Canadians, Where do you do your gear (lenses mostly) shopping?

Where do you buy your lenses? Any good places in Toronto, or is ordering online a must (if so, what are some good Canadian retailers?) Henry's seems so expensive compared to buying used here or even BH prices.

There is no duty on bodies & lenses (you only have to pay the PST & GST) and with the dollar the way it is, you can get the best deals in the states. In Toronto, I prefer Vistek over Henry's.

Somebody else in the other thread (tamron 28-75), said he ordered it from BAH and they shipped to Canada.

Anybody know how much shipping charges are and stuff? I'll still probably buy used, but I'm curious.

i ordered my 20d and 17-85mm from thecamerastore.com late one Friday afternoon Nov 2004 and it arrived via Canada Post the following Monday. It was also at the time the best Canadian price from a reputable place I could find.

I ordered my 70-200mm F4 from B&H a little over a year ago, and guesstimate that I saved appr. $100 Cdn on it.

Honestly, I liked dealing with both, but feel more comfortable ordering from a Canadian company. I guess it feels a little more local...

Check the link in my signature for a thread with some helpful tips when buying from the US. It is definetly cheaper if you do things right.

Thanks.

Ah, Ryan. It's unforteunate I already kenw that stuff as I've been buying stuff used from Americans for a while now. I usually have them ship USPS EMS because it's fast, not much more expensive then airmail parcel post, and has insurance, tracking, etc. I also prefer seeing the local delivery guy who isn't a total moron come to my door then the UPS guy who feels the need to come to my door, not ring the doorbell, leave the package, and let it get stomped in the rain or whatever.

It really depends on which brand I'm purchasing. I like a long warranty so I tend to purchase Tamron (6 years) and Sigma (10 years) in Canada.

AdenCamera.com is my favourite Canadian retailer. Very Honest, great prices (willing to deal).
B&H is my favourite American retailer. Best Selection, most reliable and good prices (especially when compared to buying within Canada).

I've dealt with Vistek a few times. Every time they drag their feet and make promises they seem to be either unable or unwilling to keep. I'm still waiting on a lens I ordered over two months ago. =/

Henrys is overpriced, but very honorable if anything goes wrong.

TheCameraStore.com is very good, but usually understocked.

I've never purchased from CameraCanada.com, but they seem to have a very good reputation.

For my lenses I generally try to buy from Aden Camera. If they don't have what I'm looking for or can't come close enough to the right price I'll go with B&H.

Many of my lenses I've purchased though the fredmiranda.com buy/sell forum as well.

ALso check out Fred Miranda's buy sell fourm. They seem to have lots of Toronto people selling locally and it always pisses me off because I am not there to scoop them up If you buy from another photographer it is Buyer beware. Most if not always you will get a good deal and get what you bought but sometimes you run the risk of being screwed so if buying used from a stranger be willing to take a remote risk.

I buy from B&H and from now on, any lens over $1000 in value I will be buying from them. There is simply no store in Canada that can seem to compete with them and B&H is a good deal even after Shipping and Duty.

I hate the layout and slowness of Fred Mirandas site for me, I love this forum and Vbulletin a lot more...

I try to buy from people with well established feedback and a decent post count here who are active and wouldn't gain much from screwing me out a few hundred bucks.

One thing is certain: when I go to buy an L series lens, it probably won't be used because of the limited savings compared to buying it from B&H.

I recommend Camera Canada http://www.cameracanad​a.com, Great prices, and most often if you email them, they will quote you an even lower price.
I've also had good luck at Henrys, once they get to know you, they have beaten Camera Canada's price a few times when I have asked.

I thought their prices were firm?? Can you actually negotiate with them? Especially if your buying multiple items.

I know they will price match for sure against Camera Canada.
Once I registered with them as being professional, requires a PST vendor number, I am able to get better deals on most things.

I bought a 580 ex flash from Robinson Camera through eBay. Their price was a lot cheaper than local, I saved 8% PST, shipping was only $20 the package arrived in the time promised in perfect condition. I also purchased a 24 105 f4 from The Camera Store in Calgary for much the same reason, their shipping was exceptionally fast, the flash though was quite a bit more expensive on their site.

If you shop around you will find prices are not much different on this side of the border. One thing you should remember is that by buying outside your province you will save the PST but if you import from the U.S. the customs people will collect PST for the province. that 8% eats into a lot of the savings that a U.S. purchase offers.

Gerhard

I'll second that... I was trying to order for business purposes and got a lukewarm response, then a quote that was only valid one-time instead of being a set price. Then they stopped communicating.