will you accept negative comments too? - Conor Ogle

My bias is BH Photo in New York. What's yours? I know Loic ordered his from Amazon.com. Where would you go to buy a camera? - Robert Scoble

Conor: absolutely! - Robert Scoble

a local one that knows the prices on the web and adapt his prices based on that. If he is very talented and connected with the other photographer this a very goog thing, because he will get your old camera and sell it to somebody else. I got one like that in the area, but this is in Switzerland ;-) - Frédéric Sidler

If in NY, Adorama or B&H; helpful to buy from someone who understands cameras (and, esp lenses). If mail order, then either of above or Amazon (Amazon is return friendly, so low risk if issues arise) - Barry Graubart

I've used B&H since the early 80s. JR.com is excellent, also. - John Craft

I ordered from Adorama - website does not show stock levels. Two weeks of being told by surprisingly rude service staff they had no stock, I sourced one elsewhere. Successfully cancelled Adorama order and yet next day UPS arrived with Adorama stock. Strange, expensive experience. - Conor Ogle

I purchased my 5D MK II from Crutchfield. Normally I would buy from B&H, but they were not accepting orders in early December due to the backlog. I ordered one on Dec. 1, it delivered on Dec 28th. Great customer experience from Crutchfield. http://www.crutchfield.com - Francis Shepherd

I've had bad experiences with Adorama and Abe's of Maine, similar to Conor's. From Abe's, I had a "credit card verification" call, because I was shipping the SLR to a different address than my credit card. That was a day after the order, the next business day (a Monday), I got another call saying my AMEX didn't go through! With virtually no spending limit, I told them that's impossible. The callers were rude, impatient and didn't listen. After yelling at them, I canceled my order. 30 minutes later, I arrived at my office, ordered from Amazon for $20, signed up for Prime and my camera arrived the next day--no hassles! In my opinion, stay away from the big discounter camera-sales--they call back and try to bump you with accessories. If you know what you want, order from B&H or Amazon--it's worth the extra $20-50, even $100 to order from a store that just sends you what you want when you want it, and has a reputable return policy. - Paul Salzman from twhirl

(I meant $20 more than Abe's) and ordered with the same card, btw (some reason I couldn't edit the comment). - Paul Salzman

I bought mine from Adorama and had an excellent experience. I know people complain about stock levels, and I would too if I was on the wrong end of that waiting period but I ordered mine, and it was shipped the next business day. I've also purchased a lot of camera gear from Amazon and BHphoto.com, great experiences with both of them as well, just didn't have the 5D in stock when I wanted to buy. - Michael

i would look at Fry's Electronics. it is where i buy most of my stuff - Rodney Rumford

Rodney: I would never buy a camera like this from Fry's. First of all, they don't carry a lot of high end gear. Second of all, I've gotten too many things there that were previously opened. Third, I want to deal with someone who understands cameras at least a little bit. - Robert Scoble

Adorama or B&H. I give the edge to Adorama because their customer service is top notch. - Carlos Ayala

I don't mind waiting for items which are not in stock. What I don't appreciate is a website which is alone in NOT showing items are out-of-stock/backordered and then processes my order before contacting me after 2 days to advise stock situation. I prefer Calumet (certainly in the UK) though their online stock level information isn't perfect either. I don't need any sales service - I have chosen exactly what I want before I start my online transaction - I just want to pay and secure delivery. - Conor Ogle

well depends on how u define best.If all u care is the lowest price then there are several of those I bet.If you care bout if the product is genuine & service etc then there are a few of those. So the thing to ask really is What criteria to use to buy a specific product from one of many retailers. - Baba

I bought my Nikon D300 from 17photo.com; the main reason was while Amazon, Adorama, BH, Ritz etc said that they are backordering (because of popular demand and lack of the product at the very beginning) less-known stores like 17Photo were offering it "in stock" And as a Turkish guy living in Istanbul, I dared to order my D300 (and a couple of accessoires) from 17Photo (shipped to Portland) And I was very happy with the results - Ozgur Poyrazoglu

Right now, Adorama seems to be leading the pack in terms of getting 5D mk iis. I'm an affiliate for adorama, b&h etc and Adorama's not only selling the most, but they seem to be delivering within a few days even if their site says not in stock - please read my blog post http://bit.ly/lR5b where Adorama customer service contacted me out of the blue! They're working customer service issues around the web it seems. They're even posting on forums now. Good CS. - planetMitch

Update: even while typing my comment above, adorama contacted me via twitter to say: "@planetMitch We're getting them in every 10 days or thereabouts.helen.oster@adoramacamera.com. Adorama Customer Service Ambassador" No other photo vendor i know of is using Twitter/forums to help customers. - planetMitch

B&H and Adorama. - Thomas Hawk

Amazon, J&R or B&H. I used to get stuff from Adorama too but now they charge tax for both NY & NJ so now I only get the occasional small item from them that I can just pick up from their storefront. - ronin

B&H - since I'm local I can physically go there, and mail orders get to me in 2 days. I've bought a few things at Adorama. And if I want something on a Saturday I go to J&R (since B&H and Adorama are closed for Sabbath). - Tom Harrison

B&H is a great online vendor (for those of us not local). I hate to say it, but the brick and mortars like Keeble & Shuchat in Palo Alto, and Pro Photo in Portland have a tough road ahead. What I do not do is pick their brains and buy elsewhere however. If I go in those stores and poke around solo, I'm OK with buying elsewhere, but I only engage a salesperson when I know I'm about to give them some business. - Ryan

I am totally biased, but I recommend B&H :) - Shmully Litvin

this question could be construed as a way to get people to talk bout Vendors for free thereby advertising them.Maybe Scoble is finding a new revenue model to get more moolah for his Brand.Possible that the mention of these many vendors gets more traffic without actually pushing the vendor. Nice way to market. - Baba

Without question Hunts Photo. Gary Farber always come thru when you need your equipment no matter what the wait line is like. - Juan Pons

Rodney: you must live close to a "good' Fry's, because my shopping experience there has been consistently bad. Poor service after sale, unknowledgeable salespeople, horrible product-return experience and bad housekeeping. The only thing I buy at Fry's is components, when I need them in a pinch. Certainly would never buy anything high-end there. If Costco sold the 5D Mark II, I'd buy there before Fry's! - Paul Salzman from twhirl

B+H: Closed on sundays, closes randomly for religious holidays, frequently out of stock. Crutchfield: Order once, they will spam you forever with catalogs. Adorama: Good. Abe's of Maine: good, Buydig.com: If it's in stock, it's cheaper. Most camera places will give you the BS "Credit card verification phone call" which is actually the "upsell you on accessories" call. I hate this about buying camera gear -- it never happens with computer gear. Stay away from Fry's for this sort of thing as well. - netik

I have a wonderful local store who I occasionally do work for (I do their monthly newsletters and geek stuff) http://www.acephoto.net Their website isn't much, but every person there is a pro photographer and he's been a Canon Authorized dealer for over 15 years and has a loyal following in the DC Metro area. - David Silvernail

Amazon. - Eric P

Did you get the input you were looking for ? Presume I can guess which article you are referring to ! - Murali

Robert, I use B&H and Amazon almost exclusively. Adorama can be OK, but I don't prefer them as their automated communications regarding order and shipment status sucks compered with Amazon and B&H. My only knock about B&H is their bizarre hours of operation due to their observation of the Jewish religion. - Jeff P. Henderson

I live in NYC so I'd probably walk over to Adorama or B&H with the price from their site in my hand - Sean Reiser

Amazon or B&H. My current camera is from Circuit City (before this dying thing) because they had a crazy deal at the time. Otherwise, I trust the two I named. - Jordan Hofker

Online, I'd go with B&H. I've never been disappointed by their service. Local, I'd go to Keeble & Shuchat. I came an inch from putting myself on their wait list. Opted for a different Canon. - Rick Bucich

B&H, Amazon, or Adorama (in that order) - Matthew Hunt

Got mine from Amazon, the only camera dealer that 1) has never defrauded me and 2) doesn't turn off their online store on days I like to shop. - William Storage

Amazon all the way. It's their business to perfect the online retail model, and they are doing a very good job. If you have Prime, or a friend with it, you can have the camera to your door much quicker and cheaper than any competitors. - Tyler Brownfield

I went with Amazon for our 5D Mark II. Arrived in two days, as usual, free shipping. I'd also check with Dell, especially if you have a biz rep -- Dell can usually beat anyone's price if they like you (e.g. you order lots from them), but shipping may be a bit slower. Back when the 30D was new, I got two from Dell for about 20% less than Amazon's lowest price. - lilbyrdie

I live in NYC, so I buy outside NY. BeachCamera.com is usually cheapest. B&H is great if you don't live here though. - Tamar Weinberg