Testing new Gear

[Georg R. Baumann]

If new gear hits the market that attracts your attention and you approach your dealer, is he willing to send it to you for a limitted time to test it, and if you do not like what you got, you can send it back, no questions asked?

For example, I established a relationship with my dealers over the years, and I am quite used to get gear here to try it, and if I do not like what I get, I just send it back with UPS, that's it, ...but ... this concerns music gear and not photography gear so far. I had 5 pairs of speakers here at the same time for example, from up to 15k the pair, and I could a/b their performance and what I like or dislike, four I send back.

What I wonder is about your experience in photography, as I never asked my dealer to send me the latest MKIII and D3, or Lense f/1.4 blah to try it, but now, I seriously consider this, but have no idea whether this is common practise amongst professional in photography as it is in music....

What is your experience?

Do you get gear for testing?

 

[nicolas claris]

Good question Bear !
This rises back to the brick and Mortar stores / online shops…

Since I went to digital in early 2000, I have bought 80% of my gear to a local dealer here (I don't buy to them when they can't get what I need urgently and can't deliver before weeks)

This fidelity is well paid back by the fact that each time I want to test and try before buy, they lend me the lens or the body…
Of course they do know that when I do this, it is because I've seriuos interest in that gear.

I don't think B&H would do that! LoL!

BTW, still good to have these shops down the street here than banks at every corners…

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

For local shops that is even easier to do of course.

However, what I meant was dealers that send you the gear by UPS or similiar to try. I got most of my gear to test send from the UK or Germany to Ireland.

All of them have a webshop btw and a local physical presence in more than one place, so I would consider them major dealers in their fields.

A local shop where you established a relationship, yeah, I can see little problems there, but do dealers send you a 5K lense for testing it 2 weeks for example?

 

[Klaus Esser]

For local shops that is even easier to do of course.

However, what I meant was dealers that send you the gear by UPS or similiar to try. I got most of my gear to test send from the UK or Germany to Ireland.

All of them have a webshop btw and a local physical presence in more than one place, so I would consider them major dealers in their fields.

A local shop where you established a relationship, yeah, I can see little problems there, but do dealers send you a 5K lense for testing it 2 weeks for example?

my experiences are the same as Nicolas´.

But i doubt some dealer will send you such gear without you pay first and get your money back when you return the gear. I don´t know - that´s a bit risky for a dealer if you don´t know him personally very good. What if a lens or a camera is damaged by sending? How would you proof it´s not your fault?
He would send it back to you and willl keep the money - and it´s up to you to struggle with the postal service. Would you take the risk on a lens which costs about 5000.-€?

I can rent or test everything here without having to deposit the retail-price - but i know these guys for years. I guess they won´t send it to someone they don´t know personally very good and trust very much.

best, Klaus

 

[nicolas claris]

The only experience I have with far away guys lending a lens was Nikon France when I was Nikonist and NPS registered, they send me twice lenses for my own testing…

Have asked to Canon France (I'm CPS registered) no way!

Both aren't shops, but at the end they get our money!

 

[nicolas claris]

Klaus you haven't voted!

 

[Klaus Esser]

vote

Klaus you haven't voted!

oops . . now i did!

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

Well yeah, credibility is an issue of course, you need to have some form of record with them I suppose, same in music gear.

I assume it is less common in photography to send stuff for testing to people earning a living from that.

The last "Prism converter" I had here has quite a price tag, and Hell, my name is not "Hans Zimmer", but they know me there to a degree.

I just wonder what the reasons might be, some you already mentioned Klaus, but this is a matter of insurance, and you bet they are well insured, no loss to be feared in that respect usually, but I wonder, it might be due to the fact that pro photography is a very small market in deed.

Would be nice if that is a more common practise, and I think it would serve both, dealer and photographer. Then again, I guess I forgot abotu that rental business, Calumet and the likes are quite strongly frequented in that respect, so there is no real need for them to send it for nothing, they rather rent it....

I am getting a new audio workstation in the next few days for testing, the full whack with all modules installed. However, chances are I keep that baby here if nothing major puts me of, but if I just send it back after 4 weeks, no problem. Wish it would be that way with the Phase one's Hassy's etc. as well....

 

[Klaus Esser]

Well yeah, credibility is an issue of course, you need to have some form of record with them I suppose, same in music gear.

I assume it is less common in photography to send stuff for testing to people earning a living from that.

The last "Prism converter" I had here has quite a price tag, and Hell, my name is not "Hans Zimmer", but they know me there to a degree.

I just wonder what the reasons might be, some you already mentioned Klaus, but this is a matter of insurance, and you bet they are well insured, no loss to be feared in that respect usually, but I wonder, it might be due to the fact that pro photography is a very small market in deed.

Would be nice if that is a more common practise, and I think it would serve both, dealer and photographer. Then again, I guess I forgot abotu that rental business, Calumet and the likes are quite strongly frequented in that respect, so there is no real need for them to send it for nothing, they rather rent it....

I am getting a new audio workstation in the next few days for testing, the full whack with all modules installed. However, chances are I keep that baby here if nothing major puts me of, but if I just send it back after 4 weeks, no problem. Wish it would be that way with the Phase one's Hassy's etc. as well....

Hi Georg!

It´s a bit like lending accessoires or clothes for styling and so on. You leave a cheque about the retalprice and when you return they have a very close look at the piece and if it´s not 100% ok they keep your money. They charge 30% of the price a day.
I understand that.

A H3D rent costs around 500.-€ a day including 2-3 lenses. Sending it somewhere would bring them no fortune over the rent-business (in Düsseldorf they have two sets - which are booked nearly every day.)

best, Klaus

P.S.:
"Well yeah, credibility is an issue of course, you need to have some form of record with them I suppose, same in music gear."

I think the point isn´t credibility. I´m sure they try to avoid stress and a lot of organisation if something´s wrong. And in the end: if someone really is interested in a H3 or Hy6 or so he´s for sure prepared to move to where he can test one. At a price of 25-30000.-€ the efford of having a trip to the store sure is peanuts. No matter where the store is . . . ok, maybe Anchorage would be a bit too far away . .

 

[Georg R. Baumann]

500 a day sounds like a profitable business to me in deed, after 3 month they make profit, well in fact earlier, because they buy cheaper, and their insurance can not be that extraordinary high, because they shove the whole risk into your pockets. Hmmm....

But what about YOUR risk?

You rent a Hassy, it works for the time you have it, you bring it back, they switch it on, nothing works, and then...?

Does your insurance cover such a case of damage to rental equipment?

(Note to self: Call broker tomorrow)

 

[Michael Fontana]

.......Have asked to Canon France (I'm CPS registered) no way!
............

They don't like salt on the coatings ;-)

I was getting some years ago a bunch of lenses from CPS CH for testing...