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Anyone ever bought from Simply Electronics online?
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Just wondering what your experience was. I am intending spending almost 5K on this site so before I do it would love any feedback – if there is any, good or bad.
Cheers.Hi Maggie,
This sounds like guy running a site from his bedroom – taking customers money – then imporing the goods cheaply from Asia – before sending them out 3-4 weeks later.
My advice is stay WELL away.
do a google search for Simply electronics review scam fraud etc – and you’ll come with many site like this one.
http://www.complaintsboard.com/bycompany/simply-electronics-a138815.html.
What kind of gear are you looking for?
Ciao
bren
Maggie, whilst I cannot personally vouch for Simply Electronics, I too believe that they are based in Hong Kong and not in the UK as their website suggests. A friend ordered a Tokina form there last year and it was shipped from Hong Kong.
Please bear in mind that you may very well be asked to pay import duty and VAT when it arrives in IE customs, plus you may not have a European warranty should anything go wrong.
Hong Kong prices are not that much better than over here at present (I know – I was there in March trying to buy a lens on the cheap!) and with the VAT and duty, it could end up being more.
I would suggest using http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk” onclick=”window.open(this.href);return false; as it seem to be the main search bot for camera prices.
Edit – right now, the lowest price on the site going by the site above is £1669 for the 5Dmk11 from Bristol Cameras (Simplys price is £1630) and £1479 for the 70-200 f2.8IS from Martins Camera Shop (Simply’s price is £1489 and no stock)
Thanks for that folks. I am hugely relieved as I was almost about to spend a lot of cash! Have agreed a price with Conns Cameras in Dublin. Getting a 5D Mk II and Canon 70-200 f2.8 (not the latest one unfortunately!). At least I’ll have some comeback should something happen. Can’t believe how I almost ordered from SE. Thanks again..
Hi again Maggie,
I just bought my new Canon 7D last thursday from http://www.imagesupplysystems.com.
I’m about to write a nice post regarding the purcashe – but in summary – i got it for €1500 + a free 1 Terabyte Lacie USB hard drive (€85) and a spare cannon battery (€70). Conns wanted €1699 – and no extras. The canon engineers are their twice a year and will do a free sensor clean firmware updates and any mini maintence free. Couldn’t fault Mark who works there.
The very best internet price i could get was €1493 – and i looked at them all from amazon, pixmania, warehouseexpress, ebay etc etc.
I’d highly recommend you give them a quick call monday – as you may save €300-500 or more. They are an officla canon dealer
I hope the wedding goes well. Perhaps its best to drop into a wedding or two at your local church before hand – and give it a good road testing. (obviously ask permission from their photographer). No problem getting it wrong in a trial run. Lots of confirmations & communions now – so they would do too.
Flash in my opinion is indeed vital at the wedding – for both indoors and outdoors (fill). Their are so many variables that a single setting is impossible – but if i had to choose one – I’d use manual only – 1/125 and f/5.6 or f/8 – and vary the power on the flash to get the corect exposure.
If you decide to use AV mode indoors without flash at say f/5.6 and can’t get a fast shutter speed – increase the ISO to get you up to 1/60 minimum. AV outdoors will work fine at ISO 100
YouTube has some awesome wedding tips videos. Look at other wedding sites too see who they set the poses up. The current issue of PhotoPlus has a wedding feature.
I’d HIGHLY recommend these two on mixing flash and ambient light. Your external flash will use the same principles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xnSZfaJlHs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmkUKIOYcXsCiso
brenCHeers Bren. Lots of great info here. Do you think it’s worth buying a meter reading thingy?
Hi – your camera will be able to do an ambient light ‘meter’ reading – but not for the flash. Take a shot of your subject in AV mode f/5.6, ISO 100 Partil metering, – and note the shutter speed the camera decides on – then switch to manual mode – and dial in the same settings.
Remember your shutter speed cannot be more than 1/250 when using a flash (1/200 with a 5D Mk II i think) – This is the ‘synch speed’ your camera is stuck with. You may have to using a smaller aperture first to get you somehwre near 1/125th – so you can then under expose if thats the effect you want for ambient light.
The flash reading the guy does in the video is for a portable system and its increments are much finer- but you can start at 1/32 power on your flashgun in manual mode – and work upwards to get the correct exposure. You’ll only have to make a few flash adjustments on each location – and there will be probably only 4 locations – inside and outside church – and inside and outside hotel.
You can then underexpose for the ambient light – by increasing the shutter speed – to make your subjects stand out more when using the flash.
something like this perhaps.
I’m still in the learning process for mixing two light sources – so other members have better advice.
Can you post the price both ‘Image supply systems’ and Conns quote for the same gear so we all know.
ciao
bren
Thanks Bren. Some of that makes sense but I’ll have to digest it and read it back a few more times to make more sense of it ;) Tried out a few shots with the flash this evening, some ok, some not…depending on whether I used manual or AV so I’m feeling a bit lost (and worried about this wedding!!). Have posted separately about getting some tuition and hopefully someone will reply. I love your photo btw.
Unfortunately I had already done a deal with Conns before your post and paid them a 400 euro deposit. Getting the MK II for 2,200 (free sensor clean etc with that price) and the canon 70-200 f2.8 with IS for 2K. I know it’s not the best deal in the world but I feel I have more of a comeback going to Conns than even the Camera Ctr on Grafton St who were slightly cheaper. They threw in a free 8GB high speed card worth 60 euro. What do you think?Hi Maggie,
There is nothing wrong with Simply Electronics too many people are talking about what they read on the internet not having any experience of dealing with them. My friends and I use them all the time. I just received a Canon 7D this morning from them, took 6 working days as promised.
The camera was 1169 euro compared to 1700 in Dublin. They have a 24 hour local number you can call to talk to them. Does this sound like a guy working from his bedroom, they have offices round the world and they have been in business for years. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet.To be honest, several people on the site here have had bad unsatisfactory experiences with them.
Clearly their customer service leaves alot to be desired and leaves a bad taste in many people’s mouthsSo its inaccurate to say that there is nothing wrong with them, just like its inaccurate to say that there is
nothing right about them…Your right Mark, I shouldn’t say there is nothing wrong with them but what online company that does not have issues with some of their customers. I purchased my canon 5D from Conns but they were looking for over €2000 for the 70-200 IS L, so i ordered it from simply for €1250 (this is going back 3 years). I know we should be supporting the local economy but times are tough.
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