Buying Lenes from Online Stores

[GreenleafJason]

I was planning to buy myself a new lens and called the two nearby camera stores and neither one stocked the Canon 100mm f/2.8L Macro lens I wanted to buy. I was considering buying it though an online store like Adorama or B&H Photo. My only concern is I don't have a chance to test it out. Should I worry that there may be a problem with the autofocus or sharpness of the lens? Would the store exchange the lens if there was a problem or would they make me deal with the Canon warranty? I was wondering if any of you have purchased a problem lens from an online retailer and could share how they handled it.

Jason

[mbrager]

I have purchased many items, including lenses, from B&H. Never had an issue with a lens, but when I did have an issue with something, their customer service was excellent. They were more than willing to exchange an item at their expense. Of course you would have to ship a defective item back to them, which is more of a hassle than taking the item to your local store. I also found their prices much better than Canadian store prices, for the most part, even with shipping charges. The lens you are buying is a pretty popular lens from a name brand (I own one and love it) so you can hope that quality control is in place. It's the horror stories that make it online and create some paranoia for buyers.

[GreenleafJason]

Thanks your your insight mbrager. I decided to order from B&H. I got the lens, a tripod colar, and a polarizer filter. Now all I need is some warm weather for the flowers to come out.

[Marko]

Most good online retailers will allow u to exchange or refund within the first week to a month or so depending on their policy. So test it well immediately and u should be fine.