Purchasing the G3

Dear Friends,

I am currently an ELPH S200 who has a newfound appetite for photography. My birthday is quickly approaching, and I decided to upgrade to a new, more flexible camera. Right now its a toss up between the S45, S50, and G3. I must say though that the G3 looks quite appealing and judging from this forum I'm sure I will love it. I found it for $357 after shipping, I guess the price dropped after the G5 came out - should I go for the G3 or is there something spectacular around the corner that will drive down the price of the G5? I must admit I love the black finish on the G5, not to mention the higher resolution, but at 2x the cost its not worth it right now. Also, any recommendations on a high speed CF card?

James

If that is all you can afford, yeah, I'd go for the G3 too, and save the rest of the cash to get the accessories.

One thing that I would think about if I was in your shoes is how long the camera will last you. Compared to the G3, the G5 will not be outdated as fast.

If I didn't have a G3 already, I would have gotten a G5, but there is not much improvements that are worthy of an upgrade.

As far as high speed CF cards, IBM brand is supposedly one of the best out there, though a bit expensive. You can try scoping around different online stores. I have a Scandisk 512mb card, and I am perfectly happy with it. Write/read speed is good.

Sounds too cheap. I would be wary of a vendor claiming to be able to sell the G3 for that price, shipped.

Dana

James, I agree about the low price. I'm only a month into my G3 and I purchased it cheaply at $545. NO WAY has it dropped $200 in a month. Caveat Emptor

I appreciate the concern over the vendor's credibility. I found the site through Yahoo! shopping, and it seems legit enough - the prices of all the other cameras seem to be in order - maybe they are trying to clear G3 inventory to make way for the G5. Plus, it comes with the manufacturer warranty, so I can always get it fixed/replaced if its DOA. Take a look for yourselves:

http://shop.store.yaho​o.net …actorystore/812​0a001.html

Pollo, how many pictures can you fit on your CF card at Superfine and at RAW?

New poster. These boards are amazing. Looking forward to learning a ton here (and already have).

I'm about a week from ordering my G3 (just a paycheck away which feels like a freakin eternity ) and I've been watching the price for a couple of weeks now. There are only a few online stores that have it for less than $500, and the ones that do have absolutely brutal costumer ratings/reviews. And even then we're only talking about the $470 range so under $400 is off the charts.

By comparison, www.newegg.com, which seems to have an outstanding reputation, has it for $560. Believe me, I've done a ridiculous amount of research on this one, and the cutoff for a new, warrantied G3 from a decent reputation online store is around $520. Lower than that and it gets a little iffy. Still a great price considering places like Best Buy and Circuit City are still at $650.

Buyer beware for sure.

I'll be interested to hear your results if you order from them... cheapest prices I've heard of before were between $450 and $500, don't think they included shipping, and there were various other issues (like accessory hard-sell tactics after the order was placed, etc.).

If it works, more power to you!

Dana

mattjs i agree Newegg.com is a really great retailer. Fast shipping, excellent customer support, but going to a less reputable retailer for a 200$ savings? worst case scenario its a dud, and I get it replaced by Canon. However, I will be purchasing my CF card from Newegg. After reading some reviews on read/write speed, I think I'm going to spring for the Simpletech 512mb card.

For all you current G3 owners, are there any accessories you think are essential? I plan on doing limited macro work, more outdoor/landscape shots and run of the mill birthday party pictures, so and external flash had crossed my mind.

It's a heck of a savings. A couple of last things to consider before you pull the trigger though. Then what the heck, go for it (thanks dad ).

No phone number on the website. Just a yahoo mail address. That seems kinda weird to me.

And, I would absolutely, positively check out a site like www.dealtime.com, and take a look at the buyer ratings comments on stores selling the G3 it in the $470 range. The'yre all really, really bad. Some advertising and promising new and fully warrantied products, but delivering grey market products. A term that's new to me, but apparently means something like "warranty??...what warranty??". In which case your only recourse is to go after the seller. The seller with no phone number.

As Dana said though, more power to you if you can grab it at that price. I hope it works out. And maybe I'm just jealous I don't have fortitude take a shot like that.

I emailed these folks and will let you know what response (if any) I get. Here is what I wrote:

---------------
You show Canon G3 (8120a001) for $349.99. Surely you know this is a full $200 less than "mainstream" vendors are charging and I'd suspect below most vendors' cost.

So, I have to ask - is there a "catch" here? Is this a non-US warranty "grey" market item? Are they actually in stock at this price?

I'd like to think this was on the level, but it seems too good to be true, and as they say, it usually is.

Thanks!

It's a good thought, but if they are misleading on their web site, you won't get any better in their email.

The "too good to be true" rule is a pretty good one...lots of people who have ignored it have lived to rue their decision...

I also suspect gray-market or refurbished, in spite of what they say on their site.

Bottom line, taking a chance might be worth it if:

1. Your credit card company has great service so you can contest/cancel any charges easily if required
2. You are patient, don't need the the camera right away, and won't mind dealing w/potential hard sell of accessories and/or delays
3. You are willing to risk getting a grey market or refurbished unit
4. You are willing to deal w/what could be a very difficult or non-existent return policy
5. You believe in the Tooth Fairy

Assuming above are true, then it could be worth taking the plunge...and I also own this bridge in New York that I'd be willing to sell you for a great price!

Dana

P.S. Being a bit sarcastic above, but I've heard too many sob stories about people ripped off on "great deals" to be very positive about this.

I agree that a price in the $300's is very suspect. I encountered several retailers who were touting great prices and found that the cameras were "refurbished". Others were "grey market". I just bought mine for $650 at a great, locally owned camera shop whose owner and staff have been extremely helpful in my decision process and earned my business. Also, should I have any problems, I have only to drive a few miles to get the problem solved rather than try the "800-number " game of tag with a dubious storefront located God-knows where.

great news,

I was perusing the website this morning, trying to find some type of phone number I could call (no luck), but it turns out, ironically, that the actual store is only about half an hour from my parent's house in Buffalo. This makes me feel a bit more secure, knowing I can always just drive down there and get a replacement. As a result I think I will be purchasing from here over the weekend. Wish me luck!

Do you mean you are going to try ordering it, or attempting to go there in person? I wouldn't think there would be any public storefront there, if in fact there's anything at all.

The best way you want to avoid any defect G3 is to order it directly from Japan, because supposively Japanese eletronic goods give first priority for un-fixed product to themseleves, and the others which may have needed a fixing or two after the manufaturing process will be shipped outside Japanese market..