I read all the reviews, I read where the New York camera shops will
bait and switch. Get you to buy then tell you that it will take two
weeks or more for the camera to ship. Or they high pressure you to buy
accessories and better yet, extended warranties. I was careful but I
didn't entirely believe the stories. I thought that the whinners were
inexperienced at online purchases or just easy to con. NOPE - all the
stories were true. Here is how it went.

First I shopped all the sites. I used all my search tricks to find the
very lowest prices on the Minolta 5D that I wanted. (Yes, this all
started with a Minolta). After all Konika-Minolta had gone out of the
camera business and the prices should be dropping. Well, they did for a
while. I finally found the camera, body only, at for just $399. WOW,
that was a great price, but surely it would come down more? No, it went
up $50 so then I started shopping again. I found it at for $399 a
couple of days later so I decided that I should quit messing around and
place the order. I placed the order with "Best Price Cameras" and
didn't get a response. Nothing until the next day when I got an email
from "Steve" saying that the order is not complete until I talk to him
via telephone. Email orders are not complete until he comfirms it. I
called the next day and it took over 3 hours to get him on the phone.
First he tried to sell me a battery (was supposed to be part of the
package) then a memory card ( 3 to 4 times the price of other sites)
then he hit me with the extended warranty. After I convenced him that I
didn't need any of these things he said that the price had gone up
since I placed the order (over a $100 uncrease). I had looked at their
site before I called and I was ready for the change. I told him to
cancel the Minolta and make the order for the Nikon D50 with the 18-55
lens that I saw for $485. I got 3 day shipping putting the total at
$527.50. More than I wanted to spend but I was caught a little off
guard and I wanted a camera in the worst way. Steve then said that the
"that" camera wasn't in stock and it would take two week to get it.
Crap! Send it any how. I was mad, and worried that in two weeks
something else was going to happen. Sure enough it did. I emailed Steve
that night to find out where the camera was. Some one else called back
the next afternoon and said that the "Minolta" was ready to ship. What
Minolta, I had ordered a Nikon. "Oh, the Nikon is still back ordered
but the Minolta (at the higher price) was ready to ship." Great, I
canceled the order!

Back to the beginning. I started shopping again. Found another "good
deal" by using at Prestige Camera, by this time I was willing to pay a
little more to keep from getting jerked around again. The price at
Prestige through Digitalsaver.com was $585 which included ground
shipping for $25. Long story short, by the time I finished the checkout
the price was $612. Now I'm ****ed. Cancelled order.

Back to shopping. Finally found Abes of Maine (really New York too).
Placed the entire order on line (so far) the price of $622.89 includes
2 day air shipping, full US warranty, a free 512mb memory card and all
the manufacturer supplied accessories listed. Believe it or not that IS
a big deal. The memory card, the battery and charger would have cost me
at least $100 more with the other guys. So I lucked into actually
getting a better deal. I got everything that I ordered and the camera
is Great. I would do business with Abes of Maine again.