Where do you shop for UW photo gear?

[t-mac]

Hi Scubaboard Photogs,

I had to do an emergency purchase from an unkown vendor the other day and I was a little uncomfortable doing it, so I thought I would pose the general question, who is your preferred dealer for underwater photography gear? Mostly, I shop at B&H, but sometimes from Adorama/Leisurepro. Always good experiences with both. Not the cheapest always, but also no upselling games when they call to "confirm your order" like some I've used.

A second question involves this vendor I am in the process of using. They are called Aiko Trading. I'd never heard of them before, but they have a pretty good selection of gear on their website. I needed a very specific Sea & Sea part and they actually had it in stock (they were the only ones I could find), so I was kind of forced to use them due to my circumstances. Still (nervously) awaiting the outcome (delivery next week), so I have no comments of my own yet. I am wondering, though, does anyone else have experience with them?

Thanks!

 

[alcina]

Reef Photo & Video Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros

Quite a few people use and like Backscatter, too.

I've used B&H for lots an lots and things, including an underwater video setup.

No idea on Aiko Trading.

 

[danvolker]

Also AB Sea Photo, Welcome to A B Sea Photo. Home of the worlds largest selection of underwater camera rentals and the smallest underwater camera housings by Oceanhaus. We have been serving underwater photographers in both the professional and recreationa
They will also let you rent pro level gear before buying it!

 

[chile7236]

local mostly...and bluewater or B&H on the internet.

 

[muzikbiz22]

The most important thing, is to purchased from an AUTHORIZED DEALER of whatever product you are looking for. I've bought from and had great luck with Reef Photo, Backscatter, Optical Ocean Sales, Hollywood Divers, Adorama and B&H. Never heard of Aiko Trading.

 

[diversteve]

Aiko Trading Company Reviews - store.aikotradingstore.com/ Ratings at ResellerRatings

I've been aware of them since about 2008 as a reseller of video housings but have never bought from them.

 

[Searcaigh]

I never buy anything locally here in UAE because prices are generally 30-100% more expensive than B&H.

Bought a camera body and a few lenses from B&H and even with import duty it was a bargain.

All my housings and current strobes I bought from the Sea and Sea shop in Singapore, local prices here for UW SLR housings are outrageous, plus the people that sell them have no clue.

 

[Interceptor121]

Reefphoto for internet purchases (lenses and accessories)
Cameras Underwater (local dealer) for housings
Amazon for Cameras
ebay for second hand items I use for training purposes

 

[Cumbo]

Ebay and Divervision.com. Divervision has been really flexible and fast in terms of delivery times (EDIT and cheap, too.

I once did some shopping with unterwasserkamera.at, but it was a disaster. I bought a Dyron macro diopter and the seller shipped me another brand macro diopter (i-Das) and claimed it was the same diopter. I had to use A LOT of my time and send around 50+ emails to settle the issue. I ended up contacting Dyron and i-Das, which confirmed me that "it is not the same - just without the 'Dyron' text printed" - as the seller claimed. I never got all of my money back either, but ended up losing some € for postage, even though the seller knowingly sent me the wrong product.

I would never recommend this seller to anyone.

 

[t-mac]

Thanks to everyone for the info. Some new ones to me here. For the benefit of future readers and myself as a future potential consumer, I'm assuming, unless it was stated otherwise, that these vendors mentioned are all good to work with. Please correct that assumption if it is wrong. Would love to have local options, but I'm invested in my system and I don't have great local options for that or in general -- that's why I went to Aiko Trading. I read the reviews posted on them (thanks for finding!) and they were almost all quite positive and, interestingly, a number of the people using them did so for the same reasons I did -- need a specific part now and can't get it elsewhere. Anyway, I dinged them yesterday and got a very prompt response from their customer service telling me my part will ship by today and will arrive "well before" my deadline. Fingers crossed. I'll post the outcome, which I sincerely hope is a positive one!