Where do you guys buy your lenses/gear?

A

andrewmfilms

Member
Hey, I'm about to purchase a GH4 and I'm wondering where to purchase the lense(s). Do you guys always suggest a place like BH or is does that matter? Where do YOU buy your lenses?
 
andrewmfilms said:
Where do YOU buy your lenses?
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Ebay, personal encounters and the marketplace. I don't wouldn't want a spotless lens. A few cleaning marks have no impact on the image but if something is nice I compulsively have to keep it that way. That first fingerprint on the body upsets me so much, let alone the glass. Easier to get one already broken in, a fraction of the price and identically functional in every way. It's nice to have nice things but then I can't use them without worry. The beauty of lenses for buying second hand (especially older manual glass) is that if it looks okay, then it's basically okay. It's functionality is more or less all in what you can see.
 
I look in the local classifieds first and then we have one of the highest end camera stores in the country, www.pictureline.com. I've bought a ton of lenses used from our classifieds and a couple new here in town. Can't say I've been disappointed in but one of lens, the first I bought new and didn't realize it was scratched and unusable looking into any light source. Cheers, Pete
 
Slightly used lenses on ebay. Save at least 20% that way compared to brand new. That's how I got a Panasonic 14-45 zoom for my GH4 for only $160. It's very nearly as sharp as the $900 12-35mm zoom.
 
amazon bh adorama digitalrev ebay - whoever has best price. I wish I could buy local, but there is no one. Local camera store never even heard of the latest lens I was after and it was buzzing on the net for a year. :( Not much help.
 
Too much from B&H, and some of it local since we have a pretty decent camera store here. Their prices on most stuff is the same as B&H, but the nice thing is that they take care of you if you have issues, even on really weird stuff, like when they accidentally misquoted the value of a rebate to me. After checking, they acknowledged their mistake and made up the difference on the spot.
 
If it's new, then I first look locally because it's easier to return/replace an item if there's a problem.

If I can't find it locally, then I go to B&H Photo.

For used gear ( mostly Nikon AI-S lenses ) I go to eBay, but I will only buy if the gear looks "mint" in the eBay photos. ( no scratches, no dents, no dirt, no wear, no fungus, etc... ) I am happy to pay more if the gear looks to be in really good shape. ( some of the lenses I've bought this way look and function like a brand new lens )
 
Dan Keeble said:
no idea about BH, but nothing wrong with amazon for me
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Read up on the whole showdown between Amazon and Hachette. It'd be scary to see what happens if Amazon takes too much market share and then starts doing that with other manufacturers. Suddenly, you won't be able to get the products you want, but only the ones that Amazon can strong-arm into taking its terms.
 
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