KEH.com

[radchad]

Has anyone used Keh.com? I am looking to buy a whole outfit, and was wondering if anyone else has used them before? I have e-mailed them with a basic quick question to no response, which makes me wonder if they are any good. I plan on calling them tomorrow. also, is there ranking system on used equipment any good?
Thanks
Chad

[BradS]

Chad,

Please acquaint yourself with the search mechanism by clicking on "Search" on the menu bar above. I suggest that you search for KEH....see what pops up.

[Walter Calahan]

Calling is better. They been around for years. Very trusted, but that said, I'm sure someone has had a bad experience. Me, I've bought from them sparingly over the decades, and have nothing but good to say.

In the world of e-mails, I'm sure KEH is overwhelmed. I'm still waiting to hear from Lens & Repro for an e-mail I sent two months ago. Right now I don't care to hear from them 'cause I found what I was looking for, so they've lost a sale.

Good luck on getting what you're looking for.

[Ron Marshall]

Call them, they are happy to answer questions. I have purchased a few used lenses from them and have always been happy with the quality and service.

[ifer]

i prefer to use mpex.
jim is seriously friendly.
i had one experience with keh, whereby i requested a photo of the lens to be emailed to me. they said can't.
well...

[Daniel_Buck]

only thing LF I have purchased has been caps and lensboards, but I have purchased alot of 35mm (Contax) and Medium format (Mamiya) from them. My entire Contax RTS and Mamiya RB67 setups were from KEH, 'BGN' and 'EX' ratings. Even most of the BGN stuff looks almost new :)

[Capocheny]

I'd recommend Jim at Midwest Photo (www.mpex.com) or Jeff at Badger Graphics (www.badgergraphics.com) ANY day of the week.

Cheers

[Ed Richards]

I have had good luck with them for standard stuff. The one rub, and what sends me to Jim when he has the stuff, is that the salespeople cannot get their hands on the stuff. All they see is what you see on the computer.

[Brian Ellis]

KEH has an excellent reputation and the few things I've bought from them have been fine. However their prices usually seem on the high side to me.

[Ed K.]

Their ratings have been very conservative and really right on - honest. If they say it is EX, it really is. Frequently, they sell for less than the item goes for on ebay, and shipping has been fast too.

The only trouble though is that they haven't been replenishing their LF stuff much anymore. Plenty of things on the normal - wide side, but little on the long side of lens.

So far (subject to change, and your mileage may vary) - I've had a first-rate experience with them.

[Nick_3536]

I've bought lenses,lensboards and film holders from KEH. Plus various MF and 35mm stuff. All fine. Prices all much cheaper then Ebay and at times much cheaper then others.

Once your order goes in they can go look at things for you.

I've also bought from Mpex and been very happy.

OTOH Bought had the odd minor shipping issue. Both fixed the issues quickly and without fuss. You have to expect humans to make the odd mistake. It's how they handle those mistakes that matter. IMHO both shops are more then safe.

[neil poulsen]

I bought a Canon TSE lens from them and had no problem with shipment, etc. Lens was marked "Bargain". The glass and aperture were fine. This 35mm lens tilts and shifts. There was a problem with the shift locking mechanism, which was why it was labeled "Bargain" I imagine. But, this didn't affect functionality, since the shifting mechanism doesn't drift. I'm pleased with the purchase, considering the lower price that I paid.

My issue with them is that they refuse to tell you anything about a piece of equipment when you call them. (Like, why it's labeled "Bargain".) They respond that it's in the "back room", and it appears to be too much trouble for them to go back and check. I don't know what the previous responder means by "placing an order"? So, perhaps there's something of which I'm not aware. Anyway, I suspected there was a problem with the lens, but didn't know what it was until I received the lens in the mail.

[Nick_3536]

I'm in Canada. When I place an order they wander over and pick up the items. Figure out shipping and email me a quote. I then get a chance to say ya/nay on shipping. Once they've picked your order they will answer questions on the item. I assume they'll do the same thing with people in the US.

[JasonC]

No problem with them for several purchases, even with 'Bargain' grade equipments. They have an excellent return policy.

Jason.

[Scott Davis]

I've had nothing but good service from KEH. One quirk/oddity about how they handle large format equipment - they list all their lenses not by the shutter size (Copal 1, Copal 3, etc) but by the diameter of the hole it needs on a lensboard. And they list their pre-drilled lensboards the same way. Which is a bit frustrating if you've got something in a Betax #4, and want a lensboard for it, but have no idea how many millimeters diameter it requires. Everyone else seems to be able to manage to use the shutter size to identify things.

[Mark Stahlke]

I've purchased a couple of items from KEH and I've been very happy with them. Sadly, I can no longer get to their web site running Firefox on Linux. It works with Firefox on Windows but I'm not dumb enough to enter a credit card number on a computer running Windows. These days I look to Midwest and Badger for LF gear.

[Nick_3536]

I've purchased a couple of items from KEH and I've been very happy with them. Sadly, I can no longer get to their web site running Firefox on Linux.



ip route add 207.99.82.87/32 via 192.168.0.001 window 65535

Try that. If keh.com changes it's IP number you'll need to change the 207.xxx number. Plus you need to input your IP # instead of the 192.x.

There is some weird bug/feature. It only hits a couple of websites that I've heard of. keh.com is one of the problem sites. You can see various work arounds in the following link.

http://en.opensuse.org/SDB:Problem_with_establishing_TCP/IP_connection_in_openSUSE_10.2

[evan clarke]

I'd also got to Jim at Midwest. KEH is very good, Jim is Great..Evan CLarke

[Mark Stahlke]

Thanks Nick! The second solution worked perfectly.

echo "0" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/tcp_window_scaling

This change can be made permanent by editing the file /etc/sysctl.conf and adding the following line:
net.ipv4.tcp_window_scaling = 0
Maybe I shouldn't thank you. I really don't need to spend more money on camera gear. :D

Cheers,
Mark

[evan clarke]

P.S. The best thing about Jim is that if you are not exactly satisfied with what you got , he will gladly exchange. He offered to send my friend 2 different Tachihara 8x10s so he could try them and make a choice..EC

[CG]

I've had only good experiences with multiple purchases from each of:

KEH www.keh.com
Midwest www.mpex.com
Badger www.badgergraphic.com
Lens and Repro www.lensrepro.com
Harry's Pro shop www.harrysproshop.com
Jack's Camera www.jackscamera.com
B&H www.bhphotovideo.com
teamwork photo www.teamworkphoto.co.uk
glennview www.glennview.com

and others I can't bring to mind this instant. Each has their strengths and weaknesses. My experience only ... Your milage may vary.

Telephoning is worthwhile for expensive used items. I think you get better info. Salespeople at a couple of the larger shops took the time to dig up items and have the item on hand as they call me back to describe actual condition. I've had no bad experiences ever, buying used at any of those shops.

Best,

C

[Gordon Moat]

I have purchased several items from KEH. So far, even the lower Bargain grade items were in very nice shape, though definitely EX grade items are noticeably better quality. I also have problems with their website ordering system, though what I do is write down description and location from their website, and then phone in an order. They are usually quick on the phone, though you sort of need to know about the item prior to purchase; either there are too many items to know about, or they just don't have the time to investigate many items.

I ordered a lens through MPEX and had a very nice exchange. Here I was not so sure about what I saw on their website, with the limited description, so I phoned in to find out. The difference from KEH was that I got more detailed information about the lens. So I placed an order, and other details were handled through e-mail with Jim. One thing that came up was MPEX made a mistake on what lens they were describing to me, so Jim suggested an alternative; the first choice was a Fujinon, and he suggested a Nikkor replacement. Due to the openness about information, I felt confident in Jim's recommendation, and let the order go through for the Nikkor. Now after using this lens for a few months, I know that the recommendation from MPEX was a good choice. They know their equipment, and are more knowledgeable.

So if it was a rollfilm back, lens board, or a lens you know you really want, then KEH (http://www.keh.com) is a good choice. If you are not as sure about an item, or need more information prior to purchasing, then I would suggest contacting MPEX (http://www.mpex.com).

Ciao!

Gordon Moat
A G Studio (http://www.allgstudio.com)

[Harley Goldman]

I have purchased from them. Good experience. Their ratings are very conservative and nice people.

[Steve Barber]

I have bought a number of things from KEH, the last a few days ago, and I have always been pleased with their service and more than satisfied with what I received.

[Rafael Garcia]

KEH is fine.

[fred arnold]

FWIW, I've sent them email or called with questions about an item, and they were able (after a few hours) to get back to me with a description of the actual item. Saved me from buying an ugly mamiya tlr lens for parts, as the part I needed was included in the ugly description.

[RDKirk]

I've bought both medium and large format equipment from them, and found even their Bargain-rated items (most of what I've bought from them) to be in excellent shape. I've bought "bargain" LF lenses that have been nearly pristine--barely rubbed.

I bought a "bargain" Horseman view camera that had only a bit of paint rubbed off the edges of the monorail--otherwise it was perfect.

I once returned a Mamiya RZ body to them because it had a clue of having been used hard (look carefully at the right-hand focusing knob stem to see if the film transport lever has been bumping it--that's a sign of hard use). It didn't actually show any operational problems and looked great, but had only that small clue. They returned my money promptly with no questions asked.

[John Schneider]

KEH is reputable but sometimes you have to be careful and call them to speak to a person who knows cameras (not an order-taker). I learned that when I ordered (according to the picture) a Linhof-branded Tele-Arton in a Linhof focusing mount for a Linhof Press. What i received was an old Tele-Arton with on a Linhof board (no focusing mount). Turns out that they had used a stock image, but they refunded my money right away. I still do not hesitate to order from them, but if the item you're looking at is older or more obscure, you should probably call first to get a personal report of the item's condition.

[rivermandan]

I picked up a fujinon lens in a supposedly sound shutter (sounds dead on, haven;t bothered to get it tested in person) for $150 in "bargain" condition. glass is _spotless_, no dust or anything. nothing has the slightest bit of brassing and they said the shutter was in proper working order. It looks like it was pulled out of a box new. I don't know if this was a mislabeled or what, but I have nothing but praise for KEH at the moment.

[Darryl Baird]

re: KEH. ditto on the bargain bin merchandise...I always look for these first. I ain't looking to put equipment on a shelf for display, if it works as it's supposed to what's the problem? I can't deal with the "mint condition" obsession... I want a shooter. Whoever is their appraiser, they are excellent as far as the mechanics and optics..

KEH is also a good barometer for prices.

[Nick_3536]

I picked up a fujinon lens in a supposedly sound shutter (sounds dead on, haven;t bothered to get it tested in person) for $150 in "bargain" condition. glass is _spotless_, no dust or anything. nothing has the slightest bit of brassing and they said the shutter was in proper working order. It looks like it was pulled out of a box new. I don't know if this was a mislabeled or what, but I have nothing but praise for KEH at the moment.

If you look very carefully [it might take a loupe] I bet you'll find something. It might just be a small scratch on the back of the shutter. Or some other thing no sane user would notice but I'll bet you'll find some thing. I've bought bargain grade cameras that had only one mark. A scratch near the tripod mounting screw. Of course some times the bargain grade is worse then that. But even the worst bargain grade is often better then "mint" on Ebay.