Where to buy DVX100a?

[Guest]

Hello! My name is Zac and I'm a hopeful film maker =) I want to first say that DVXuser.com has been an invaluable resource in my research of this camera and has totaly sold me on the DVX! The next step is to buy the damned thing! I'm wondering if you experts may have any advice on how to go about this cuz I don't think they sell these things at best buy ;) The best deal I've seen is on Ebay from a company called My Digital Gear, tons of good feedback but several scary negative ones. Is ebay a safe place to buy the camera? If not, what kind of store sells 'em and what kind of price am I looking at? Any information would be great! Thank you so much, you guys rule and this forum is the best

[J.R. Hudson]

Zac

Ill answer this as it was answered to me and in a way that has been answered to everyone who asks:

www.evsonline.com

Glendale Location

Ask for Rush

baby!

[Guest]

I posted essentially this same information over at the Sony site for Vegas 5 users; might be of some use to folks here as well.

I decided to buy a DVX100A online because the prices looked great. So I called some places like 5Starelectronics and Expresscamera which certainly are the lowest of the low--in every way! After much discussion with these rotters it became apparent that the low prices were quoted for the camera only. To get the manufacturer-supplied accessories and a warranty with the cam made their prices much higher. Also, the extra lenses etc. cost almost double from these crooks. I then composed an e-mail with very clear requests as a precondition to purchasing and sent that e-mail to several on-line businesses. These requests (demands) were:

1. The co. would verify in writing (e-mail) that the factory-sealed product was currently available for the advert price and would be shipped within 1 -2 days of order completion.

2. The co. would supply me with a name and direct telephone number of a manager-level sales person with whom I could deal re: any issues.

3. The co. would not delay my order in order to attempt additional sales of peripherals.

4. The co. would supply me with an order number and a tracking number for the shipment.

Only one company bothered to reply, it was US1Camera. I called the sales manager, James, and placed my order. He did pitch some unwanted peripherals on the phone but, by-and-large, he was reasonable. I called him several times and got the order number, order description, and tracking number in e-mails. I don't fully understand US1Camera--a few days after my order they suddenly raised their advert price by $400 and no longer claimed to have the cam in stock. Heck, maybe they only have one at a time! Strangely, about 2 weeks later their price came back down and they claimed "in stock" again.

So what came in the UPS delivery? I have to admit that I was nervous about getting scammed from these folks! Well, the delivery occurred on the day they said it would come, and it was factory sealed w/ everything that I had ordered:

The DVX100A + accessories + 1 yr warranty for $3099, a pro titanium wide-angle lens for $399, a 5hr battery + cam bag for $109, 3-day air delivery for $50. My one minor annoyance was that the cam does not fit into the generic cam bag they sold me; however, I'm not going to lose sleep over it.

This is not a sales pitch for US1Camera; however, I do feel that my approach to buying from them worked for me.

I love this camcorder!!! Have used it for about 4 hours, am completely thunderstruck. Truly an awesome machine...

Best regards,

Lee

[kylelewis1]

Thanks for the info! There has been quite a few discussions on this site about buying from companies that are cheaper but not authorized by Panasonic. I don't think everyone came to a conclusion, but generally speaking I am leary of buying a grey market camera that may not have it's warranty. But hey, if it worked out for you then more power to you!

[Guest]

Kyle:

What exactly does "grey market" mean??? It sounds vaguely sinister and ,for what it's worth, US1Camera lists "no grey market" as one of its attributes on the website.

Again, I felt like my approach to dealing with that company worked out very well for me. I'm not recommending that others deal with them; however, I did feel obligated to report my exact experience to those interested since there is so much conflicting information available concerning web-based outfits like the one I bought from.

Best regards,

Lee

[kylelewis1]

I have never seen the lens go for that cheap on ebay. I think the cheapest I have seen them go is for around $179. But Barry is more experienced than I am, so I have probably missed something. Either way, $400 for the lens makes up for a lower priced camera.

[Guest]

Well a little more checking did turn up the same exact wide-angle lens for $100 less at Willoughby's; however, if you do the math it seems like $3099 for the cam + accessories + $399 for the lens is still a reasonable deal overall.

BTW, US1Camera didn't make the decision for me--I knew I wanted to buy a good wide-angle lens with the cam.

I certainly agree that I could've done better by $100 if I had worked a little more at it. US1Camera is by no means the worst of the "accessory mark-up" rackets--check out the same lens at 5Starselectronics or Expresscamera and you'll find it "marked down from $899 to ONLY $699!!!" .

It's a treacherous world out there.

Best regards,

Lee

[Guest]

oops, I had meant to include a web-link so y'all can see exactly what lens we are all talking about here...

http://www.willoughbys.com/shop/Product.asp?Sku20681120

It is a very nice lens, not some cheap POS.

[Terry_Lasater]

That link doesn't display the WA lens you reference.

What is the brand of your WA lens? "Pro Titanium"? Never heard of it.

Where is it manufactured?

[Guest]

Sorry, you're right--the link got me to a blank page.

Anyway, the lens is manuf. by Digital Optics. To view the exact lens that we are discussing, go to Willoughby's site, choose camcorders, lenses, and choose "by manufacturer" Digital Optics. There are two products listed...the wide-angle lens #20681120 is the exact product I got, except from US1Camera.

I noticed that Willoughby's is selling the cam + accessories for $3300, lens for $299. US1Camera sells the cam +access for $3099, lens for $399. Accounting for shipping costs from two separate orders from different companies versus one shipment from one company I guess that I'm still a bit ahead of the game.

Best regards,

Lee