Best place to buy photographic equipment in the uk?

K3nt

"No good photo goes unnoticed!"
Feb 3, 2011
269
1
Finland
www.flickr.com
I used a small company in the UK called www.hdewcameras.co.uk . Excellent service and I got my 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM Mk II for 700GBP less than here in Finland.
There was some problems using an overseas credit card with their SagePay-system, but once all interesting paperwork was sorted, they managed to manually debit the card and all was well.
 
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Freshprince08 said:
Haydn1971 said:
Has anyone used "Simply Electronics" ? I've only noticed them recently, but they appear the cheapest in the UK - is there a catch ???

They claim to be UK based - but I've had equipment delivered that's clearly from Hong Kong (Sigma 50mm f1.4 if I remember correctly). No problem with them otherwise, delivery was a tad slow and the website is a bit misleading but competitive prices.

I've used Digital Rev before as well - they are openly HK based.

Just placed an order with procamerashop.co.uk - great communication so far, expecting my delivery tomorrow.

Good luck!

Concur with Freshprince08, I've used Simply without any major issues, stock arrived without problems. Sales can be a bit slow, and not as clued up. Have also used procamerashop and the 3% discount. They seem to slightly undercut Simply.
 
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K3nt

"No good photo goes unnoticed!"
Feb 3, 2011
269
1
Finland
www.flickr.com
Jona100 said:
Hdew are great, prices are unbeatable £1425 for a 5d2, £655 for a 24-105. Hong kong imports with duty paid, but you can visit them at their Surrey office and pick up in person before you have paid.

I highly recommend them.

They offered me this option as well, which was the dealmaker for me. I could've had a friend of mine that lives nearby picking the lens up. I just had him swing by and check the place out. Then I decided it was ok to part with my money. :) I will shop there again, I have worked up quite the shopping list. ;D
 
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R

Radeusz

Guest
Haydn1971 said:
Has anyone used "Simply Electronics" ? I've only noticed them recently, but they appear the cheapest in the UK - is there a catch ???

I also used Simply Electronics. I think they order stuff from Hong Kong. I bought my 7d and 70-200 from them. both times took them a lot of time for delivery (I kept checking my order and after 2 weeks my status order was still marked as "new"). If you do not mind to wait, you can use this website.
 
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wockawocka said:
DO NOT USE SIMPLY ELECTRONICS

Best place for price in the UK that I know is www.procamerashop.co.uk
Then it's HDEW cameras.

For anything other than cameras and lenses then Dale Photographic or Warehouse Express.

Has anyone else used procamerashop? Their prices look a little on the cheap side across the board, which always sets off alarm bells for me. I don't mean to slander them if they are genuine, but £899 for a 7D body? Most places sell them second hand for more than that!

Edit: I've looked at hdew cameras as well and they seem to be the same prices. Neither of these sites appear on Camera Price Buster; I don't know if this comparison site takes commission (which might explain this), but it seems a bit strange...
 
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May 12, 2011
1,386
1
traveller said:
wockawocka said:
DO NOT USE SIMPLY ELECTRONICS

Best place for price in the UK that I know is www.procamerashop.co.uk
Then it's HDEW cameras.

For anything other than cameras and lenses then Dale Photographic or Warehouse Express.

Has anyone else used procamerashop? Their prices look a little on the cheap side across the board, which always sets off alarm bells for me. I don't mean to slander them if they are genuine, but £899 for a 7D body? Most places sell them second hand for more than that!

Edit: I've looked at hdew cameras as well and they seem to be the same prices. Neither of these sites appear on Camera Price Buster; I don't know if this comparison site takes commission (which might explain this), but it seems a bit strange...

It's $1375 US from B&H Photo Video, which is about the same as 899gbp, so I don't think it sounds too unrealistic. I was actually talking with a guy from England yesterday at a local shop and he was like a kid in a candy store about the prices. I see 7D's used (but like new condition) for $1000-$1200 all the time here.
 
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Axilrod said:
traveller said:
wockawocka said:
DO NOT USE SIMPLY ELECTRONICS

Best place for price in the UK that I know is www.procamerashop.co.uk
Then it's HDEW cameras.

For anything other than cameras and lenses then Dale Photographic or Warehouse Express.

Has anyone else used procamerashop? Their prices look a little on the cheap side across the board, which always sets off alarm bells for me. I don't mean to slander them if they are genuine, but £899 for a 7D body? Most places sell them second hand for more than that!

Edit: I've looked at hdew cameras as well and they seem to be the same prices. Neither of these sites appear on Camera Price Buster; I don't know if this comparison site takes commission (which might explain this), but it seems a bit strange...

It's $1375 US from B&H Photo Video, which is about the same as 899gbp, so I don't think it sounds too unrealistic. I was actually talking with a guy from England yesterday at a local shop and he was like a kid in a candy store about the prices. I see 7D's used (but like new condition) for $1000-$1200 all the time here.

I don't know if sales tax is already added to B&H's prices, but all UK based retailers include VAT at 20% on their prices (this can be recovered by VAT registered businesses), this is usually the approximate difference between US and UK prices. This is what make me suspicious about the £899 price...
 
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K3nt

"No good photo goes unnoticed!"
Feb 3, 2011
269
1
Finland
www.flickr.com
The good thing about hdewcameras is that you can go and physically pick the thing up from them if you want. Me being from Finland, that was a bit of a stretch, but I have friends in the UK that were only happy to help me scouting the place.
No way would I have parted with over 1.5k GBP for my 70-200mm f/2.8 MkII if I felt uneasy. (I still felt a little uneasy about that amount of money, now you'd have to pry it from my cold dead fingers to make me get rid of it). ;)
 
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traveller said:
wockawocka said:
DO NOT USE SIMPLY ELECTRONICS

Best place for price in the UK that I know is www.procamerashop.co.uk
Then it's HDEW cameras.

For anything other than cameras and lenses then Dale Photographic or Warehouse Express.

Has anyone else used procamerashop? Their prices look a little on the cheap side across the board, which always sets off alarm bells for me. I don't mean to slander them if they are genuine, but £899 for a 7D body? Most places sell them second hand for more than that!

Edit: I've looked at hdew cameras as well and they seem to be the same prices. Neither of these sites appear on Camera Price Buster; I don't know if this comparison site takes commission (which might explain this), but it seems a bit strange...

I bought 4 lenses from Pro camera shop, first 2 turned up within 48 hours, the rest a few days. I recommended them for a reason ;)
 
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wockawocka said:
traveller said:
wockawocka said:
DO NOT USE SIMPLY ELECTRONICS

Best place for price in the UK that I know is www.procamerashop.co.uk
Then it's HDEW cameras.

For anything other than cameras and lenses then Dale Photographic or Warehouse Express.


Has anyone else used procamerashop? Their prices look a little on the cheap side across the board, which always sets off alarm bells for me. I don't mean to slander them if they are genuine, but £899 for a 7D body? Most places sell them second hand for more than that!

Edit: I've looked at hdew cameras as well and they seem to be the same prices. Neither of these sites appear on Camera Price Buster; I don't know if this comparison site takes commission (which might explain this), but it seems a bit strange...

I bought 4 lenses from Pro camera shop, first 2 turned up within 48 hours, the rest a few days. I recommended them for a reason ;)


I have no doubt that you had a good experience with this store, as most reviews that I've seen online are very positive. My concern is that they should be clearer on their website that what they are selling is grey imports. It must be said that from what I've read of internet feedback, if you ask them this question then they give you a straight answer, but in my opinion you shouldn't need to ask.

If you're happy with the warranty that these stores provide and the fact that your purchase will not be covered by a Canon warranty, then by all means go ahead and save yourself some money. I don't mean to bang on about this, but I feel it is important to make it clear for people who aren't knowledgable about grey imports (perhaps those reading this board before buying their first camera) of the risk involved taking this route.
 
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traveller said:
..........My concern is that they should be clearer on their website that what they are selling is grey imports.

If you're happy with the warranty that these stores provide and the fact that your purchase will not be covered by a Canon warranty, then by all means go ahead and save yourself some money. I don't mean to bang on about this, but I feel it is important to make it clear for people who aren't knowledgable about grey imports

I've just picked up on this thread, & thought it might be helpful to clarify the position re the "grey market", at least as far as reputable retailers from the US are concerned.

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

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

A reputable retailer will ensure that any direct import / grey market products which are being sold as such will be clearly marked, and you should always contact a company directly should you have any concerns regarding a specific listing.

There should be 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.

On direct import products a reputable retailer should offer the same warranty as the manufacturer warranted products carry - the only difference might be that you would need to ship it to the retailer, rather than the manufacturer, for warranty service.

For, I think, about the past 10 years, the policy of Canon USA has been to honor their warranty for any unit sold though an authorized Canon reseller, whether it has been imported by an authorized agent or is direct import.
All the customer requires is original receipt to verify the reseller and the date of sale – apparently you don't need the warranty card - and even if you do have the warranty card, you will still have to provide the receipt.

BTW Nikon USA will not service a direct import item at all, whether the customer is willing to pay or not.



I hope this helps.

Helen Oster
Adorama Camera Customer Service Ambassador
[email protected]
 
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Helen,

I'm not criticising companies that sell grey market products, I've looked at your website as well as that of B&H; I know that both companies offer 'grey market' products alongside 'authorised' US stock and they are always clearly marked as such. I would have no problem buying products on this basis from either of these two stores as I am aware that they are both long standing and well regarded retailers. I am not suggesting that Pro Camera Shop or HDEW are not, but I am concerned that they are not explicit about the status of the products that they sell on their websites.

As you point out, when you buy 'grey market', you are not necessarily covered by the manufacturers warranty and so are reliant upon the retailer to resolve any problems that you may encounter. You must therefore be confident that the retailer will be in business for at least as long as any in-store warranty they offer. I would be happy to place this level of trust in Adorama, but there are lots of retailers out there in whom I would not.

I am aware that Canon are not as strict on their warranty criteria as Nikon, but I am also aware that this policy could change with little notice.
 
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