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Author Topic: Back for Mamiya AFD in Canada  (Read 5194 times)

margelatu

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Back for Mamiya AFD in Canada
« on: December 22, 2007, 10:47:17 pm »

Looking to try and buy a digital back for Mamiya 645 AFD in Canada. Anybody any experience with this?
I live in Alberta and the only canadian dealer for MAmiya seems to be Vistek which  their customer service in Calgary sucks. There is apparently Louzeau in Montreal, but I would really like to try the back and then buy or not.
I am thinking the ZD or a refurb from Aptus or Leaf.
Thanks
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Frank Doorhof

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« Reply #1 on: December 23, 2007, 06:36:40 am »

Hi,
I would opt for the Aptus from Leaf.
Or phase one.

The ZD back is also nice and for a good pricepoint but I think the extra budget for phase or leaf is worth the money
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Sean H

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Back for Mamiya AFD in Canada
« Reply #2 on: December 23, 2007, 11:52:47 am »

Quote
Hi,
I would opt for the Aptus from Leaf.
Or phase one.

The ZD back is also nice and for a good price point but I think the extra budget for phase or leaf is worth the money
[{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Frank is not only a good photographer but he gives really good advice.  

Margelatu, might I suggest that you consider making a trip to another dealer in another province or even the U.S. I don't know this company but here is one suggestion for Vancouver:

[a href=\"http://www.lensandshutter.com/locations.lasso]http://www.lensandshutter.com/locations.lasso[/url]

Vancouver is probably the closest major city where you might have some choice. You could go there for a few days, make a vacation out of it, and go back and forth to the dealer, testing out the camera , lenses and back(s)? Call them first though.

If you have more money and/or travel points then you might head to the US where there are lots of nice dealers with great prices in most major cities. Again, turn the trip into  a mini vacation and borrow/rent the camera/back for a few days and shoot and then go back to the dealer and play with the RAW files on their computers, checking out the software at the same time.

Remember that you will be building a relationship with this dealer that will last for many years, so you'll want to check out their history, explore their website, see what people on this forum think about them (search the dealer's names on the LL forum), talk to them first before visiting and make sure that in case of emergency you are able to either visit or send something via courrier. Also find out about their post-sale telephone support. You should be able to get a flight from Calgary to major cities easily.

If you are interested in PhaseOne, then go to the P1 website and look at their dealer locations by state and punch in a state and it will help you find a dealer. I have placed the link for you here:

http://www.phaseone.com/Content/ContactUs/...rthAmerica.aspx

Washington State is relatively close to you and the dealer locater shows at least 2 phase one dealers there, though I know nothing about them. On the other hand there is this:

In the city of Atlanta there are two dealers that regularly post to this forum:

Steven Hendrix (of PPR) sells Leaf backs (among other things) and his url is this:
http://www.ppratlanta.com/digital.php

Chris Lawrey (of Capture Integration) sells phaseone backs and his url is this:
http://www.captureintegration.com/home.html

I have interacted with both of them and they are both helpful and nice people. They have used backs and cameras but their list of these changes so you have to ask for updated demo/used/refurb list.

If you opt for leaf, then here is the Leaf America site where you can ask the Leaf managers for some suggestions about dealers and Canadian distributors:

http://www.leafamerica.com/contact.asp

 There is one in Toronto but their name/contact info escapes me for the moment. If Thierry Hagenauer reads this, he can probably make a suggestion. Here is Thierry's email - he is a friendly and helpful person and responds to emails:

thierry.hagenauer@sinarcameras.com

Hope that this helps.  

Sean
« Last Edit: December 23, 2007, 11:54:42 am by Sean H »
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david o

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Back for Mamiya AFD in Canada
« Reply #3 on: December 23, 2007, 01:17:10 pm »

Lens and shutter won't carry any digital MF.
In Vancouver there is Beau Photo but they "only" have Hass.

At Vistek contact Ron Steinberg, in Toronto.
You will find him on the forum also,
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Bill Caulfeild-Browne

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« Reply #4 on: December 23, 2007, 07:25:47 pm »

Quote
Looking to try and buy a digital back for Mamiya 645 AFD in Canada. Anybody any experience with this?
I live in Alberta and the only canadian dealer for MAmiya seems to be Vistek which  their customer service in Calgary sucks. There is apparently Louzeau in Montreal, but I would really like to try the back and then buy or not.
I am thinking the ZD or a refurb from Aptus or Leaf.
Thanks
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=162614\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

 I'm sorry you find Vistek "unsatisfactory." Get hold of Ron Steinberg in Toronto. The service I've had from him and his staff has been excellent. They're a bit pricey but then, you get what you pay for.

Bill
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Harold Clark

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« Reply #5 on: December 23, 2007, 07:53:52 pm »

Quote from: margelatu,Dec 23 2007, 03:47 AM
Looking to try and buy a digital back for Mamiya 645 AFD in Canada. Anybody any experience with this?
I live in Alberta and the only canadian dealer for MAmiya seems to be Vistek which  their customer service in Calgary sucks.

The Calgary customer service training must have been done from the Toronto store then, so you're not missing out in that regard by being in Alberta. I have had experience with rentals at Vistek Toronto three times this year. On the first occasion I reserved ( two weeks ahead ) a Canon 1DSll for a backup on an important shoot. When I arrived they had lost the reservation, but fortunately had one body left.

Second time I asked about renting a Mamiya ZD. Rentals had never heard of the camera, although it is sold by the store. I was directed to sales, who confirmed that the ZD was available for rent, and directed me back to rentals. I left a message but the call was never returned.

Recently I needed a 39MP system for a shoot, I called and this time left voice mail for the rentals manager, but once again my call was not returned. Fortunately Headshots was interested in my business, and were very helpful.

I too am looking into MF digital, it would be great to be able to test several systems at one location. Headshots only deals with Hasselblad, but since I have an extensive RZ system collecting dust, it makes sense to utilize that. I will also be looking for refurb/used etc. if I decide to go ahead.
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yaya

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Back for Mamiya AFD in Canada
« Reply #6 on: December 24, 2007, 02:38:20 am »

Quote
Looking to try and buy a digital back for Mamiya 645 AFD in Canada. Anybody any experience with this?
I live in Alberta and the only canadian dealer for MAmiya seems to be Vistek which  their customer service in Calgary sucks. There is apparently Louzeau in Montreal, but I would really like to try the back and then buy or not.
I am thinking the ZD or a refurb from Aptus or Leaf.
Thanks
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=162614\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

For Leaf you can contact Jon Stewart:

jonstewart@rogers.com
416-562-5667

or Ray Maxwell in Vancouver rmaxwell@dccnet.com

Good luck and happy holidays

yair
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Joe Behar

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« Reply #7 on: December 24, 2007, 08:59:59 am »

Margelatu & Harold Clark

I would first of all like to apologize for any inconveniences or difficulties you may have had at Vistek. I would urge either one, or both of you to contact me directly if you need any information or are having any issues at Vistek Toronto or Calgary as far as medium format digital goes. For those of you that do not know me, my name is Joe Behar and I am what you would call the "senior" guy in the Digital Capture Group here at Vistek.

The Digital Capture Group was formed to deal with the high end, medium format and full time working pro in need of advice, demonstration and personalized service. We are a full time department with dedicated resources and personnel. I know its a lot easier to walk into a store and just ask the first person you meet about the product you're interested in, but the reality is that most every client interested in MFDB's needs personalized attention. That's the reason I and my coleagues in the Digital Capture Group[ are here.

As was mentioned earlier in this thread, we're not the lowest price in the world, nor are we interested in being that. If you're looking for the lowest possible price and realy don't care about support and service, I'm not the guy for you. If you want answers & personalized service then maybe we should talk. I've been doing this MFDB thing for about 10 years now and been in the photo industry since 1980 and I take it personally when someone has a less than great experience with the copmpany I represent.

Again, I apologize on behalf of Vistek and hope to be able to speak with you on any matter that you might need help in.

Please feel free to contact me.

Joe Behar
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Natasa Stojsic

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« Reply #8 on: December 24, 2007, 09:41:25 am »

Quote
Margelatu & Harold Clark

I would first of all like to apologize for any inconveniences or difficulties you may have had at Vistek. I would urge either one, or both of you to contact me directly if you need any information or are having any issues at Vistek Toronto or Calgary as far as medium format digital goes. For those of you that do not know me, my name is Joe Behar and I am what you would call the "senior" guy in the Digital Capture Group here at Vistek.

The Digital Capture Group was formed to deal with the high end, medium format and full time working pro in need of advice, demonstration and personalized service. We are a full time department with dedicated resources and personnel. I know its a lot easier to walk into a store and just ask the first person you meet about the product you're interested in, but the reality is that most every client interested in MFDB's needs personalized attention. That's the reason I and my coleagues in the Digital Capture Group[ are here.

As was mentioned earlier in this thread, we're not the lowest price in the world, nor are we interested in being that. If you're looking for the lowest possible price and realy don't care about support and service, I'm not the guy for you. If you want answers & personalized service then maybe we should talk. I've been doing this MFDB thing for about 10 years now and been in the photo industry since 1980 and I take it personally when someone has a less than great experience with the copmpany I represent.

Again, I apologize on behalf of Vistek and hope to be able to speak with you on any matter that you might need help in.

Please feel free to contact me.

Joe Behar
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=162851\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Friend of mine introduced me to  Joe Behar at Vistek and I can confirm so far not having a single problem apart from receiving a faulty battery charger  , which they will exchange with no problem I hope.
« Last Edit: December 24, 2007, 09:42:07 am by Natasa Stojsic »
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Ron Steinberg

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« Reply #9 on: December 24, 2007, 02:36:25 pm »

Margelatu & Harold Clark,

I'll simply say that I echo everything that my senior associate Joe Behar has said, and apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced dealing with any of our locations. I would also urge you to give either Joe or myself a call directly, we would be very happy to assist you with any questions or issues you may have.

I'll just add a little bit of background about myself. I spent 16 years in Toronto as a commercial photographer, running a studio in the west end of town in the photo distrct. I shot on every format from 8x10 to 35mm. I converted to digital over 4 years ago, and joined the Digital Capture Group 2 years ago. As an ex working pro, I have an understanding of the issues that a photographer experiences on a daily basis.

Give either Joe or myself a call, we'd be very happy to talk to you.

Cheers,
Ron Steinberg
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