Where to find B-300

[Steven Hansen]

I am having a hard time finding the Olympus B-300 lens. Where can I buy one? Is anyone interested in selling one? Thanks!

[Brian Philpott]

A number of people are buying them direct from a dealer in Germany for a good price. See http://www.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1010&page=1&message=1372343

He says "I´ve got new Olympus B-300 now!!
If anyone would like to buy one: just send me a mail: webshop@achatzi.de

Price?? 121 US $, S&H to US: 21 US $. "

I would have ordered one too but I recently bought the Canon TC-DC58.

[Steven Hansen]

Thank you for the information. I've contacted Martin Achatzi to obtain a B-300. My main concern is dealing with a person overseas without a secure way to order and without a web site that is approved by someone like CNET. However, after exhausting all other avenues to obtain the lens, I decided to try to get the B-300 from this German source.

Mr. Achatzi said he shipped it last week and I should be receiving the lens shortly. I will post a notice here after receipt of the lens to provided feedback as to the reliability of this source.

[Steven Hansen]

Thirteen days and still have not received the B-300 lens from Mr. Martin Achatzi. Perhaps the mail is slow from Germany but I am now anxious. Does anyone else have experience ordering anything from this source?

[svferris]

FYI, I emailed Martin a few days ago to get a B-300 and he said that he has ran out, but he's trying to get more.

I'd hope he wouldn't have sold more than he had.

For those interested, he said to get the B-300 with step-ring (for LensMate) would cost $212 US, including shipping and handling.

[AVL_]

I bought mine at the German foto24.de (www.foto24.de), who have a secure ordering page and are also approved by this organization where I forgot the name of :). Just search for 'b300' (not 'b-300') at the bottom of the page, and you'll find it. Price is 279 DM, which translates to €142,65.

[Steven Hansen]

svferris wrote:
FYI, I emailed Martin a few days ago to get a B-300 and he said that he has ran out, but he's trying to get more.

I'd hope he wouldn't have sold more than he had.

For those interested, he said to get the B-300 with step-ring (for LensMate) would cost $212 US, including shipping and handling.


It appears that Martin has been bombarded with requests for this lens now that everyone here knows of him. On August 31 Martin sent me the following e-mail:

"on the morning of August 16th, Olympus Europe told me, that 80 B300 will arrive that day..... So I sent the mails around.... But no B300 arrived....so I had a lot of mail, phone calls and very unlikely. Sorry, that there was no time to give you any information, but any information would have been not verified. Now, I´ve got the lenses and your parcel is in the car of german postal service. FedEx has no service at our area....."

This supposedly explains the delay that I've experienced. I do not know the price I've been charged as I did not get a direct quote from him or an invoice. I only went by what was the very first response to my original posting, which was $121US for the lens and $21US for shipping. I told Martin that if the price was different to let me know. Since he did not say anything, I just assumed the price was right. Now you mention the price is $212 with a step-ring (the ring should not be more than $10-15US)

It's not like dealing with Amazon.com that is for sure, but as long as the lens finally comes at or near the price I was expecting I'll be happy. By the way dealing with the person who sells lensmate is a real pleasure. Although this appears to be a small operation like Martin's, shipments are fast, e-mail notification of ship dates are given and the overall experience is wonderful.

I'll provide a follow-up here if and when the lens arrives and the final price I paid. Hopefully, this information will be useful to others looking for a B-300.

[burkek]

I just got a message from Martin that he was expecting more B-300's by the middle of the month ...

KEv

[Steven Hansen]

burkek wrote:
I just got a message from Martin that he was expecting more B-300's by the middle of the month ...

KEv

That would mean that Mr. Achatzi blew through the 80 B-300 that got in on August 31. I wonder where he is getting this supply of lenses? Maybe the lens is only discontinued in the States and is still readily available in Europe.

FYI: As of today my B-300, that Mr. Achatzi said was in the hands of the German postal service on August 31, has not arrived.

[Steven Hansen]

At last the B-300 arrived, although it took almost a month from my original request for the lens, and 12 days for the shipment to go door-to-door.

The condition of the lens is new and undamaged. The packaging was acceptable. The final price paid was 309 DM, which converts to $143 US. I am now happy.

Mr. Achatzi is a credible source for the B-300. Mr. Achatzi is constrained by his ability to obtain additional supply from his distributors, and I'm not sure if from reading the above posts that the same price is still available. The claim that you can get the lens in a week is an exaggeration. But I can recommend working with this source as long as you are willing to endure a little waiting for the shipment to come.

[svferris]

Thanks for the updates Steven. I'm going to have to stay in touch with Martin and see if he gets any more B-300s.

Of course, it's not as important right now since I returned my G1 in anticipation for the G2. However, I hope to get the G2 soon...I'm having digital camera withdrawl...keep seeing great pictures to take...but no camera to take them with.