My first post here. I figured after reading a lot of the threads here that you all could help me out.

I am going to be buying a Canon XL2 for work reasons and also to take on some trips to possibly Africa to film missions work (my church has a Canon XL1S) and also...short film with the hopes that it takes me places.

I have scowered the internet for the right deal for me and all I find are these companies that look to be legit then after checking with the Better Business Bureau I find that they're shisters from Brooklyn, New York that are selling them.

Where can I get a good deal on an XL2 with some extra equipment that has good customer service and not some nickel and dime, bait and switch high pressure selling store in Brooklyn to buy these?

I find all these deals on the internet that are around $4000 for the camera and a whole bunch of equipment. I just want to make sure I don't get ripped off. Can anyone help me?

Buy from the sponsors of the site.
I'm not saying this to make a benefit, I myself haven't bought from them, because I live in Belgium and I don't have a credit card or a account in America, but I really regret this, otherwise I would already bought many things from them.
The only one I really know a little bit from, is B&H in New York (I think there?) because their customer suppors is superbe, and you can't find many bad reactions about them, almost only positive.
If you look at websites with ratings of shops, you'll see these shops have the best ratings.
They give you a good customer support, a fair price and help you a lot.

From what I have read here, and I just know it's true, you can't go any better than with them.

Good luck with the XL2!

BTW: with these shops you'll get a REAL warranty, they won't force you to buy cheap accesoires, and they'll help you trough and trough.
And the XL2 is a new and expensive cam, if you really would find it cheaper than 4000 dollars, I think that would be the rip-off.

thanks for the advice. This is a big purchase for me and the last thing I want to do is get ripped off or end up with a credit card dispute because some online store is taking me for a ride.

Eugene,
You can't go wrong buying from one of the sponsors. I happened to have bought from ZOTZ Digital, and when I had some issues with Cannon, Brian at Zotz stepped right up for me. Got them all ironed out. Thats worth more than I can say when you are dealing with a big ticket item.

Others here on the board have expressed similar support for the other sponsors. I think if any of us had a real problem with one of them, it would show up on the board.

Check out the sponsors, you won't regret it.

I'd say that you best bet is to just save money up and pay for the assurance that you wont get ripped off. Getting the best deal isn't always the smartest thing to do when you have a lot of grey market sellers out there.

There have been some packages on ebay that include extra lenses and such but all of the items that come with the camera are rubbish and aren't going to be that useful for the money you pay for them.

I know B&H Photo Video is very reliable and they brought their price down I believe (A lot of places have by now).

Just be careful with finding the best deals, cause they can rip you bigtime.

yeah, I'm finding that out. I ordered a Panasonic AG DVX100A about 6 months ago off of e-bay. I had to actually hire a private investigator to track down the theives that were trying to take my cash.



I got the money back. Criminals don't like private investigators.



anyway, my friend said when buying off of the internet, NEVER buy from Brooklyn NY. Said most of the stores deal in grey market and use the Boiler Room tactis.

Another vote for site sponsors. I've done a lot of business with EVSOnline.com and BHPhoto.com, they're both superb. I tend to lean more towards EVS because I believe they offer better personal service, but they're both excellent sellers who will give you a great deal.

My personal recommendation would be to track down the closest professional video retailers near you. There's something to said for going to a store, holding the actual camera, and saying "I'll take it."

I purchased a Canon GL1 a little over two years ago on eBay and had terrible luck. I got scammed by a guy who took $1500 from me and kept insisting that the camera was on its way. It was such a hassle to get my money back (took almost a month and a half). I eventually found an honest person selling one on ebay and got it for $1400. The hard part about buying online is that you have to wait, and you don't know how careful the people shipping it to you are going to be.

I bought my XL2 at a place called Great Northern Video outside of Concord, New Hampshire, and I'm so happy I did it that way. Prices are about the same as online retailers, and you can actually see the camera you are going to buy.

That's my input.

good advice. Although I am about an hour and a half from a city (Cleveland) that actually might have a camera like this. I think I will be buying one from an online source...probably a package deal with some accessories.

I have used the Canon XL1S before and loved it which is why I am kind of settled on the new one.

Thanks for all the great replies to this thread.

Our site sponsors are always your best bet. That's why we have them. They're simply the best, most reputable dealers in the business and there's no need to look any further.

Of course, as Brent points out, there's nothing wrong with buying locally from a brick-and-mortar retailer either, as long as they're an authorized Canon dealer.

I like to have the last word on "where to buy" questions, and I'm now closing this thread in order to curtail any references to dealers who do not sponsor this site -- because that would not be fair to our readers or our sponsors. Thanks all,