If they are mail order and don't have B&H or Adorama in their name, I'd look elsewhere. Anywhere but the two I've mentioned means you are taking a chance.

There is a reason why the price is what it is. And anything less is probably not legitimate.

And most often it's worth paying a little more to purchase it locally so your local stores don't go out of business.

You do need to be wary of the mail order places. Those two are fine - I'd take B&H of the two based on my experiences - and a few others are actually OK, like Abes of Maine. But I really second the local camera store idea, meaning local, not Ritz or Wolf. The differences in prices are not large once shipping is taken into account, and the advantages in terms of guidance and after-sales service are absolutely worth it should you get at all serious about your equipment.

Paul,

There are many bona fide dealers beyond B&H and Adorama and many crooks on the internet. You can get a good idea about how others have rated them at: www.resellerratings.com

I would avoid bestpricecamera.com as www.resellerratings.com shows only 1 lifetime review. I don't know if they are a reincarnation of Best Price Cameras/infinitiphoto.com/j&kcameras.com which are scam artists; buyer beware!

Before you even THINK of buying on-line, please read
http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,107855-page,1/article.html

Certainly the dealers mentioned have the best reputations. A bit more expensive can be buying locally, but then you have a live human to help you out if something goes wrong. I could write a book about the great camera salespeople I have known, and the service they have rendered over the years.

I think B and H is tops. I just got some stuff from them. Quickly delivered. Sometimes free shipping etc is not what it is cracked up to be. Just remember Band H is closed i think on frid and sats! Or should I say the best time to order is sat or sunday or mon. I guess it depends where you live as well. I live in CT and they are in NY could account why I got things so fast. I do trust them for over 15 years.

Quote:
I think B and H is tops. I just got some stuff from them. Quickly delivered. Sometimes free shipping etc is not what it is cracked up to be. Just remember Band H is closed i think on frid and sats! Or should I say the best time to order is sat or sunday or mon. I guess it depends where you live as well. I live in CT and they are in NY could account why I got things so fast. I do trust them for over 15 years.

I agree here. I normally order on Sundays and receive the
products on the following Friday--even here in Mendocino which is about as far West as one can go--with the cheapest
UPS 5-7 day rate.

I bought a Canon 30D from Beach Camera, they had favorable ratings and I had great service. I saved a lot of money.