buying a lens, reviews seem suspect?

These are the two suppliers I use all the time, genuine camera shops. Usual disclaimer, just a satisfied customer over many years.

http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/

http://www.parkcameras.com/

I know that with these two, everything is genuine, they ship quickly and (usually) by courier next day. You are fully covered by UK remote sales regulations with both of them (including a 28day 'cooling off period') and full UK guarantees.

Sad to say, but Amazon is not as trustworthy as they used to be, all they do nowadays is to direct you to third party supplier and take a cut.

Chris

It's easy to open up a shop to sell something, but if something goes wrong, how are the customers treated? Will they take the lens back without giving you a hard time? Or will they refer you immeidately to the maker?

Do they have it in stock? When will they ship it? Can it be traced? Do they have a real store you can visit?

A local camera store that I sometimes shop told me that there is a very thin profit margin on lenses and cameras. They make money (on printing) and photography classes. Imagine selling a $1000 lens and the store only makes $100 on it.

Ever heard of the saying, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch' or 'You can't con an honest man'? Well if seems too good to be true, it probably is.

The most trusted name in internet shopping for photographers is B&H ( http://bhphotovideo.com/ ).