Wedding camcorders!!!
 

You guys are fabulous! You're experienced and very well informed with everything.I would like to buy a camcorder GL2 or XL2 .I know a place www.usaphotonation.com but I never bought anything from them.Have you ever heard about them or bought something from them?
The prices are too low? I know and trust B&H,but I am tempted by this prices .
I am a beginner in wedding business.Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Todd I was tempted to buy from them online websites. If you notice all of them have low prices and usually include a small accessory package for a small fee. If you actually call them and ask them about the camera itself its either B-stock or doesn't come with everything the manufacture has. Something as simple as the battery they dont' include. So I call and ask them questions...don't buy over the webl. They are tricky. Best bet is to buy from B&H. Its a bit pricier but again, you get what you paid for.

Maybe after this year i'm going to get another camera from them....but i'm going HD this time....Good luck my friend.

reduce your first year startup costs and buy used. stay away from
those ultra cheap online places, and check resellerratings.com.

I checked out the site, and I woul not buy from them. They appear to be the bait and switch, or added charges or lack of basic accessories type of site.


For example, they have a good price on the XLH1, but the shipping cost is $371.00 for 7 to 12 day ground shipping. Now perhaps they are going to hail a cab and have him drive it to your house, but I doubt it.

I have shopped around, and I have compared prices for a long time. I have bought many many items off of ebay too, but the best and most competitive prices have been from B&H.

Mike

Welcome to DV Info.

I've never bought anything from them but just looking at their prices it's obvious they are a gray market dealer - prices being "camera body" only. Gray market dealers don't care about selling you the camera - they want to sell you overpriced accessories & warrantees. Decline to purchase these and your camcorder will suddenly be a special order 3 weeks to ship. Check back in with them in 2-3 weeks and it will be on back order with very vague status for due date. If you decline the overpriced accessories & warrantees there goal is to get you to cancel your order.

Note also... no where in the website nor any of it's pages is there an address. This is a red flag.

With HD beginning to take hold - I personally wouldn't buy a new GL2 or XL2 (JMHO). Lot of used ones hitting the market lately if you look around.

Hi Todd,

We refer all "where to buy" questions to our site sponsors:

http://www.dvinfo.net/sponsors

Don't be fooled by the "lowest price" trap.

AMEN! Cheapest is usually more expensive in the long run.

DO NOT BUY FROM USAPHOTONATION!

Sorry, I'm not usually one to shout, but my cousin attempted to purchase a GL-2 from these jokers. He called to order it and they told him it was in stock and available. The salesman suggested several accessory packages (as others have mentioned in this thread). He declined all of the accessories and the salesperson quickly changed the story to say that there was no longer any in stock. He asked when they might get some. He said in three weeks. My cousin said he would call back later. He called back right after hanging up (he didn't give them his name or info during the first call) and got a different salesman. He asked if the camera was in stock. They told him it was. They suggested the same accessory packages and he declined them. Amazingly, the camera was just 'suddenly' out of stock, AGAIN! These guys are not good to deal with. Stay away from them. You're safe with B&H, for sure. Be very careful about other companies.

DO NOT BUY FROM USAPHOTONATION!

Sorry, I'm not usually one to shout, but my cousin attempted to purchase a GL-2 from these jokers. He called to order it and they told him it was in stock and available. The salesman suggested several accessory packages (as others have mentioned in this thread). He declined all of the accessories and the salesperson quickly changed the story to say that there was no longer any in stock. He asked when they might get some. He said in three weeks. My cousin said he would call back later. He called back right after hanging up (he didn't give them his name or info during the first call) and got a different salesman. He asked if the camera was in stock. They told him it was. They suggested the same accessory packages and he declined them. Amazingly, the camera was just 'suddenly' out of stock, AGAIN! These guys are not good to deal with. Stay away from them. You're safe with B&H, for sure. Be very careful about other companies.

Just for S's & G's I went ahead and paid a quick virtual visit to the bait & switch vendor listed at the beginning of this thread. I typed in 'GL2' in the search field to get their listed price and it indicates a pretty decent deal for what they say is a brand new 'factory fresh' sealed product at roughly 1/2 half the B&H price...but beware.....

I then scrolled down the page to look at their list of accessories, and that is where the jaw-dropping action begins. Just rudimentary figuring off the top of my head, it appears as though they are heavily pushing their list of accessories at roughly 2 to 3 times the standard retail pricing on most of the items...considering B&H sells most of the same accessories for often much lower than the standard suggested retail, I can't think of any sane reason for shopping at photonationwhat'sitsname. It looks like shopping there (including buying the accessories that they push on you in order to get your package shipped) will end up costing you probably several hundred dollars more than buying at a more reputable dealer.

Chris H. is right. Stick with the sponsors listed in the sponsor thread. Chris has done alot of homework to ensure a roster of highly rated, dependable, fair, and and honest vendors. They'll do right by you.
-Jon

I am curious if there are any good places to search for a used GL2? I am new to videography and would rather start with something used to learn with.

Thanks,
Jim

At least they provide a URL to and I qoute, "Click Here to download EXPIRED rebate form". For that lovely GL2 Camera..:)

www.resellerratings.com
 

check out this website before you buy from ANY online store. They rate the online stores based on consumer opinions and experiences. Very helpful! I only trust B&H Photo and Profeelvideo.com. Both are great priced and Profeel has EXCELLENT customer service. As far as GL2 vs. XL2, for starting go with the GL2. The picture is amazing and it's half the cost. I started out with both and sold my XL2 after a year. Unless you're shooting films or high end projects you won't need all the extras. It's like buying a Ferrari to drive around the block.

Thank you!
 

You have been very helpful for me.
Thank you again!!!All!!!