KEH Camera ratings - help needed

jstraw · May 5, 2007

I'll have to call Monday morning. I haven't received shipping notification yet so If I call early I may be able to get it added to the same order. Thanks.

donbga · May 5, 2007

jstraw said:
Well, I ordered everything in my starter outfit as BGN so cross your fingers.

RB67 PRO-S WITHOUT WAISTLEVEL, REVOLVING BACK, MEDIUM FORMAT SLR MANUAL FOCUS CAMERA BODY
Grade: Bargain
Price: $62.00

120 PRO-S BACK
Grade: Bargain
Price: $53.00

PRISM
Grade: Bargain
Price: $39.00

90 F3.8 NB (77) MEDIUM FORMAT SLR MANUAL FOCUS STANDARD ANGLE LENS
Grade: Bargain
Price: $105.00

GRIP HOLDER GRIP
Grade: Bargain
Price: $49.00

FRONT 77 SNAP-ON CAP
Grade: Bargain
Price: $9.00

I think you will be pleased with the equipment that you purchase from KEH. I have friends that work there and have delt with KEH for many many years and they do treat their customers well.

Generally the prices of film equipment have dropped over the last few years, a real boon to film based photographers. Looking at your prices you seem to have assembled a great bargain.

Of course after you receive your RB67 - boat anchor you may be spending more for gas or should I say GAS. Enjoy your camera! It can make great photos.

roteague · May 5, 2007

jstraw said:
Well, I ordered everything in my starter outfit as BGN so cross your fingers.

RB67 PRO-S WITHOUT WAISTLEVEL, REVOLVING BACK, MEDIUM FORMAT SLR MANUAL FOCUS CAMERA BODY
Grade: Bargain
Price: $62.00

120 PRO-S BACK
Grade: Bargain
Price: $53.00

PRISM
Grade: Bargain
Price: $39.00

90 F3.8 NB (77) MEDIUM FORMAT SLR MANUAL FOCUS STANDARD ANGLE LENS
Grade: Bargain
Price: $105.00

GRIP HOLDER GRIP
Grade: Bargain
Price: $49.00

FRONT 77 SNAP-ON CAP
Grade: Bargain
Price: $9.00

Let us know how the order comes out. I was thinking about getting a Mamiya outfit myself, as BGN, just to see if I like the camera/format.

aldevo · May 6, 2007

jstraw said:
I'll have to call Monday morning. I haven't received shipping notification yet so If I call early I may be able to get it added to the same order. Thanks.

I recently (2 1/2 weeks ago) bought from KEH and had that same experience. Email notifications on orders have not, apparently, been delivered for several weeks and the outfit seems to be unable to come to grips with the problem.

I fear this outfit is in a bit of trouble. They closed their brick and mortar showroom a few years back and they have scaled their service and sales departments WAY back.

A few years ago it used to be a given that ALL their cameras were well-tested and (if needed) focusing screens were cleaned, light seals replaced, etc. This is no longer the case. My two most recent purchases had to be returned under warranty for very simple problems that could easily be dealt with by any service department. In both cases, KEH simply elected to refund my money rather than fix the problems. I can certainly understand the financial reasons why they did so, but it was disappointing all the same.

I fear the culprit is probably spelled "e-Bay".

donbga · May 6, 2007

aldevo said:
They closed their brick and mortar showroom a few years back and they have scaled their service and sales departments WAY back.

KEH never had a showroom. They had at one time (and may still have) a pickup counter where locals could pickup orders.

Where did you get your information?

Nick Zentena · May 6, 2007

aldevo said:
I fear the culprit is probably spelled "e-Bay".

I find Ebay prices are often higher then KEH for lower quality product. I know I've seen KEH sell stuff on Ebay also. So I'm not sure how Ebay relates to KEH.

jovo · May 6, 2007

Nick Zentena said:
I find Ebay prices are often higher then KEH for lower quality product. I know I've seen KEH sell stuff on Ebay also. So I'm not sure how Ebay relates to KEH.

I think the post meant that ebay competes with KEH for products to sell, and prices to pay. People, I think, will hold out for the chance to save as little as a dollar or two by bidding, rather than pay a listed price.

I have had nothing but excellent experiences with KEH (several lenses, a prism finder for our C220, and a tripod discussed here a few days ago). I've also had good experiences with ebay, but mostly from Buy It Now offerings from ebay stores rather than bidding for stuff from individual sellers. The KEH customer service guy I talked to last Tuesday was top drawer. I have not yet experienced any erosion of service or quality in any aspect of my dealings with KEH. I hope they live long and prosper!

gr82bart · May 6, 2007

I recently bought a yellow Hasselblad A12 back in EX condition - see I need a yellow coloured one to match the rest of my camera and lo and behold, one day as I was bored a sifting through the KEH website - there it was. Snapped it up. These things aren't lying around everywhere.

When I got it, everything worked fine. The back looked impeccable. For the life of me I can't figure out why it wasn't rated LN. The only thing missing was the box and stuff.

So, I actually called them and questioned, more curious than anything. The guy looked up the item number and said the dark slide didn't have the same serial number as the back! Ummm ... yeah, that's a huge issue ... NOT.

I'd recommend KEH anytime.

Regards, Art.

aldevo · May 6, 2007

donbga said:
KEH never had a showroom. They had at one time (and may still have) a pickup counter where locals could pickup orders.

Where did you get your information?

Yes, "Showroom" would be a mis-nomer. But, in 1999 at least, you could do a local pickup at their Marrietta Blvd location because I picked up my Yashicamat there while on an Atlanta business trip.

Actually, if you do the research you'll find that they DID have a true retail showroom until the mid-late 80s. But that's well before the days of the internet and my association with them as a customer.

roteague · May 6, 2007

aldevo said:
I fear the culprit is probably spelled "e-Bay".

eBay doesn't appeal to everyone. I've had an eBay account for several years, and never bid on anything. I prefer to just buy items I want, and I prefer to buy from places like KEH, Calumet, etc. I'm sure I'm not alone in this regard.

aldevo · May 6, 2007

Nick Zentena said:
I find Ebay prices are often higher then KEH for lower quality product. I know I've seen KEH sell stuff on Ebay also. So I'm not sure how Ebay relates to KEH.

It's been my experience that you can find pretty good merchandise on e-Bay at substantially lower rates than KEH - if you are willing to suffer the occasional disappointment. This is particularly true if you are shopping on the low-end. If the merchandise is worth shipping overseas - then, invariably, the rates will be higher. Blame a weak dollar, "bidder machismo", and sniping services...

And, yes, KEH.com does list some items on e-Bay in the same way that Adorama and B&H do. But this represents a pretty small portion of their inventory.

I don't really have a "beef" with them. But my most recent purchases were two sub-$100 cameras in "Bargain" condition. Both were in very, very good cosmetic condtion - but both had serious operational issues (inaccurate meter and shutter tension, respectively) that even a cursory test (cursory = you wouldn't even need to load film to detect it) would have revealed. It certainly took me less than 5 minutes of handling/testing these cameras to ascertain both issues.

I understand that profit margins on such cameras are wafer-thin but their definition of "Bargain" does not encompass operating defects. The merchandise should have been tested or, if they felt that this would have obliterated any sales profits from the items, they should have listed the cameras "As Is" or declined to sell them alltogther.

At the end of the day they refunded the money with little hassle and that's better than you are likely to experience via e-Bay.

jstraw · May 6, 2007

On the gear I bought, I did better with KEH price-wise than I could have on the bay. I get a return policy and a reputable dealer to boot. If the gear is good I'm miles ahead of spending six months acquiring piecemeal from auctions, dealing with the stress of losing half the time....

bdial · May 6, 2007

Same here. I recently bought two name brand close up filters, that were rated "EX". I paid a fraction of what they go for on the bay. I could put them up on there and make a profit. As for the rating, they must be pretty picky to have graded them one notch above "bargain".
Certainly it's not true of everything they sell, but I'd say it's worthwhile to check them out before committing to a similar item in an auction.

aldevo · May 6, 2007

jstraw said:
On the gear I bought, I did better with KEH price-wise than I could have on the bay. I get a return policy and a reputable dealer to boot. If the gear is good I'm miles ahead of spending six months acquiring piecemeal from auctions, dealing with the stress of losing half the time....

Agreed. I would not expect that my experience extends to anything other than the lowest-priced cameras in KEH's inventory. I guess I would have been happier if they would have at least examined the cameras to determine if they could be serviced before simply offering a return for refund. But, yes, examinations do cost them time and money...

On e-Bay one makes their bids and then takes their chances - acceptable if one understands the risks and accepts them.

Travis Nunn · May 6, 2007

I'll pick KEH over ebay any day of the week as far as buying photo gear goes. I've only been shopping with them for about two years and I've only had one ordering problem and they rectified it quickly. No hassle, no attitude. They are a quality establishment.

Nick Zentena · May 6, 2007

Last two things I bought from KEH.

ETRSI body for $49
Bronica 75mm PE lens with caps for $40.

Can't get much cheaper then that and I doubt I would have found the body for that price on Ebay or the lens in that condition.

roteague · May 6, 2007

I haven't bought anything from them - yet. However, I did have them service a Nikon F5 for me. I was very happy with the service and the turnaround time.

jstraw · May 7, 2007

Got off the phone with KEH and authorized a $22 upcharge for a BGN Pro-S with a revolving back. The order hadn't shipped so I'm ahead, compared to buying the same item for $45 plus shipping.

jstraw · May 9, 2007

It's arrived. I can tell why everything is BGN except the lens which is really immaculate. I don't mind that their BGN is BGN. Everything seems to be in good working order.

So, who has experience with their return policy? This beast is over eight pounds and I don't think it's meant for me.

david b · May 9, 2007

I recently bought a Hasselblad lens from them that was marked as BGN and was $600 cheaper than the LN lens.

When it arrived my jaw hit the floor. To me, this lens was LN and I can't figure out why it was marked BGN.

Long live KEH.

Travis Nunn · May 9, 2007

jstraw said:
...So, who has experience with their return policy? This beast is over eight pounds and I don't think it's meant for me.

You have 14 days no questions asked. The only thing you'll lose is shipping (both ways). I've had to return two things before because I decided I wanted something different. No problems.

Paul Sorensen · May 9, 2007

jstraw said:
It's arrived. I can tell why everything is BGN except the lens which is really immaculate. I don't mind that their BGN is BGN. Everything seems to be in good working order.

So, who has experience with their return policy? This beast is over eight pounds and I don't think it's meant for me.

That's too bad, I just love mine, but it is a beast. I remember the first time I saw one in a store, my jaw dropped. It was so huge I couldn't believe it.

One possibility is selling it on eBay. You stand a chance of getting more money there than what you paid for it. Of course, you stand a chance of not getting more money as well.

jstraw · May 9, 2007

If I was only interested in using it on a tripod, I'd keep it. I think I'm going to wind up with a Bronica SQ-A.

Sirius Glass · May 9, 2007

This information is about KEH is great news, but unfortunately Samys [Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles] has a really nasty habit of offering Hasselblad equipment at slightly better than KEH prices. I traded my C330 equipment and lots of money for a Hasselblad CX, PME [45 degree prism with meter, you should excuse me], an A-12 exposure back and a f/5.6 250mm T* lens as of Wednesday last week. Today I brought it in to have the store stickers removed, cleaned and adjusted. They cleaned everything, tested the shutter and the lenses, and then put the CX body and a jig to make sure everything was true! They had to adjust to the level of the ground glass screen. All the cleaning and adjusting took about 90 minutes and was covered by the purchase. I had brought in the 3.5/6.5 Mamiyaflex magnifier viewing tower to trade in. They then had the chutzpah to offer me a f/2.8 50mm T* lens which I could not refuse. And I still do not have a 40mm lens!

I have such GAS!

What is a fella to do??? :confused:

Steve

removed account4 · May 10, 2007

i have bought everything from a olympus ps camera - ( brand new!
for $25 ) to pentax 35mm lenses ( 135 f2.5 ),
to large format lenses ( 90mm SA )
all BGN, all arrived in better than expected condition.

i have no reservations purchasing anything from them, and i never buy anything but BGN ...

--john

KEH Camera ratings - help needed

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