Just made the purchase! did i do well?

[Tmizzle]

Just bought a 20D body only

I bought 2 lenses:

Sigma 28-70
Sigma 18-50

I was getting the:

Canon 18-55
Tamron 28-75

The sales rep said the 2 Sigmas were better than the Canon and the Tamron.


Did i make the right choice, i am 100% new.

[gramps]

Did you look at the Canon 17 - 85? It would have covered the range you have in the two lenses. How fast are the Sigma lenses?

[CyberDyneSystems]

Which Sigma 28-70mm?

I'd say you made the right choice in Camera! :)
Your going to love it!

The Salesman though.. I think he steered you a little wrog with the Sigma lenses. I can't vouch of the 18-50mm,. this may be as good as or better than the Canon which is a good workable lens,. but no one raves about it.

The Sigma 28-70mm,.. if it is the f/2.8 EX is also a good lens,. but most reviews and users find the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR DI to be the better of the two. Mileage may vary,.. and individual lenses may perform better than others,.

Some people do really like that Sigma!

So, as long as the price was comparable,. I don't think you were "taken" per se,. but in the future,. your best bet is to research your purchase ahead of time,. and then make your decision,. don't let a slalesman stear you in another direction you have not researched on your own. In this case,. I think your initial instincts were better than the salesman's :(

Welcome to the EOS Club! Your going to love that camera.

[Cadwell]

The Tamron 28-75mm is a better lens than the Sigma 28-70mm.

[Mike Panic]

another vote for the canon 17-85IS lens

[roanjohn]

Exchange the Sigma 28-70 to the Tamron..........please. Keep the Sigma 18-50.

Ro1

[jbradc]

Right body, wrong lenses in my opinion the 17-85 IS would have been a better choice to cover that range.

[Tmizzle]

salesman said the Sigmas were better in quality and faster than the Tamron. He said the focusing would be faster and the images sharper.

should i change back to the Tamron? I doubt they have packaged it up yet.

[jbradc]

If you need the speed (F2.8 ) of the 28-70, get the Tamron, if not trade both Sigma's for the Canon 17-85.

[gramps]

salesman said the Sigmas were better in quality and faster than the Tamron. He said the focusing would be faster and the images sharper.

should i change back to the Tamron? I doubt they have packaged it up yet.

I would cancel the Sigmas. May I ask where you are ordering from? The salesman sounds a bit "off".

[tommykjensen]

In another thread You wrote

yeah, i was about to purcahse through A&M Photoworld until the told me to call. When i called they say i have to purchase a battery and charger through them.

Cancel Your order.... And order with for example B&H.

[gramps]

I did some research, for a friend yesterday , on the price of a 20 D body, 1 gig card and the Tamaron 2.8 24 - 75. B & H and Buydig had the best deals out of the vendors that I woudl trust.

[Tmizzle]

ok, here is the plan.

Keep the 18-50 sigma
exchange the 28-70 for the Tamra since that is what i was leaning towards anyway after doing research yesterday.

will that be a good decesion for a new picture taker?

I will be doing mostly portraits/models.

thanks!!

[thomascanty]

Wait a sec... Is tommykjensen right? You ordered this from A&M Photo World? Cancel the order immediately, then cancel your credit card.

You should always check Reseller Ratings (http://www.resellerratings.com) before placing an order online. These guys are crooks!

[roanjohn]

Why not get the 20D with the kit lens........18-55 (the kit is not bad stopped down). Purchase the Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and the Canon 50 f1.8 for your portraits and fashion etc..........

Ro1

[Tmizzle]

ok, tell me if i got a good deal:

Canon 20D
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR DI
Sigma 18-50
5 1/2 hour battery & charger
3 year canon warenty
$2050

i didnt purchase from a&m but a company that could be just as bad. Royal Camera, although they did have some good reviews on that ratings site. I did stress and make sure everything was USA model and no overseas stuff.

I also got a 2gb 80x card from newegg.com for $190

[tommykjensen]

i didnt purchase from a&m but a company that could be just as bad. Royal Camera, although they did have some good reviews on that ratings site. I did stress and make sure everything was USA model and no overseas stuff.


Sorry to break this to You but Royal Camera is just as bad

http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1895.html

Read and be shocked.... Cancel Your order immediately...

Always check resllerratings.

[ggibbs1971]

If you check out the "resellers" link a couple of replies above, you will see that you have been had. You should cancel immediately. I purchase my system from BHPhotovideo.com last month and had NO problems. Their ratings are very high and so is Buydig.com. For more information about retailers check out Dpreview.com They have a great forum and lots of feedback

Geoff

[Tmizzle]

i did read their ratings... they are just as bad. I did put it on my amex so hopefully they will protect me if something isnt 100% right.

[roanjohn]

Tmizzle..........check out pricegrabber.com for all purchases.......it gives you all the listings of different vendors and it includes the tax/shipping. Before ordering, cross reference using resellerratings.com.

Hope this helps on all your future purchases.........

Ro1

[tommykjensen]

i did read their ratings... they are just as bad. I did put it on my amex so hopefully they will protect me if something isnt 100% right.

It is not worth the trouble dealing with them to save a few dollars. They will cost You in the long run.

Order at B&H they are reliable.

[Tmizzle]

hopefully everything will go well, if not it would have been worth it to spend the extra money... this is my 1st time spending this much on a camera so i was just trying to find the best deal.

ill let you guys know how it came out. hopefully good! i payed for 2day am shipping so i will know by Friday.

thanks for all the info!

[CyberDyneSystems]

Go to B&H and get the 20D and Tamron ;)

[Jon]

Definitely - B&H - if it's in stock and I don't wait until evening to order it, I will get it the next day via UPS 3-day. Other places have taken a couple of days to get around to ship, and called to "confirm" and offer other stuff.

[Persian-Rice]

Call me nuts, but I think the Sigma is better then the Tamron. Images are the same pretty much, Tamron's image are very neutral actually. Tamron has an EXTREMELY slow focus. The Sigma is bigger and heavier, has a stupid filter size(I think 82mm?) Build of the Sigma is better.

Overall they are both very good and very bad.

[Marvinspu36]

I would definately encourage you to buy from B&H in the future. I have made four purchases from them in the past few months (basically all my EOS purchases). Each one came very quickly and exactly as ordered. If I place my order before 3pm NY time my order will generally ship out the same day. So, if I order on Tuesday morning, I will have my stuff by that Friday. Pretty awesome service.

Check out your new equipment very thoroughly when you get it, no matter who you buy from. If something doesn't seem right, don't be afraid to make a post here to get some help. There are some very knowleagable people posting in these forums. As a newbe myself, I really appreciate the time they spend answering questions.

I would encourage you to do a search of the forums first, as many questions have already been asked and answered very thoroughly.

Best Wishes

[Tmizzle]

thanks for all the comments guys, i should have went to B&H... after everything it came out to about the same price...

Royal Camera just called to verify shipping and said it will ship today and be here Friday morning.

when it arrives, i will post what i see so you guys can help the newbie to make sure i didnt get burned. ;)

[mbze430]

B&H is too expensive. 17th Street Photo http://www.17photo.com/

I have spend over $4k there, and they are authorized Canon Dealer as well.

[jobber73]

thanks for all the comments guys, i should have went to B&H... after everything it came out to about the same price...

Well, that's the entire scam of these places.

They lure you in with super-low prices on big ticket items. Charge ridiculous shipping fees. Hard sell overpriced accessories and in the end they got your business at the same 'standard' street prices and left you thinking you got a bargain.

Also if you refuse the extra items or fees - suddenly the big ticket purchases seems to mysteriously no longer be in stock.

[triangle]

You should always check Reseller Ratings (http://www.resellerratings.com/) before placing an order online. These guys are crooks!

Thanks for this link.

I can add my 2 cents about B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home/), I have bought around $3000 worth of equipment from them without a problem. This is my go to store for equipment now. I was paying ridiculous retail at a local photo shop before I found out about B&H. A matter of fact I placed a $600 order today with them. I have looked at some of the other vendors mentioned, but the prices aren't that different to chance a "bad" seller.

[wcstory]

ok, tell me if i got a good deal:

Canon 20D
Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR DI
Sigma 18-50
5 1/2 hour battery & charger
3 year canon warenty
$2050

i didnt purchase from a&m but a company that could be just as bad. Royal Camera, although they did have some good reviews on that ratings site. I did stress and make sure everything was USA model and no overseas stuff.

I also got a 2gb 80x card from newegg.com for $190

For the same price I got the 20D 17-85 IS USM kit (including all factory accessories and chargers), 1 gig SD extreme CF, a spare no name battery, bag and cleaning kit - delivered.

My kid brother is about to buy a dSLR. I recomended he buy the 20D body kit, a 70-200 4.0 L, 1 gig 133x CF and a 50mm for roughly the same price. THats how I wish I'd gone a month and a half ago.

Bill

[Marvinspu36]

B&H is too expensive. 17th Street Photo http://www.17photo.com/

I have spend over $4k there, and they are authorized Canon Dealer as well.

I think you need to check the prices at the time you are going to buy. For me, I got a slightly better deal at B&H. Even checking today, the prices were roughly the same or slightly better at B&H for my lenses and memory cards. I really like the way B&H's site is layed out too. Their web page filters and sorts make shopping very convenient. Too convenient sometimes ;) . Not knocking 17St Photo, just letting you know that I really like B&H.

Never purchased from 17St Photo, but sounds like mbze430 was at least happy with their service & prices. I will keep them in mind for other purchases.

[Geeeyejo]

Has anyone dealt with Cameta Camera? (www.cameta.com (http://www.cameta.com)) I just bought my 10D Factory Demo from them $799 buy it now on Ebay with only $14 UPS shipping. Received the camera today (Wednesday) that was paid for just two days ago. I am really pleased with the product (The 10D is as new with a 1 yr warranty) and service. They carry new (via Ebay auctions and buy it now) and have a used equpment section on the site as well. With 80,000+ feedback & 99.8% positive they appear to have built up quite a reputation!

[wcstory]

Has anyone dealt with Cameta Camera? (www.cameta.com (http://www.cameta.com/)) I just bought my 10D Factory Demo from them $799 buy it now on Ebay with only $14 UPS shipping. Received the camera today (Wednesday) that was paid for just two days ago. I am really pleased with the product (The 10D is as new with a 1 yr warranty) and service. They carry new (via Ebay auctions and buy it now) and have a used equpment section on the site as well. With 80,000+ feedback & 99.8% positive they appear to have built up quite a reputation!

That's where my 20D came from and have bought more from them since the origional purchase. Probably buying my first "L" from them.


Bill

[gramps]

thanks for all the comments guys, i should have went to B&H... after everything it came out to about the same price...

Royal Camera just called to verify shipping and said it will ship today and be here Friday morning.

when it arrives, i will post what i see so you guys can help the newbie to make sure i didnt get burned. ;)

if the body is in the factory box it will come with the battery and battery charger. Even if you want the extra battery you don't need to by an extra charger.

[Johnny V]

i did read their ratings... they are just as bad. I did put it on my amex so hopefully they will protect me if something isnt 100% right.

Sorry but it's not right. You shouldn't have to pay for a charger - lets hope there is a real Canon charger in the Canon box and they didn't pull it out. I don't want to sour your purchase but it sounds all fishy. Make sure you have all USA warranties on all items and not "international" warranties which are not good in the USA. If not return all items and don't pay a restocking fee if they lie about the items.

[Andy_T]

CDS,

maybe you could include this link or one of the other similar ones under the title
'CHECK THIS BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING :shock:' in the EOS Sticky thread

... maybe some new board members don't have to go through this story...

Best regards,
Andy

[tommykjensen]

CDS,

maybe you could include this link or one of the other similar ones under the title
'CHECK THIS BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING :shock:' in the EOS Sticky thread

... maybe some new board members don't have to go through this story...


I thought of that too.

[lkorell]

Lots of people purchase based on price. Of course, why not? This gives many very disreputable companies the chance to hook you in with an advertised price, and they will even call you on the phone to tell you you will get what you ordered. Then they send you misrepresented items at three times the price they verbally agreed to on the phone. Don't be fooled. Only buy from the most reputable companies no matter what the price. Usually they have decent prices you can live with, but you can never put a price on exceptional service and reliability.
B&H, Canoga Camera, two of the best, and there are others. But do your homework.

Good luck!

Lou

[Canuck]

Well FWIW, all the lenses in the sig at the bottom were bought form B&H and shipped to me when I was in England. I have absolutely no problem ordering from them again. It was enjoyable to purchase from them and I have since added a nifty-fifty F1.8 and 1.4x TC (in sig) back in Sept, 04. That place is huge! I have been to the store in Manhattan.

There is a link of forum recommended dealers in Marketplace that I started.

[Tmizzle]

Looks like Royal Camera came through... my order arrived on time as promised... how do i know if it is a US or overseas version? Looks US to me.

[Johnny V]

Great! On the warranty cards it should say US/Canada. Did you get the Canon charger in the box too?

Here's an attached image of Canon's warranty card.

[Tmizzle]

thats the card i got.

yeah i got the charger and battery, although i thought i upgraded to the 5 1/2 hour battery...

the batter i got says 7.4 1390mAh, is that the 5 hour one?

camera looks sweet! ive never had one this nice, im coming from the Sony 717. I cant take any photos yet cause im still at work :( and the memory card was sent to my house.

[gramps]

thats the card i got.

yeah i got the charger and battery, although i thought i upgraded to the 5 1/2 hour battery...

the batter i got says 7.4 1390mAh, is that the 5 hour one?

camera looks sweet! ive never had one this nice, im coming from the Sony 717. I cant take any photos yet cause im still at work :( and the memory card was sent to my house.

That sounds like the battery that comes with the camera from the factory. My 20D came with that one.

[Cadwell]

yeah i got the charger and battery, although i thought i upgraded to the 5 1/2 hour battery...

the batter i got says 7.4 1390mAh, is that the 5 hour one?



That's the rating for the Canon BP-511A. It comes as standard with the 20D.

[tommykjensen]

I glad to hear You got what You ordered.

But it makes no sense to talk about 5 or 7 hours operation with the battery. It would make more sense to speak about 500 or 800 photos per charge.

1390mAh is the larger one.

Even though it appears to have gone well this time my recommendation is still and will always be to avoid the 2 dealers You have mentioned.

Now get the battery charged so You are ready to rock when You get home. The camera is really great, I know because I have had one.

[Johnny V]

I thought you got an extra charger that charges in 5 1/2 hours? So you should have two chargers...Canon's and the 5 1/2 hour one...correct? Still camera batteries aren't based on hours. What brand is the 1390mAh battery?

Are the warrenties for the lenses US?

[gramps]

My charger, the one that came with the 20D, charges a battery in about 2 hours.

[Tmizzle]

yeah, i am confused about the battery and charger... i must have just payed extra for the ones that come with the kit, that would have put the price right back at regular store prices... if that is the case thats no biggie since they sent everything as promised.

the battery and charger is canon.

the warrenties for the lenses are USA, well the Tamron for sure... the sigma has every language on their card but im thinking its USA.

I also have the RepairTech 3 year service plan (www.repairtechinc.com)

Get ready for A LOT of questions guys once i get up and running!!!!

[tommykjensen]

yeah, i am confused about the battery and charger... i must have just payed extra for the ones that come with the kit, that would have put the price right back at regular store prices... if that is the case thats no biggie since they sent everything as promised.

That is unfortunately how they operate. The battery and charger should be included in the price for the camera.

[gramps]

I wonder why Canon supplys items to vendors tha break open factory sealed boxes and sell the items seperate?
Timzzle, did you get all the software that is suposed to be with the camera?

[Johnny V]

>yeah, i am confused about the battery and charger... i must have just payed extra for the ones that come with the kit, that would have put the price right back at regular store prices... if that is the case thats no biggie since they sent everything as promised.

OK...don't do that again!

From now on buy from the big stores as you'll get better prices...and honesty! B+H is selling the 20D for $1,369.95 What did you pay for yours?

[Tmizzle]

yeah, it looks like it... all the software, cables, etc... everything seems to be here.
Adobe photoshop Elements 2.0
EOS digital Soulution disc
Digital Photo Professional Ver. 1.1

EOS digital software - manual (in 2 languages)


I have photoshop 7 already, is CS prefered for digital photography?

[Tmizzle]

yeah, i probably wont go back to them. all the bad comments had me worried!!!! i had a big smile though when the UPS man came, i wasnt sure if he was coming.

I have no idea what i payed for mine. LOL! the receipt isnt itemized. I think i payed 1324.00 looking at my notes from when i was talking to them

[Tmizzle]

oh, i was promised a canon carrying case but instead got a samsonite bag... i dont know what the canon one would have looked like so i dont know if i should be mad about that... he "threw" it in "free" at the last minute. heheh

[Johnny V]

>i probably wont go back to them.

"probably"? We'll all spank you if you go back to them!

[Tmizzle]

ok. I WILL NEVER GO BACK! lol... better? i said that with feeling! :lol:

[DSMITH131]

Royal Camera where they will lie cheat and steal ie. Bait and switch . the try to push sigma i bet they will tell you that sigma is better than a canon L

[Tmizzle]

they were pushin the hell out of Sigma for some reason.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I'm so glad it all worked out in the end ;)

In my youth, ( :mrgreen: ) I fell for the same low prices from an even worse vendor... live and learn,.. all I lost was the price of a 50mm f/1.8 though.. so it could have been worse,.. still I was burned.