Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2007/05/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]...on both sides of the Atlantic, so relevant to most LUGgers, I hope. Those who have seen my PAW 18 will know that my best friend from Denmark, who is also a photographer, visited me last weekend. When we get together (2-3 times a year), there is usually some extra expense involved since he often has a new piece of kit that I try out and like and so want one for myself :-) And so it was this time. Hence, last Sunday I ordered two items online. First was a Billingham 206 Presstop bag; I have owned Billinghams in the past but always sold them on because I got frustrated by the small openings which made it difficult to get the equipment in and out quickly. The Presstop line is much better in this regard, while retaining the traditional Billingham virtues of superb craftmanship and durability. So now my Canon DSLR and its 4-5 lenses live in this bag. Anyway, this about a good Dutch shop, http://www.kamera-express.nl/index.php?language=15. Their prices are reasonable (for Europe), they have a good selection, and there is also a real shop (near Rotterdam) if you are in the area. I ordered the bag on Sunday and paid by bank transfer (they don't take credit cards on their web site). Of course my order was immediately confirmed by e-mail. On Monday afternoon I got a call from them saying that the bag I had ordered had been sold between the time they opened the shop Monday morning and the time when they could see my payment in their bank account Monday afternoon--and this was the last bag in stock. The employee who called apologised for this and said that they had already placed the order with the Billingham distributor in the Netherlands and expected to have the bag the next day (i.e. Tuesday). And sure enough--on Wednesday around noon the package containing the bag was delivered to my office in Eindhoven. All this service for a 5 Euro shipping charge. They do ship abroad, and the site is more or less bilingual, so it could be relevant for European LUGgers, especially those living in the Euro zone. The same Sunday I ordered a sensor cleaning system from B&H, opting for the cheapest delivery option, USPS air mail. Same good ordering experience as always (I have been a B&H customer since the late 80s), and yesterday when I came home from work, the package had been delivered. To make this purchase even nicer, the Dutch post office for some reason decided not to collect the 19% VAT on delivery, so the $207 I paid to B&H (incl. shipping) was the final cost. BTW, this was the item I bought: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/475244-REG/Delkin_Devices_DDSSSCOPE_Sensor_Scope_Cleaning_Kit.html There are lots of online shops out there, many of whom are more or less dodgy. But the two I mention here have served me impeccably for the past 20 years in the case of B&H, and for the past 4 years (since I came to the Netherlands) in the case of Kamera Express. An ocean apart, but same standards of service. Nathan -- Nathan Wajsman Almere, The Netherlands Opportunistic Image Acquisition General photography: http://www.nathanfoto.com and http://www.greatpix.eu Picture-A-Week: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws Seville photography: http://www.fotosevilla.com Stock photography: http://www.alamy.com/search-results.asp?qt=wajsman http://myloupe.com/home/found_photographer.php?photographer=507 Prints for sale: http://www.photodeluge.com Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog SUPPORT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BUY DANISH PRODUCTS!