARS before they finally got to Israel, with not a camera store to be found along the way. ;-)

[jason_b10]

<p>try not to take it so personally guys. What I'm looking for aren't exactly staples of my (or many other people's) camera gear. They're for a particular type of photography; one I obviously don't practice often. The trip was scheduled last minute, and the opportunity presented itself. In a perfect world, I would have ordered this stuff years ago but we all know that's never the case.<br>

How many times have you dropped $300-$400 dollars on stuff that you may or may not need 2yrs down the road? In this context, don't you think that there's a thin line between preparation and careless spending? Just saying.<br>

I love B & H and Adorama. It's just that; aside from financial institutions, it's pretty rare to see businesses shut down for so long and so often. If they can do it without going bankrupt, more power to them.</p>

[dan_south]

Amazon

 

Badger Graphic

 

Calumet Photo is open now, I believe.

[jenkins]

<p><strong>Every year people gripe about the NYC camera marts being shut down for the various holidays. All one can say is "plan ahead for next year"</strong></p>

<p>Actually Steve the D7000 has been out of stock for weeks, no amount of planning would have made the slightest bit of difference.<strong><br /></strong></p>

[GerrySiegel]

<p>You got it, Marc. Why the forty years roaming all over the desert we all wondered why, who was leading the troop. I mean Sinai is not all <em>that</em> big. My thinking is that it taught the younger Israelites to be patient. " Are we there yet, dad" And to make do without IPAD 2's, just papyruses, clay and styluses. And dry tasteless crackers..:-). (B and H employees spend their holiday off too with (mostly) dry crackers, extra sweetened wine.. foodies not.)</p>

 

[goldbergbarry]

<blockquote>

<p>B & H & Adorama seemed to be closed more often than they're open (both are closed until the 27th).</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Do you work on Easter Day or Christmas Day? Just a little bit closed-minded, aren't we. If you can't wait, order from Amazon.</p>

[marc_rochkind]

@Gerry:

 

No iPads? THAT I did not know. Much tougher even than I thought.

[jason_b10]

<p>Barry, you just made me realize that they all must have been jewish holidays. If that's the case, than I am indeed, and unintentionally, being insensitive and I apologize if I have offended you or others here that share the same religion. I don't know the dates of jewish holidays (or christian, buddhist, islamic, etc., aside from Christmas for obvious reasons). I am an atheist, and follow no religious schedule.<br /><br /> Have a good one.</p>

[walter_degroot]

<p>I understand the food while they were in the desert for that 40 years<br>

was "sorta" bland but enough.<br>

at leat their shoes did not wear out. that Hot Sand can really hurt.<br>

BTW in the back of my Bible there is a map they seem to have done a big loop.<br>

Possibly Moses was waiting for the older ones to die off so they would be stronger when they had to go to war.<br>

Golda Mier said " mt ancestors wandered in the desert for 40 years and settled in the only spot in the middle east that had no OIL".<br>

These folks who run the camera stores are very serious.<br>

Give them a break. don't Kvech</p>

[helen_oster]

<p>Most Jewish holidays are only one or two day events: Purim, one day (March); Rosh Hashanah, two days & Yom Kippur, one day (September / October time); Shavuot, one day (June); Tisha B'Av, one day (August); Christmas, one day.<strong> <br /></strong><br>

Two holidays are a week long Sukkot (October) and Passover (currently).<br>

In addition we are closed on Saturdays.<br>

However, we are usually open Thanksgiving, July 4th and Labor Day</p>

<p>I hope this helps<br>

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

<a href="mailto:HelenO@adorama.com">HelenO@adorama.com</a></p>

[marc_bergman1]

<p>I appreciate the fact that both B&H Photo and Adorama publish their Holiday schedules well in advance.</p>

<p>I appreciate how well they have fulfilled my orders over the years.</p>

<p>I also appreciate that both Helen Oster from Adorama and Henry Posner from B & H Photo take the time to monitor various photography forums to answer questions.</p>

<p>Calumet is also good. I use to go to the store in Santa Barbara. I haven't used their mail order.</p>

<p> </p>

[jason_b10]

<p>Thanks Helen. As I said in a prior post, I didn't realize that they were all jewish holidays and I hope no one took offense to the thread. I'm pretty ignorant to <em>all</em> religious holidays.<br>

I also didn't realize that both Adorama and B &H were both mostly brick & mortar. Considering their popularity and presumably high volume of orders, I had assumed that they were both just virtual or "online superstores" (all servers and conveyor belts). That being said: with the volume of orders you guys handle, you deserve all the time off that you can get.<br>

Thanks</p>

[jason_b10]

<p>Marc, <br>

I have a Calumet just a couple of miles away and one in the suburbs as well (I think). Unfortunately, their inventory (both online and in-store) is rather limited at the moment. But they have potential, and it's good to see some dedicated camera stores pop up again, after seeing places like Best Buy wipe a lot of the little guys off of the map.</p>

[ljwest]

<p>Another resource is <a href="http://store.uniquephoto.com">Unique Photo</a> in Fairfield, NJ. I've been getting al of my Canon stuff from them (7D, grip, batteries, flash...). Open 7 days.</p>