Voigtlander products from B&H

[Kyle]

Are the Cosina Voigtlander products that B&H carries US or grey market items? Do they carry the full warranty? I'm finally ready to buy into a RF system and I'm trying to figure out where I want to buy. I'd love to support CameraQuest.com but unfortunately I'm in California and the sales tax kills me. Thanks.

[kneedropper]

8,25% kills you? :eek: Try 22% over here + customs (if caught...). Can't help you with the question, sorry.

[Doug]

CameraQuest is an official importer for Voigtlander. There is one other official importer, Rich Pinto's PhotoVillage in New York City. Seems kinda silly, not to mention inefficient, to choose to buy from across the country rather than next door just to save the taxes. Hmmm, but I regularly do that myself! :D

And I seem to recall someone explaining that's why Don Chatterton (Leica specialist located in Washington state) won't do business with buyers in Washington state! So it can work the other way too; presumably he doesn't want to bother collecting taxes.

[Kyle]

Well, when I did the math, its cheaper for me to buy from B&H, even with shipping included, than to order from CQ. I am looking to spend about $700 on a body/lens, so every dollar counts. I am a student who just happens to have the luxuary of living at home, (no living expenses, etc) so I can afford to spend more money on camera gear. However, I don't want to just throw money around like its nothing, when that extra cash saved can be used for school supplies or gas. So I do have some good reasons for wanting to save some money, however after re-calculating the totals, it looks like I should just go ahead and get my stuff from CQ. It'll cost me more, but I'd be buying from a dealer that is about 2.5 hours from me, is an official CV dealer, and someone that knows his stuff.

[kneedropper]

Stephen is worth dealing with from over 5000 miles away...

[rover]

Check out Photo Village, who along with CQ are official distributors for CV products.

http://www.photovillage.com/

I am not sure if B&H has us market products, but they offer a strong in house warrenty so it may not matter. Give them a call and ask. I have noticed on some CV products B&H is a little less expensive than CQ and Photo Village so you may be able to save a couple more $ by mixing and matching.

[George S.]

Interesting that CQ and Photo Villiage sells the R3A for $599 and B&H lists them for $550, BUT, B&H says- "Not in stock, accepting orders." Has anyone successfully gotten one from B&H? I'm wondering if they really intend to deliver at that price? I've been happy with both CQ and PV, but $50 IS $50...

[Rick Beckrich]

B&H and Adorama both offer good prices and service of a sort...
if you enjoy the rudeness of Nue Yawkers, go ahead.

With CQ, you deal only with Gandy himself, and you have Stephen's wealth of experience to help guide you.

Yes, I'm a happy CameraQuest customer on the EAST coast!

Rick

[Huck Finn]

Kyle, one of the ways that Cosina produces its Voigtlander line so cheaply is because it lacks the corporate infrastructure of bigger companies. Over its short history of producing "Voigtlander" cameras & lenses, it has had about half a dozen or so USA distributors. Until last spring Cameaquest & Photo Village were grey market importers. Now they are official "distributors" - an odd arrangement for a retailer, to say the least. The good news is that Voigtlander products from these 2 dealers carry a manufacturer's warranty - which should mean priority on parts availability. As mentioned above, B&H carries a strong in-house warranty & is actually a much bigger company than either CQ or PV so it's anyone's guess as to who will be more reliable in long term parts & service support.

In the past, all B&H Voigtlander products have specified a store warranty because they were clearly grey market. On a quick sample of old & new products, I no longer found it specified. It may depend on whether an item is old stock or new stock & what arrangements they are making with Cosina & its official USA distributors. As Rover suggested, call their 800 number to clarify.

You asked if they carry the full product line . . . they pretty much do, but they don't always seem to have everything in stock. Outside California, Photo Village prices generally seem to be as good or better & they are good people to deal with. I think that the lower price on the R3A is a quirk, but a nice price saving if you can get it. The first run of these cameras sold for $499 at other dealers & they may have gotten a commitment on the oricinal wholesale price from Cosina but had a delay in delivery. I expect that their price will eventually go up after their first run is sold out, so get it while you can.

[peter_n]

I have dealt with both Rich at PV and Stephen at CQ and they are both dealers of integrity IMO. OTOH, if every $ counts for you send an email to B&H asking when the gear will arrive. I have bought from both them and Adorama and have received impeccable service from both.

[George S.]

Well, I agree with all of you with regard to Stephen and Rich being great to deal with, believe me. But, as I'm sure that they'll agree, business is business. As far as B&H and their "not in stock".... I put in an order with B&H on Jan 2nd for the R3A, and called them last Friday (the 14th) to get an estimate of when they expect the R3As to arrive. It took me 3 or 4 phone calls over a three day period to get thru to someone who'd give some help on the matter, they kept telling me to call back and ask for their "Voightlander buyer". Well, I still don't know if that's who I finally got, but the person told me "worst case scenario is another 2 to 4 weeks until you get it." I figured I'd stick it out a while longer, since I have some cash coming from some ebay sales, and it'll take another week for all of it to arrive, but I'm getting antsy....

[peter_n]

I've never called either B&H or Adorama, figuring that they're brick & mortar places with harassed sales assistants like everywhere else. I've only used email and get a courteous reply within a day or so.

[George S.]

B&H is MUCH better experienced in person. The sales staff couldn't be better. Not rushed, will spend the time to talk to you if you have questions, will fetch whatever you want to handle, make comparisons before you buy, etc. The place is so large and automated, I'd guess people would be turned off very quickly if the sales staff wasn't somewhat personable.

[Gordon Coale]

I visited New York City for the first time last April. B&H was one of the places I had to see. It's an amazing place. They have *everything*. If you ever have the chance to see their store in person -- do so.

Having said that, I would buy from Gandy because of the incredible amount of information on his website. It was his website that introduced me to the Bessas along with a wealth of other rangefinder information.

[Scarpia]

As I live in NYC I visit B&H regularly and they are amazing. A tourist experience even if one has no interest in photography.
As for Photo Village, I have bought from them several times. They are a small shop located on the eighth floor of an older office building in the Madison Square area. Exceptionally nice folks and in my opinion very reliable. They also carry used (as well as new) Leica equipment and would you believe custom made Alpa MF cameras at about 5k a throw.
Kurt M.

[JohnM]

I have bought from Gandy and B&H. I have no complaints about either, but if push comes to shove, I will order from Gandy if for no other reason than to help keep a smaller outfit going.

Plus, I think Gandy deserves the business for the effort he's put into his website and providing rangefinder enthusiasts a place to gather information and feed this little addiction of ours!

[doubs43]

Just my opinion but unless there is a substantial difference between buying from CQ as opposed to B&H, I'd buy from CQ because Voigtlander products are almost everything he sells while B&H is the "Big Boy" who sells everything. Which is likely to give the better personal service and quick response? Which one can answer your specific questions with authority and is likely to take the time to give you personal attention?

My purchase of a Bessa-T plus adapters from CQ was handled quickly and I'm completely satisfied with the transaction. I've also purchased from B&H with quick service and complete satisfaction but I know who was the more pleasant to deal with and who didn't make me feel like I was being rushed to get to the next sale.

In the end, only you can make the decision based upon what's more important to you. Wherever you decide to purchase, I'm sure you'll love the camera.

Walker

[MCTuomey]

Just the other day Mr Gandy committed to repair at no-charge a film speed ring on a Hi-Matic that I just bought from Dave who had it CLA'd at CQ several months ago. I'm impressed. The guy is honorable and deserves support, IMO.

[That Guy]

I've purchased my Voigt's from both B&H (the L) and Gandy (the R). B&H has the simplicity of a fully automated "typical" online buying experience, if you like that sort of thing. I got to speak with Mr. Gandy personally when I ordered from Cameraquest. I can't remember the last time I actually "spoke" to a live person while buying something mail order.

I'm with JohnM and Walker here and say order from Cameraquest. The means of ordering are a little different, and it isn't as glamorous, but Gandy's a swell guy to talk to who offers great service and wealth of free information on his website.

My two cents...

[Kyle]

Thanks for everyones input. I believe I'll go ahead and purchase from CQ. Customer service and integrity are more important than saving a few bucks. I'll be placing an order this week. I can't wait!

[George S.]

Well, I emailed B&H twice in the past week, they answered the second one saying they'll have to check with their Voigtlander rep, etc etc. No estimate yet on when they'll have the R3A back in stock.

I located a private seller selling one 1 month old and am waiting for it to arrive with its 75mm f2.5 lens. So I cancelled the B&H order...

[George S.]

Just an update if anyone is interested.... B&H just emailed me that the R3a is now in stock, and the price seems to still be $549.95...

[wblanchard]

I was emailed from them that mine shipped out last night. Happy days!

[tedwhite]

I'm adept at revealing how dumb I am. OK, here goes. Why does the R3a cost $549 when the Bessaflex is only $289?

(Still playing the the Kiev 4A on loan from Rick Beckrich. Loading film, I have learned, is merely slightly easier than brain surgery).

[NoTx]

Well, I have had sucess with B&H. But then again, I have done all right with Camera Quest. THough I did recieve the wronge part, he did rectify it asap... so I can't bash him in the slightest. I don't deal with Adorama, as I have only gotten rude responses via email or phone. They do not appear interested in my business.

Gandy or B&H, or for me, I also use Samy's in LA.

Happy hunting!

[Huck Finn]

I'm adept at revealing how dumb I am. OK, here goes. Why does the R3a cost $549 when the Bessaflex is only $289?

(Still playing the the Kiev 4A on loan from Rick Beckrich. Loading film, I have learned, is merely slightly easier than brain surgery).

Ted, I don't know that anyone here can answer a question of corporate pricing policy, But Stephen Gandy is a Voigtlander North American distributor & you might be better served to address your query to him. If you go to his websie - www.cameraquest.com - you can post on the cvug users forum. Stephen responds to messages on this site, as do other members of that forum.

[George S.]

Even though I mentioned B&H at the start of this thread, I in no way was criticizing Mr Gandy. I've bought from him in the past and been very pleased with his personal service. I attempted to order thru B&H only to save $50.

Well, I placed the order on Jan 2nd knowing full well the R3a was not in stock, and I was in no hurry. I cancelled the order Jan 26th. My credit card bill arrived and it turns out B&H charged my card way back on the original order date - Jan 2nd! I feel this is a very wrong thing to do considering the camera was not in stock, and they really didn't have any idea when they'd receive more of them. My credit card bill did not show that I was credited, so I contacted B&H. They assured me that they already credited me, and it would show up on the next bill. I'm not too happy with them right now.... and will definitely place my next order from Cameraquest!

[NoTx]

It normally takes up to 5 business days for a credit to appear on you balance with a credit card company.

[George S.]

I am aware of that fact.

What I thought was irresponsible was the fact that they charged my credit card on the day the order was placed when they knew it was not in stock, nor did they have any idea when the item would arrive to them. As it was, it was another 24 days until they received them. Most retailers won't charge you until the date they actually ship an out of stock or backordered item to you. Most manufacturers will use the date the credit card was charged as a start date for warranty purposes, and they do not want to hear you did not put the item into use until a later date. This happened to me in the past, when I purchased an item (camcorder) more than a month before Christmas and it broke. The manufacturers use the sale posting date and not the "first use date" for warranties. You have to be careful and watch everything.

[dwpayne]

Isn't it B&H's standard policy that 'special order' items are charged when you order them? They won't let you order something that's merely 'out of stock'. Every time I've looked at a special-order item, the page makes it very clear that you'll charged when you place the order. You might not like their policy, but they're very up-front about it.

[George S.]

What exactly is a "special order"? Nowhere (on the page or in my order receipt) was the term 'special order' used. The body was listed simply as "not in stock."

Even if it was their policy (which was not on my receipt either), it would have taken approx. 30 days for the body to reach me after I ordered it . That means I'd be starting off shorted 30 day's worth of a warranty, since the "sale date" would, for all intents and purposes, be the order date.

[peter_n]

George, your points are excellent and I'm surprised that B+H acted like this. I opened an account with them and order on an infrequent basis but I'm pretty sure they only bill when they're ready to ship, at least with me.

I'm wondering was this your first order with the company? This wouldn't excuse their behavior but might explain the action of a single employee.

[George S.]

Hi Peter,
No, I've ordered before from them, though infrequently also. Once or twice a year is about it. Maybe it was just an employee having a brain fart and didn't realize it was backordered and charged my card right away. They also got an order wrong a few months ago. A flash cord was advertised as a certain one, and I received a different one and I returned it but never got the one I wanted since they had it listed wrong on their web site. (It was a used item, one of a kind, so it was impossible to order the correct one.)