Chris H wrote:
> Jessops are a good bet even if they tend to focus on (no pun intended)
> the low end consumer. They don't actually stock the D300 in the local
> branch let alone the D3
I rather expected that - they tend to concentrate on the lower end
stuff. But I've found the one in New Oxford Street had an F6 body in
stock when it first came out, and a 70-210 VR lens, which was a pretty
expensive lens.
In theory Jessops can transfer items between shops, but as I found out
when I bought the F6, if one shop thinks they will sell an item, they
are reluctant to send their only one to another shop. When I bought the
F6, (which I had to get from Jessops as I got vouchers for them from my
insurers following the theft of an F3) one Jessops store had and F6, but
said they were waiting for a customer to view it, so would not transfer
it to another shop. Yet when I phoned that store as a potential F6
customer, they said they had one in stock and I could take it away.
Eventually it was transfered from one Jessops shop to another, but
rather reluctantly.
>> £100 difference from Grays and SRS is quite a bit of money. If it was
>> £50, then I would not consider it, but I can have quite a few beers
>> for £100. But perhaps on such an item, £100 is not too significant.
>
> Save the 100 GBP unless you are a professional photographer who is
> likely to make use of Grays other support and services.
I did actually buy the D3 from Grays yesterday. On the way to London on
the train, I decided to ring around some places in London to see where
was the best place to get one, who had it in stock. I phoned up the
London Camera Exchange and they quoted me a price in excess of that from
Grays, but did not have one in stock anyway.
But then it got interesting....
Next, someone from the London Camera Exchange rang me back on my mobile
and said they would have a *used* one in that afternoon or tomorrow
(i.e. today as I write). This struck me as odd - why would anyone be
selling their D3 now? The guy from the London Camera Exchange said
quite a few people have bought D3's, but swapped them for D700's since
they are smaller. Which got me thinking. So when I went to Grays, I
looked at both cameras. I personally found the D700 a bit uncomfortable
to handle - the D3 felt betting in my hands, despite it being
significantly larger and heavier.
It's undoubtedly true I could have got one cheaper, but I don't feel
conned - I made an informed decision. It might have been a bit of hassle
to find somewhere else with both bodies conveniently placed and to be
able to play with both. I'm not one of these people who believes in
looking at things in one shop, wasting their time, with the intension of
buying elsewhere.
Believe it or not, I've not got as far as to put the battery in yet. I
charged them (I bought a spare) overnight, but my wife is asleep still,
and I don't want to wake her with a shutter clicking. So at this point,
I'm itching for her to wake up so I can try it out!
>> I'd trust John Lewis, but they are unable to supply one. At least with
>> them if anything was wrong, I know there would be no arguments.
>
> John Lewes just supply boxes. The other places mentioned do have more
> than a passing interest in photography.
I doubt the staff at John Lewis's photographic department would have any
less interest in photography than those in Jessops. (I would not argue
such a point compared to Grays or Calument). But I know who offer the
better service of Jessops and John Lewis. I have a friend who works for
John Lewis, and I'm amazed at just what they will do for customer
service. It has also been my personal experience shopping with them.
John Lewis will also match anyone else's price who has one in stock. If
I know what I want, John Lewis would win in my opinion. I would buy more
from them, but they can't match prices of internet based companies. On
less valuable purchases, I'm more keen to use the internet to get the
cheapest I can find.
If I don't know exactly what I want, John Lewis would often win as well.
Their staff are not paid a commission on what they sell, so you don't
get the hard sell you will get in many places.
But it's clear John Lewis are not going to know as much the differences
between a D3 and a D700 as Grays.
> Just going to pick up a D300 and lens tomorrow from the Brum branch. I
> could save 10-15GBP but I would probably loose that on shipping Also you
> can't beat walking into a well informed shop and checking the contents
> of the box before you pay.....
Yes, agreed there is a lot to be said for that. I felt most comfortable
buying from Grays for this reason. But their price on a memory card was
a bit excessive, so whilst I bought one from them, I would not go back
to Grays to buy another.
Dave
>> Stay informed about: Where to buy Nikon D3 body in the UK 
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