I have finalized Nikon D90 to be my first camera. All my research was now focused on the place from where I can source it. D90 sells at about $800 in the US. At Rs. 46 a dollar, that comes to 36,800 INR. Nikon do not give international warranties on its DSLR bodies. So, even if I ask any of my friends to get it for me from the US, I will be worried about the warranty for sure.
I decided to get from Bangalore itself, at least I can be at peace. Also what if I get my boxed Nikon, open it only to find the piece is defective. Last thing I want to do is to courier the faulty piece back to US and spend a fortune to get things right.
I saw on photography forums that Smartshoppers is a trusted online shop to buy photographic equipments. D90 was priced at about Rs. 46,000 there. I have not bought any electronic items online till now and I wanted to feel the camera in my hands before I bought it. I decided to get it from a brick-and-mortar shop and checked out few shops in Bangalore for the prices.
I checked GK Vale, a leading camera dealer, at their Koramangala branch. They said they sold Nikon D90 only with the kit lens. The guy there was not interested in selling me a camera, at least I felt it that way. He was not ready to show me piece. When asked for the price, he was quoting the MRP which was 57K and nor did he said they don't give any freebies. I don t think I will ever buy anything from their shop.
I learned from online forums about the shop Fotocircle and its owner Mr. Jayesh Mehta. I got the address from the Internet and also found that I can SMS him and get to know the availability and price. Now, that is very cool. I checked out the shop, which is near Majestic, and was glad to find a dealer who is patient with his customers, allows them to handle the equipments, quotes great prices and provides freebies too. Needless to say, I was impressed. I got my Nikon D90 for about 42K without the kit lens. Now on the lens, that worth a post. I will get it on blog soon.
If any of you guys want to buy anything in photography, I am more than happy to recommend Jayesh Mehta. His visiting card goes like - Jayesh Mehta, FOTO CIRCLE, No. G7-9, Brigade Plaza, S.C. Road, Near Anandarao Circle, Bangalore - 560 009, India. Tel. 22874356, 22872572, Mob 9845022654, Email fotocirclenk@gmail.com. He is a busy guy so chances of picking an unknown number on his mobile are low. Its better you drop him an SMS, he will reply to you within a day.
