purchasing XL1S this weekend but afraid of price drops

[Edwin Quan]

hey all. picking up an XL1S this weekend. have a few questions and thought i'd run it by you guys.

- paying the seller $3000 in cash for a brand-new XL1S. is this a good price?

- is a price drop on the XL1S expected within the coming weeks or months? purchased a GL2 and had the price drop by a few hundred dollars only weeks later and want to avoid that this time.

- expected release date on a "XL2" if it does in fact exist? or will the XL1 brand be upgraded again anytime soon?

thanks for all your help.

[Ken Tanaka]

There are no "price drops" that I'm aware of on the XL1s. The successor is not expected until at least sometime in late 2004 at the earliest. $3000 is a very good price for a factory-new XL1s complete with standard 16x II auto lens and a U.S. waranty. In fact, it sounds just a bit too good. Be careful that you buy from a reputable dealer such as one of our sponsors (ex: Zotz Digital, ZGC). The low-ballers are scum.

[Edwin Quan]

i'm from queens, ny and the seller's from brooklyn. i told him on the phone that this isn't exactly a short subway ride for me (approx 90 minutes) and he assured me that it's brand new in the box so i'll take his word for it. if things look fishy, i'll walk.

re: ZGC. is there a way to purchase online?

[Ken Tanaka]

No, ZGC takes orders only by phone. But they're outstanding dealers and offer fair, competitive prices. (As you can see from the many unsolicited testimonials here.) They're worth the call, even if you don't buy from them.

Many of the Brooklyn box-shops are legendary for baiting with unrealistically low prices, then pushing a load of crappy accessories. If you decline them, suddenly the camera is perpetually "out of stock". Or the camera arrives but is "grey market" with no U.S. warranty. The tricks and scams are endless. Don't get scammed this way, Edwin. Check Reseller Ratings before buying from one of the Brooklyn shops.

[Edwin Quan]

hmm.... thanks for the tip, ken. i might have to hold off on this now...

[Don Palomaki]

Prices substantially lower than the going rate at most dealers are often suspect. Gray market, strippd of accessories, or some other handy-panky.

It could be on the up and up, ther is a risk. Let the buyer beware.

All high tech gear prices (except for certain computer operating sustems) fall over time. The best policy is to buy when you need the camcorder, rather thatn 6 month earlier. But allow some time to learn the machine before you have a money shoot.

[Andrew Petrie]

I personally don't buy anything online from Brooklyn, or New York unless I'm there in person. Too risky, especially for equipment with this kind of price tag. The scumbags there have ruined it for the other legit businesses.

[Bill Ravens]

lot's of people have had bad experiences. personally, I've NEVER been disappointed by B&H or Buydig.com.

[Rick Spilman]

In general B&H will match any quote from a reputable dealer. (If the dealer is not reputable they will be happy to tell you.)

If you are from New York you should certainly speak to B&H, if you haven't already. They are honest and have a good return policy.

B&H's web site lists the XL1s as $2,700 for the body only (without the viewfinder or lens) and $3,550 for the camera and 16x zoom lens and viewfinder. One of the ways that the less reputable folks can afford lower prices is to switch lenses and provide a lower quality lens. You might want to check out which lens you are being offered.

The guys selling cameras in Brooklyn scare me.

[John Threat]

I'm very pleased with ZGC and B&H.

Exemplary performance.

[Brad Doan]

I ordered an XL-1s and a bunch of accessories from B&H on Wednesday. Everything I ordered was in stock and it shipped on Thursday. I should have it on Monday. I was amazed at how fast and professional they are and would recommend them anytime. ZGC seems comperable, but it was easier for me to put together a big package order online. You might find XL-1s' around for a few $ cheaper, but I think it is worth it to pay more for a stress-free, professional and expedient service.

~Brad

[Bob Safay]

I live in Atlanta and order from B&H. Never had a problem. I once tried another NYC place to buy a 35mm lens and they wanted to charge me EXTRA for a mount that comes with the lens! They actually took it out of the box and tried to sell it to me as an accessory! Stick with B&H or ZGC. Oh, I grew up in Brooklyn so I know how they operate.

[Chris Lawson]

I live on the other side of the country in California and I will be doing alot of my future buying from B&H.

I ordered the JVC BR-DV3000U at what I thought was a great price, only paid for regular ground shipping and the package was there the next day. I don't know how that happened but I was a happy camper. Not to mention the guys at B&H seemed like honest, good people. Service is worth more than a few bucks saved.

What ever my next camera is (probally a XL1s) it will come from B&H.

[Jeff Donald]

I think we get the idea on where to purchase cameras. I will remind members and guests alike that this site is free of pop ups and other annoying forms of advertisement due in large part to the sponsorship of this site by ZGC, Zotz Video and Pro-Tape, our sponsors.

The thread is way off topic and everything that needs to be said has been, this thread is closed.