Doing Business with Camera Quest

[Renato Tonelli]

I am considering some items being sold by Camera Quest. I have never dealt with them. Any comments regarding your experience with them, positive or otherwise would be appreciated.

[Kirk Gittings]

I have bought some lens adapters from him (Olympus to Canon). The product was extremely well made and delivered quickly. I would definitely buy from him again. My only negative experience was a frosty email response to a question about ambiguous information on his website, which he clearly thought was a stupid question.

[drew.saunders]

I bought a 50mm M-mount CV lens from him that activated the 35mm framelines on my camera. He sent a somewhat grumpy email claiming that CV's machining was perfect (it can be perfect, but perfectly wrong), after he received the returned lens and tested it, he confirmed the problem and refunded the money and shipping. So, yes, he's a bit grumpy, but he stood behind his product.

Drew

[Juergen Sattler]

I have bought a number of RF lenses from him and I agree, he is not the friendliest person in the world, but he is honest. His communication skills and customer service skills are rudimentary at best. He sent me a 15mm lens twice, I informed him of his mistake and all he said in his email was to just send it back - he never thanked me for not ripping him of.

[Frank Petronio]

agree with above

it is an interesting website though... good info, state of the art 1996!

[Brian Ellis]

You could look in the "Neighbor to Neighbor" section (I think that's what it's called) of photo.net where people relate their experiences with all sorts of different retailers and perhaps find more information.

[Robert A. Zeichner]

I've had only one transaction, but it went smoothly and I would certainly deal with Stephen again.

[BrianShaw]

I've been so "turned off" by the unfriendliness that I go elsewhere. Glad to hear, though, that others have had good dealings.

[Renato Tonelli]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences. I talked to him today about a camera I am interested in: sounded a bit grumpy and not very forthcoming with information. It "turned me off" a bit and no transaction took place. Either I'm too sensitive or I didn't want the camera that badly.

[David Karp]

It is so much nicer to do business with people like Jim Andracki, Mike Walker, Carol Miller, Keith Canham, who not only provide good stuff, but are good people to deal with.

[Oren Grad]

The complication is that Stephen has a near-exclusive on new CV stuff in the US. So if that's what you want, it's the first place to look. If you want to buy elsewhere, check the warranty provisions - who will fix it if there's a problem?

I think Rich Pinto (Photo Village) is the only other US authorized dealer for Cosina. I've had two smooth transactions buying non-CV items from him; you might scan the boards or post a query to get other customers' views.

[resummerfield]

..... Rich Pinto (Photo Village) is the only other US authorized dealer for Cosina. I've had two smooth transactions buying non-CV items from him; you might scan the boards or post a query to get other customers' views.
I've had very good dealings with Rich Pinto.

[Tracy Storer]

I sent him a CV Bessa for repair, no problems, also bought a nice LF lens from him, no problems, also had a short conversation with him where he sounded irritated...he's an OK fellow, just don't expect him to hold your hand. If you ask clear questions, he'll give you solid answers, I think he gets a lot of "tire kickers" on the Voigtlander stuff and his patience has worn thin on it.

[John Whitley]

I've had naught but good experiences with Stephen. I'll agree that his communication has generally been terse, but effective enough for the situations. I had a problem with a viewfinder I'd ordered, which was resolved quickly and professionally. I won't expect handholding, but I would expect nothing less than professional and responsible handling of any issues that arise.