Is is a good idea to buy a digital camera on-line?

Question

I am always afraid of getting some picture or a product that doesn't work or missing peices....any help on where I should buy one on-line or at stores?

Answer 1

I always do my online research before I buy anything_from electronics to books to housewares.
For your case,
advantages of buying online:
-They have a wider variety of cameras available, and you can easily go through all the features, and understand it, rather than a sales person explaining it to you.
-Before I baught my camera, I didnt know what all those features meant, or if I needed everything listed. But when you buy online, you can compare products side by side and make your decision.
-There are better deals and a wider variety of vendors you can buy from
-You get to see the user ratings on the product

Disadvantages:
-You dont get to see the product physically before you buy it
-You have to pay for shipping (sometimes)
-You cant try out all the features of the camera before you buy it

I personally compare the prices online and in the store before I buy the product, and go for the cheapest. More often than not I find better deals in online stores like amazon, which are reliable, so you dont have to worry about missing parts!.

Hope this helped to make your decision. :)

Answer 2

If you buy a camera on line you should find out about the warranty first. Also buying a camera on line is a good way to get better deals and the stuff you will actually use. Be sure to select from stores that are either close by or in the area. If you need to return it or have to ask questions. It's always a good deal to shop online at the store websites that are near you.

Good luck!!!

Answer 3

Megapixels are important. But not as important as people think they are. In an SLR the quality comes from the quality of the glass in the lenses you have and the quality of the sensor in the camera and the photographer! A good photographer is always going to know how to alter the settings on ANY SLR to make a picture look better than someone who does to know. If you want real quality you want to get either a Nikon SLR or a canon. I have never met another professional who has another brand. I personally am a canon fan. Canon has a classing system (as does Nikon but I don't know it sorry!) But if canon is they way you choose to go take this into mind: All canon digital SLRs will be numbered followed by a d If the number is in the 0000's (eg canon 1100d) it is a simple entry level SLR. If the number is in the 000's (eg canon 550d) it is a novice SLR If the number is in the 00's (eg canon 60d) it is a semi professional SLR If the number is single digit (eg canon 7d) it is a professional SLR. For our first SLR I would recommend entry level or novice level. Each new version of the camera has a new number. It's numerical in all ranges except professional. Eg: 450d, 500d, 550d and so on over the years. Don't worry about profess all, it's just confusing!

Answer 4

yes. After researching the product and reading reviews and you've selected which model you want- there are a large variety of on-line retailers that are truly outstanding. Places like BHPhotoVideo or NewEgg always come up very high in the ratings for service. I've also used buydig.com and have gotten exactly what I ordered for an excellent price.

However- be careful. There are a few out there that are truly dishonest, or others that will give you the hard sell on unneeded and overpriced accessories. If the price is too good to be true- it probably is.

Check out your on-line retailer at www.resellerratings.com. And make sure that they not only have a good rating, but have thousands of people who have rated them. Often fly-by-night companies will change their names and post a handfull of good reviews about themselves until people catch on.

Answer 5

I have purchased several cameras on-line with no problems whatsoever. You generally need to know what it is you are looking for, as you will not get help from a friendly and knowledgeable sales person - most of the time. You will not get any help after the sale if you have questions about how to use the camera or what accessories to buy, because this kind of service is all part of what you get when you pay retail or close to retail prices.

I have been nothing but thrilled with B&H Photo at http://www.bhphotovideo.com for years and years. [Note: I just tried to check in at B&H and they are not on-line at the moment due to a power outage in New York City! They don't sell on Friday night or Saturday anyhow, but their site is usually up and running.] They advertise in Popular Photography, as do several other merchants who sell on-line. I rarely have to wait more than 2 days for shipment even when I choose "by camel" or something similarly slow, but I'm only 2 hours from New York.

You can buy from private or small commercial sellers on eBay, but be sure that you know what you are doing. You can also locate Cameta Auctions on eBay and they are possibly a unique seller. They cut their print advertising back to a minimum and make most of their sales contacts through eBay auctions or fixed price sales. After more than five years selling on eBay, they have a 99.8% approval rating. [They have almost 175,000 satisfactory transactions and 324 with complaints] I have purchased at least one camera and a few lenses from them. One time I bought a lens at such a good price that the salesman congratulated me and I know that he really meant it. It was the "hard to find" Nikon 18-200 VR DX Zoom that lists for something like $1,250. They were usually selling it for about $850 at auction and I got it for something like $785. Brand new, 5 year USA warranty. Can't beat it. You can find Cameta at http://stores.ebay.com/Cameta-Camera. What is interesting about them is that you either win an auction or just choose the "Buy-It-Now" price, but you must complete the transaction by making a credit card payment over the phone. Yeah, I've heard that they might push a filter that you don't want, but they are also available to answer questions and they can sell you anything else in the store.

Answer 6

If you have the choice of on line or in the store, use the store. I bought one from OfficeMax once on-line. It was the same price in the store. The order was so screwed up, I actually got the store manager to replace a defective one, but it took 6 months to correct the paperwork on the order.
Buy from reputable companies. Know that eBay or auction offers are often used, open box or refurbs! If that's OK, you can often get good deals on-line. Example: Kodak C330 camera - $130 at WalMart (good price), $81 on eBay (better price). But you have 90 days to return it to WalMart.

Answer 7

It certainly is.
After all that has been answered already, i'd suggest Amazon.com. I've bought my digital cameras there and i always get great prices and service.

Also, they have great information on every camera available, so you can pick the best that suits your needs for digital photography.

Answer 8

you can buy a camera online but make sure you read all the specs first. what is best is to go to a store to see what you want then go to the stores web site. a lot of times web sites offer deals on items that are not offered in the store.

Answer 9

I got my Fuji FinePix F700 on overstock.com. It's a great camera. They have lots of outstanding buys on stuff.

Answer 10

unless you like to see the product before you buy it, you should buy it online. there are more discounts and some sites offer free shipping, just check the main sites (bestbuy.com, curcuitcity.com) or try tigerdirect.com