Buying camera in St. Thomas?

[MDSue]

Buying abroad might save you a few pennies, just check carefully you really are getting a "new" and not a refurbed.

 

Also with some manufactures if you bring a non USA camera into the US forget about any warranty work.

 

Nothing "gray market" here. I bought all of this before any of the major retailers had it in stock in the states- granted this came from the St. Maarten Boolchands, not the St. Thomas one. The store will make a camera buff drool (and spend way too much money). I've had my camera for 2 1/2 years now and have no regrets from buying in the Caribbean. Actually, I can't wait to go back and shop some more. However, there are some electronics stores there that I would not trust with my money.

That said, I love B & H too. Unfortunately, my favorite local camera store just filed for bankrupty. I think it has become impossible for the smaller, local mom and pop stores to compete with the online retailers

 

[Nukesailor]

Remember that St. Thomas is not consider abroad, it is part of the US and you get US warranties.

St. Thomas is, indeed, part of the US. However, the major camera manufacturers consider it part of their Latin American sales territory. In the past, any camera purchased in St. Thomas came with an "international" warranty (I've asked before and, in fact, have purchased a Minolta XGM in St. Thomas a "few" years ago - with an international warranty). If people are actually getting US warranties, that is something new (better read the warranties). After Boolchands wouldn't meet an internet price from one of the New York stores on a lens for my Canon, I gave up on St. Thomas.

 

Art

[MDSue]

St. Thomas is, indeed, part of the US. However, the major camera manufacturers consider it part of their Latin American sales territory. In the past, any camera purchased in St. Thomas came with an "international" warranty (I've asked before and, in fact, have purchased a Minolta XGM in St. Thomas a "few" years ago - with an international warranty). If people are actually getting US warranties, that is something new (better read the warranties). After Boolchands wouldn't meet an internet price from one of the New York stores on a lens for my Canon, I gave up on St. Thomas.

 

Art

 

Hey Art, You are corrrect about the Latin American warranty for the cameras, at least with my Canon. They don't really mention that either. However, when I checked to see where the offices were for the Canon Latin America, I saw it was based in Miami. So far, I''ve bought a Sony, a Canon, and a Fuji in the Caribbean. The Sony and Canon are still going strong- never had a warranty issue. My Fuji malfunctioned on the third day I owned it when the battery case came open in the water (it was a waterproof camera). I emailed the salesperson at the store (Boolchands) and received a prompt reply. I mailed them the camera and case back and they immediately refunded my money. After that incident, I am pretty confident in making purchases there.

I think Canon prices are about the same in the Caribbean and the US, so there isn't a bunch of money to be saved. You can negotiate for freebies to go with the purchase though- like memory cards, cases, etc. The Sony I purchased was a good bit cheaper than comparable US prices (that was years ago, though) and same with the Nikon model I was considering. The main benefit I got with my Canon besides the freebies is that I was able to get a brand new model in St. Thomas months before it was widely available in the US. That's what sold me on that purchase- plus I had a great salesman and hands on instruction and comparisons which I couldn't get from an online retailer.

Edited February 18, 2012 by MDSue

[Nukesailor]

MDSue,

Sounds like you had better luck camera shopping in St. Thomas than I did. Canon and Nikon are fairly similar product lines - both are good. And Boolchands does have a decent rep; they just wouldn't meet the price (I was looking at a Canon 28-70L). I, also, do a bit of business with B&H.

 

By the way, if you haven't done this already, next time you're there go up to Paradise Pt. and take a panorama of the harbor. I did it with 6 images, stitched together with Photoshop Elements, and it came out great. Use manual settings, take the photos vertically for better resolution, and overlap by about 50%.

 

Art

 

 

St Thomas Panorama by Nukesailor, on Flickr

[MDSue]

MDSue,

Sounds like you had better luck camera shopping in St. Thomas than I did. Canon and Nikon are fairly similar product lines - both are good. And Boolchands does have a decent rep; they just wouldn't meet the price (I was looking at a Canon 28-70L). I, also, do a bit of business with B&H.

 

By the way, if you haven't done this already, next time you're there go up to Paradise Pt. and take a panorama of the harbor. I did it with 6 images, stitched together with Photoshop Elements, and it came out great. Use manual settings, take the photos vertically for better resolution, and overlap by about 50%.

 

Art

 

 

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St Thomas Panorama by , on Flickr

 

Love your pic, Art! You are way more talented in photography than I am. I'm a perpetual beginner. I think the difference between you and me was I was looking to buy my first dslr when I bought the Canon. I had my heart set on a Nikon model and their prices were a good bit less than the states (I didn't know about B&H then). The first camera store I went in just handed me a box with the price and nothing else- no knowledge, no advice, and nothing that made me want to risk my money there. When I went into Boolchands to compare, I met a great salesperson that lined up the D90 with the then new Canon T2i. He compared the features of each, gave me some hands on instruction. He set the camera up so I knew it was in good working order. I ended up buying an extra lens that cost me as much as the camera, but it turned out to be a perfect fit for me and I love it. I had no idea until I got back home that my camera set-up was not even available in the states yet. It was either sold out or not in stock everywhere I checked.

Last year, I wanted to buy another lens, but since the price was no different than the states, I decided to hold off. You do save on sales tax though.

I believe that the prices on the islands were generally cheaper than the ship's camera prices.

I will be back in St. Thomas next month and may have to give Paradise Point a try. So far, I haven't tried my hand at panoramic pictures yet.

Happy picture taking:)

[Nukesailor]

MDSue,

For your Rebel, I would highly recommend the 70-200L zoom telephoto. I have the older f4 version - it now comes with stabilization. Even better would be the f2.8, but that is a bit pricey for just a little more light. Go for the pro glass, you won't regret it. I also got the 1.4X multiplier. This setup has served me well from Panama up to Fairbanks, Alaska. Great for wildlife. Next week we leave for 10 days in Costa Rica.

 

Art

[MDSue]

MDSue,

For your Rebel, I would highly recommend the 70-200L zoom telephoto. I have the older f4 version - it now comes with stabilization. Even better would be the f2.8, but that is a bit pricey for just a little more light. Go for the pro glass, you won't regret it. I also got the 1.4X multiplier. This setup has served me well from Panama up to Fairbanks, Alaska. Great for wildlife. Next week we leave for 10 days in Costa Rica.

 

Art

I would love some L lens, but sadly they aren't in my budget this year. The 70-300 lens does have IS and works well. It's a compact lens also, which is nice (but heavy!). I know the standard 70-300 kens for Canon has a pretty bad reputation compared to others, but this version is great. My next investment will defintely be an L lens, but I think I'm going to get a flash and tripod before any more lens.

Enjoy Costa Rica, I spent 10 days there two summers ago. I got some great bird pictures. There is a small park on the road outside Poas Volcano that has dozens of species of hummingbirds. It is near San Jose. I hope you get to go there as you can get some great close-ups. We ate at a restaurant right across the street from it (I think called Fredys). Before I go to Alaska, I'm going to have to find money for a 400mm lens- perhaps the multiplier would work just as well, as an L version of a 400mm is probably way out of my reach for now.

Have a great trip-

 

This is far from professional (hand held), but was my favorite hummingbird pic:

 

[Nukesailor]

MDSue,

Great shot - better than the ones I've managed to get so far! Love the irridescent colors.

Suggestion on flash: get a Canon flash. I bought the Sigma flash and ended up with about 50% misfires. Since I photograph a number of events, I can't afford that. I don't think they've reverse-engineered the communications fully. After buying the Canon 580EX II, no misfires. Also, get a couple of sets of rechargable AA's and a charger. It'll save you in the long run.

 

Art

[ORDMan]

Glad I found this thread! I'll be in St Thomas in about a month and want a new Sony NEX-5N or maybe even a NEX-7. The former is backordered everywhere due to a production facility issue and the latter has just been released everywhere but the US.

 

I do buy a lot of electronic equipment overseas and much of it is "grey market." What it comes down to is the service provided by the reseller. For example LaOx is a large store in Tokyo that will provide after-sales service for "grey market" items purchased there, and they did get a shortwave radio repaired a few years ago that I had purchased there. Shipping to and from Japan was not cheap, but my point is if the reseller stands behind the product, then grey market gear isn't always a bad deal.

 

Even B&H will sell grey market gear, but they stand behind it.

[cheeseheads1]

I went to several stores in both St Thomas and St Marten. I had done my homework. I knew prices etc but found stores had the most common items. Lots of Cannon and Nikon. I was offered lots options but as a Sony owner that wasn't much help (still have my stable of Minolta old school AF lens'). I wanted a specific lens Tamron Dimage 90 mm macro 2.8 Sony Mount. So keep in mind it depends on what you really want. There were a lot to choose from but in a narrower band of choices. Boatloads of the top two but I did not really look to see if an equivalent was available in those mounts. Just a FYI

[jgmann]

Just to update the thread:

 

I purchased a Canon 7D Mark II and 70-200 f2.8L IS II Lens at the Royal Caribbean Camera store at Havensight Mall (at the Crown Bay Pier) a couple of weeks ago. I got a great deal on the items (saving about $300 off US retail). When I mentioned that I needed a US Warranty, the salesperson showed me the US/Canada Warranty card for the camera body. I didn't have him open the lens box. When I happened to unseal the lens box a few days later, I realized that the lens had a Latin-America Warranty inside.

 

I was planning on sending the lens back under Carnival's vendor guarantee program, but I decided to call Canon USA first. Canon USA told me that they will honor the warranty, and they registered my lens with Canon USA. Now any repairs can go to the SoCal repair center instead of through the Canon Latin America division. Whew!

 

Basically, it is a "Buyer Beware" situation. Make sure you see the warranty cards for every item (my mistake for not having him show me the other card). Fortunately Canon is pretty good about helping customers get Gray-market warranty repairs. If buying Nikon, it would be best to only buy the US Warranty versions based on my recent research.

 

For those of you that don't know about the difference between US and International (AKA Gray-market), the items are physically identical and manufactured at the same facilities, however the are obtained by the dealer using non-USA distribution channels. There is nothing illegal or unethical with the items or the method of purchase. It just means that you may not be able to utilize the US or Canadian Repair stations if you need an item fixed. Do a Google search for some up-to-date articles about these products and the risks associated with a Gray-market purchase.

 

Happy cruising!

[HolidayCruising]

Need a new camera and will be stopping at San Juan and St Thomas. we heard that one of the better places to purchase electronics is on St Tomas...

Can someone recommend a store there to buy a camera? Thx!

[Ms411]

There are not many electronics stores in St Thomas anymore. Royal Caribbean and maybe Boolchands, both in Have insight, are your only options and selection may be limited compared to States. I would not start my vacation without a camera, so if you need a new one, best to buy before arriving.

[satbeachbill]

We've always been happy with Boolchands.

[Blue Mudshark]

Remember that St. Thomas is not consider abroad, it is part of the US and you get US warranties.

 

Technically, the US Virgin Islands are not part of the United States, although they are a US territory. They are an "unincorporated territory", which among things, means that US federal law and constitutional protections do not necessarily apply. For many purposes, they are considered part of the US, and they fall under US sovereignty, but since they are not an "incorporated territory", they are not part of the US for a great many legal purposes.

 

In general, it would be wise to look at the exact wording of the warranty, and whether it specifies "USA" or "USA and its territories" or the like. It may also be helpful to find out what relevant US laws may have been explicitly extended to any specific territory, as the details varies from territory to territory.