Needing a wide angle lens and settling on a Sigma 10-20 I sought opinion here about whether to buy the f3.5 or f4-5.6 version and was guided towards the slower lens so I bought... a Tokina 11-16 f2.8!
Ultimately what swung me was the speed and that it would be used on my 7D with its renowned poor low light ability and that the aperture was constant.
Google found a seller whose excellent website showed a good price, current stock that is “Usually Dispatched in 2-3 Business Days” so I placed the order. When I received the payment confirmation e-mail I started getting nervous as it stated “... expected to be delivered in 4-10 working days”.
Tracking the order and looking into reviews of the company suggested I was in for the long-haul. My ‘order status’ kept me informed of the progress but it seemed to move with glacial speed being sat for days in various status of ‘we have received your order’, ‘we confirm your order’, ‘we are sourcing stock to fulfil your order’, ‘your order is packed and awaiting dispatch’, ‘your order is shipped’.
After shipping I was placed in the hands of the courier (DPD) who, after reporting it in two different parts of the Netherlands before arriving in the UK, gave me an hour slot for delivery and whose tracking system even showed on a map exactly where the van was.
All this took exactly two weeks but it’s arrived now and initial impressions are of a cute but well constructed lens with crisp, clear and bright test images. I may talk about the lens again after I’ve given it a good workout but now I just wanted to describe the buying experience.
The supplier, Simply Electronics, have poor reviews nearly all over the slow service and, if I’m honest, had I read them beforehand I would have gone elsewhere but, perhaps, they miss the point. They’re Hong Kong based with a business model to source from where they can and supply at low prices and just how low? Well, WEX have the lens currently listed at £499 – I paid £298.95
Would I buy from them again? Depends...
Cheers,
John
Ultimately what swung me was the speed and that it would be used on my 7D with its renowned poor low light ability and that the aperture was constant.
Google found a seller whose excellent website showed a good price, current stock that is “Usually Dispatched in 2-3 Business Days” so I placed the order. When I received the payment confirmation e-mail I started getting nervous as it stated “... expected to be delivered in 4-10 working days”.
Tracking the order and looking into reviews of the company suggested I was in for the long-haul. My ‘order status’ kept me informed of the progress but it seemed to move with glacial speed being sat for days in various status of ‘we have received your order’, ‘we confirm your order’, ‘we are sourcing stock to fulfil your order’, ‘your order is packed and awaiting dispatch’, ‘your order is shipped’.
After shipping I was placed in the hands of the courier (DPD) who, after reporting it in two different parts of the Netherlands before arriving in the UK, gave me an hour slot for delivery and whose tracking system even showed on a map exactly where the van was.
All this took exactly two weeks but it’s arrived now and initial impressions are of a cute but well constructed lens with crisp, clear and bright test images. I may talk about the lens again after I’ve given it a good workout but now I just wanted to describe the buying experience.
The supplier, Simply Electronics, have poor reviews nearly all over the slow service and, if I’m honest, had I read them beforehand I would have gone elsewhere but, perhaps, they miss the point. They’re Hong Kong based with a business model to source from where they can and supply at low prices and just how low? Well, WEX have the lens currently listed at £499 – I paid £298.95
Would I buy from them again? Depends...
Cheers,
John
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