buying.......

where do you guys pick up all your gear? i've already got a d100, speed light and a few lens's, tons of memory and a handful of batteries -i'm gonna have to take the lighting dive pretty soon i think, not a huge selection up here in alaska, and ritz camera seems to be out of what ever i need at the moment every time i get in the store.....so internet shopping seems to work best for me, what are your favorite places to shop?

thanks for any help in advance-
ben

[ChipBulgin]

Since you're closest to the west coast of the mainland, I'd recommend Samy's:

http://www.samys.com

They're based out of California and are very competitive from both a price and service standpoint.

-Chip

[racket4life]

give Ken at www.keh.com a call. You can get great used stuff or new at a great value--and the used equipment comes with a 60 warranty as well. I gave up on buying off ebay--even new stuff--but keh.com comes close to ebay pricing if not better.

Cheers.

thanks, i'll check out both tonight. i wasn't even thinking of ebay - i bought a lens once on ebay....boy was i dumb. but to a point you get what you pay for - so that's why i needed a point in the right direction....thanks again.

[dynamike]

For lights, you can't go wrong with Alien Bees. Most people here swear by Hensel, but for my money, I'd much rather buy some AB's.

As far as a resource for camera gear, I would recommend http://www.adorama.com.

Mike

[Arkie]

Nothing negative to say about any of the above recommendations, but I also have had good luck with B&H on several occasions. Always fast delivery. I wouldn't hesitate to buy anything from them. Rick from Arkansas (Arkie)

[Ozzie]

Hi Ben,

I've used the 2 big names in NYC, which are B&H and Adorama. I use them often and haven't had a problem with either. I usually check both to see who has the best price because they do differ considerably at times. CameraWorld out of Oregon is another I've used.

As far as lights go, I use White Lightnings and they work well, but I recently saw a pro using Westcott Spiderlites, which he calls Window light in a box and they are pretty good. They're hot lights, but they're not hot, if you will. They help you see the light pattern better than most modeling lights on strobes.

Good luck.

Darren

[RVMD]

I've probably spent at least 30K at B&H, they're still my favorite place to deal with. FWIW, I'm in LA.

E

i was into the Westcott Spiderlites idea, but they're sure not cheap huh? i really like the idea of being able to see the light prior to clicking the shutter - esp. since i've got zero skill with studio lights. too bad i'm pretty much broke all the time, any ideas on something i can get piece buy piece with out the initial price shock? i know it's not a cheap profession, but i really don't want to go the home depot route. back to the drawing board i guess.

thanks again for all the advice.