KEH Camera ratings - help needed

[StephenS]

Anyone have any info about the ratings KEH camera uses for its camera ratings? You know the ones I mean; BGN, EX, LN, etc.

Has anyone bought a camera rated as EX and one listed as say, LN, and noticed a huge difference? Anyone been brave enough to go for a BGN rating?

My problem is they have nothing I'm looking for in anything over a EX rating and I'd rather go for LN or at the least an EX+ as it's a somewhat pricey thing I'm considering.

Any help appreciated!

 

[ann]

i have seen equipment rated as bgn that looked terrific.
Ex can look just like new, except it doesn't have the box, etc.

they are very honest and have a great rep.

 

[StephenS]

Thanks for that info. I hate to buy things I can't examine myself is all. A phone call will probably help to find out the true condition I'd imagine.

 

[Dave Parker]

KEH has one of the most conservative rating systems I have ever seen, 99% of the time, the item your looking at will be better than what they are saying it is, everything I have bought from them has always been better than expected and I have bought BGN rated stuff that looked EX, I am sure you can purchase from them and have no problem at all.

R.

 

[jtsatterlee]

I have gotten EX equioment (lenses) and the only two items that could have made the rating higher was lenscaps and the original box.

Otherwise I wouls have never known the equipment had seen the light of day.

 

[John Jarosz]

You can return anything for any reason within their "return" period.

I bought a bgn Pentax spot meter from them -- it looked new.


John

 

[Nick Zentena]

Almost everything I buy from Keh is bargain grade. Some times it's hard to tell from new. If you spend enough time looking you'll find the reason it was rated bargain but most sane people wouldn't notice. Some times the bargain stuff has larger cosmetic issues. But it's only cosmetic.

I bought one lens and the reason it was bargain was the lettering had faded on the brand name. Everything else was perfect. I bought one that the built in hood was a little tough to extend. At the other extreme I bought a body that had a small hard to see scratch on the bottom. It took quite a while to find that.

I'll buy higher grade stuff if the price difference is small but I've no fear of the bargain grade stuff.

 

[StephenS]

Thanks all. While I'm very familiar with KEH, I have never bought from them in the past. This is a help to me.

 

[kb244]

I've actually purchased two RB67 lens (90mm f/3.8C and 180mm f/4.5) that were rated UG (Ugly) condition, when I got them the optics seemed flawless the only thing they may have attributed to it's ugly status was some scuff on the black coating of the lens, and an engraved serial number on the outside of the lens.

I've always brought bargain from them in the past. I usually tell people, their bargains = our excelent.

 

[DBP]

Concur with all of the above. KEH is extremely conservative in their ratings, and I would never hesitate to buy something in 'bargain' condition from them.

 

[donbga]

Anyone have any info about the ratings KEH camera uses for its camera ratings? You know the ones I mean; BGN, EX, LN, etc.

Has anyone bought a camera rated as EX and one listed as say, LN, and noticed a huge difference? Anyone been brave enough to go for a BGN rating?

My problem is they have nothing I'm looking for in anything over a EX rating and I'd rather go for LN or at the least an EX+ as it's a somewhat pricey thing I'm considering.

Any help appreciated!

I know several of the people that work there. Buy with confidence. Same with Quality Camera of Atlanta though their prices can be higher.

 

[JHannon]

I bought a lens from them that was BGN only because it was engraved with a number (can't even see it when installed on the camera). Otherwise an excellent lens.

 

[Changeling1]

On the other hand, there's Adorama whose EX rating...........

 

[jovo]

I agree with all the positive comments above. I recently bought a 135mm lens for my P67 at a really terrific price that was rated Ex instead of EX+ or LN...I still haven't a clue why except it had no box or whatever else might have been in the original package. I'd buy from KEH again without hesitation.

BTW, after you've made a purchase from them, they periodically send a printed catalog which makes GAS a far more serious concern!!!

 

[AeisLugh]

I agree with all the positive comments above. I recently bought a 135mm lens for my P67 at a really terrific price that was rated Ex instead of EX+ or LN...I still haven't a clue why except it had no box or whatever else might have been in the original package. I'd buy from KEH again without hesitation.

BTW, after you've made a purchase from them, they periodically send a printed catalog which makes GAS a far more serious concern!!!

ok, I've been wondering this for awhile, what is GAS?

 

[jovo]

ok, I've been wondering this for awhile, what is GAS?

Gear Acquisition Syndrome..

 

[anyte]

I've bought almost nothing but equipment with the BGN status. Everything has always looked much better than I imagined and I've never had cause to return anything.

 

[reellis67]

I've bought bargain grade lenses from them time and time again and have always been very happy with the results. I bought an EX grade camera body not too long ago for my wife that looked like someone had just taken it out of the box.

- Randy

 

[kb244]

On the other hand, there's Adorama whose EX rating...........

You should see B&H's used section sometimes, you'll see it say the product is an 8 out of 10, then you'll see something in the description along the lines of "some fugus growth, meter is dead, leather is peeling, yada yada" , I kid you not.

 

[Terence]

All of my gear from KEH has been BGN grade and it has all been what other stores would rate as 9 of 10 or better. Occasional scuff marks, etc, but flawless glass and mechanics. Out of 2 dozen purchases I've returned exactly one item (a Hasselblad back) with an issue and they replaced it immediately when I described the problem. They didn't even wait for me to mail back the original.

 

[naturephoto1]

I also agree, KEH most definitely has very conservative ratings of their used equipment. I would have no reservations about making a purchase from them.

Rich

 

[epatsellis]

You mean they have grades above BGN? I've never bought anything higher than BGN, quite often UGL. I wish I had the patience to preen and fuss over my photo equipment, even if I bought new, it'd generally end up looking pretty rough within a year or so. I just consider it as previously broken in. A side benefit of this is that I spend quite a bit less on equipment and get quite usable stuff, heck even a few light scratches on glass really aren't going to hurt anything unless you're shooting straight on into a light source.

erie

 

[David Brown]

... Out of 2 dozen purchases I've returned exactly one item (a Hasselblad back) with an issue and they replaced it immediately when I described the problem. They didn't even wait for me to mail back the original.

Well, something has changed!

I've also bought from them before and a month ago, would have echoed all the positive comments posted so far. But let me tell you my little story:

On June 30, I ordered an RB67 kit and a prism. Even with the July 4 holiday, the order was rec'd and processed on the 5th (credit card charged on the 5th) and I rec'd the camera on the 7th!

However, they sent a 220 back rather than the 120 back ordered. So, I called. "No problem". "We'll set aside one for you" I returned the 220 back and got the 120 back on the 14th. (Note: I paid the few bucks to send it back, but didn't worry about it.)

I assemble the camera, and now the shutter won't fire! I call, and we go through all the possibilities and they agree that I'm doing everything right, so send it back and they'll replace the whole thing. OK, can I get some help on all this return shipping. Sure, just tell them how much and they'll re-imburse.

OK, it gets packed up and shipped back UPS ground (the way it was shipped to me) on the 17th. I called today, and they acknowledged having rec'd it on the 19th. OK, so has the replacement been shipped? NO. Apparently they have been "too busy" and may get to me in a few days.

I am @#$% furious! I tried to explain to the guy on the phone that we were approaching 4 weeks here since I ordered the thing, and that I had already been out the money, and he said something to the effect that well, everyone wants their's first and they'll get to it.

Should I send the prism back, too, and cancel the order? Should I call back? Unfortunately, I am in my office and can't YELL into the phone.

Sorry, I'm just venting; but I feel like I'm being treated as a problem customer, and all I want is what I've paid for! And this is obviously atypical for KEH, based on history.

Geez ...

 

[StephenS]

I would think a replacement for a non-working item would be a priority. Unless they don't have another and are waiting for one, you should have expected a working unit within a couple days.

Maybe call back and speak with another person and try to calmly (probably hard at this point) explain all that happened.

 

[Paul Sorensen]

Sorry, I'm just venting; but I feel like I'm being treated as a problem customer, and all I want is what I've paid for! And this is obviously atypical for KEH, based on history.

Geez ...

Wow, I have had two items I needed to return and the service was impeccable. They also shipped before receiving the return, although they did need a credit card to make sure that they got the original back.

The two problems were a little bit subtle, one was a Mamiya 645 Super body where the pin that engaged with the lens to enable metering would pop out some of the time. The other was an absolutely pristine 645 super left hand grip where the connector was not lining up with the camera correctly and therefore it would not fire the shutter. With the left hand grip, they told me to keep it and gave me my money back.

Sorry to hear that your experience was so bad, I do think that their management needs to know that it happened, because I firmly believe that they have standards that would preclude that kind of thing.

Good luck,

Paul.