Anybody Buy From Calumet?

I've only bought something from their ebay sales, but having done that I get their flyers every once in a while. The prices seem a bit higher than most the rest, so what do they have that attracts people to buy from them? I don't see much mention of them around different forums.

I shop at Calumet because I have one of their stores on my way home from work. Great for rentals.

I love Calumet.

The only thing I have bought from them is my "nifty-fifty". I love being there, and asking questions. They have never once seemed to be annoyed that I have spent an hour or more asking questions and not buying anything. Oh and have I mentioned the classes that they offer? If your new to the game, or just wanting a refresher, I highly suggest it. And if you catch it just right, they offer free classes. Otherwise you have to pay. But they are well worth it.

Brandon

you get what you pay for you buy from a super discounter you better be sure that it has
a US warentery (bad spell) and they will hang you out to dry you got the item its
your problem. While Calumet offers great coustomer service and they won't abandon you

Calumet is quite expensive. When I lived in Boston I shopped at the one there fairly often. They have big stores, big rental departments, knowledgeable staff, and one of the most comprehensive online stores.

They're also probably the best dealer of large format and medium format equipment in the country. Calumet is a brand of LF camera, and it's now merged with Cambo, so Calumet stores are a big market for that stuff.

I've bought on-line from Calumet without problems. Respectable retailer IMHO.

I stop in the one in Chicago quite often. On the whole I would say the are knowledgable and it is nice to be in a store dedicated to the craft of photography like Calumet is. I don't purchase from them as they are expensive, but it is a good place to learn.

One caviat...always research on your own. While these guys are much more knowledgable than the Ritz's of the world, they have been wrong before. In example, the salesperson that claimed all Canon glass was produced by Tamron.

I bought My Mark3 and 70-200 2.8 is from them last week, they had everything shipped out to me and in my hands less than 24hours later. Main reason I went with them was both the camera and lens were the same price as B&H, but Calumet had everything in stock and was open. I would use them again.

Bought some cards from them. Really great and shipped quickly. Also got a porfolio from them. Expensive mostly, but they have deals.

I bought a 40D, 70-200 f/2.8, 17-55 f/2.8, 580 Speedlite, 2X extender and some other accessories from them last week. I normally buy from B&H, but they were closed when I needed to order everything. They were higher on some things and discounted on some others. Overall, the total price was about the same. Everything was in stock and arrived in just a few days.

I had not just one, but two bad experiences with this company. They accused me of having an invald credit card that was ' probably maxed out' when i had more than enough available credit for my purchase. I had to go back and forth between my credit card company and Calumet,untill they realised someone had input the card number incorrectly in their computer. The second time my order got lost for a few days, and no one bothered contacting me or helping me with my questions. Ill never do business with them again.

Calmut - It's Where The Pros Go...

Sorry to bring up the a 2 year thread...But are they an authorized Canon dealer?

Anyone else care to share their experiences with them?

dissembled wrote in post #7958060
Sorry to bring up the a 2 year thread...But are they an authorized Canon dealer?

Yes

dissembled wrote in post #7958060
Anyone else care to share their experiences with them?

They're prices tend to be higher than places like B&H, but they always seem to get stock of new stuff first. I bought my original 50D from them (when no one else had them), and I bought my 24L II from them (because people STILL don't have them). Overall experience is positive though.

Bought a canon printer and it was shipped the same day, great service.