On Friday September 5, 2008, I was really desperate to get a Canon 50mm F1.8 lens that was required for a high school photography class. Before i came to this place i visited B&H, and since they were already closed i used 42nd St Photo as my last available option. The lens is sold for $85 almost everywhere and even for cheaper on the internet... Before i came to the store i checked their website advertising it for $99, because i needed it I was okay with paying the extra $15. When I'm about to buy it i go to the checkout and the guy there charges my $115 for it. When I begin to question the high price he makes fun of my hair being messy. At this point I'm pissed off beyond belief and show him his own website on my iphone wit the lower more reasonable price. When proven wrong two guys come and begin yelling at my saying they have $50k rent. Since I needed it, I payed and tried to leave, and as i was leaving the sales rep muttered under his breath F***ing polack, which to my is absolutely offensive and uncalled for especially in such a diverse city as New York.

I called today to order a Nikon D300 (body only). Ahead of time, I told the sales person I had 2 questions (one of them whether the product was an import or covered by a USA warranty). Even before I could phrase my questions, he initiated a verbal tussle whether I wanted to ask 1 or 2 questions! I then ask him whether he was going to answer my questions or whether I should take my business elsewhere? He then said please make my day and hung up. It was certainly not a confidence-building exercise. I will not buy from this store.

I was planning to purchase Canon 40D camera ... Very disappointed by the service of their NYC store saleman. After 4 legitimate questions I was told to leave them alone if I were not planning to buy... When I asked why the warranty offered was 3 months and not 12 months as other stores. Their response was clear "We are here for more than 40 years ...if you don't trust us don't buy"....I left the store and purchased from a well known store 20 mins walk away.

This review was modified by its author, tgunner, on 6/12/08 3:26 PM.

I called 42st photo & was told that the items I was interested in purchasing (a Canon Wide-angle lens, batteries & DV tapes, camera case, etc.) were in stock & available for pick-up. When I arrived at the store a man named Rafi assisted me. I reiterated to Rafi the items I was interested in purchasing & he brought me different items including Bower Lens instead of Canon & Sakar Digital Concepts batt. instead of the Canon brand that I asked for, claiming that they were a better quality. I purchased the items he recommended with my credit card. As I was leaving the store, Rafi asked to see the items more time. I gave him the lens box & other items & much to my surprise he scraped the price sticker from all the items.  
When I got back to my office, our photographer told me that I had just purchased cheap, low quality products & had been overcharged. I also looked up the exact Bower Lens online & found that that particular lens cost $79.95 as opposed to $450.00 & the Sakar batt. should have cost $29.99 as opposed to $139.99. Reviews also revealed that the lens & batt. were cheap imitation & low quality.  
I decided to return the 2 items, & as I looked at the receipt I noticed 2 things:  
1) No itemized record of what I had purchased.  
2) No Return Policy – Exchange Only within 10 days of purchase  
Rafi NEVER communicated to me about the No Return Policy.  
I went back to the store & asked to exchange the Bower Lens for the Canon Wide-Angle Lens or Raynox Lens (as suggested by our staff if they still don’t have the Canon in stock). Rafi told me that they would have to order it, & offered me a “better” lens. At this point I explained that I was only interested in the Canon or Raynox product as the last recommendation was actually a lower quality than what I was expecting. I pointed at the Raynox lens on the bottom drawer & Rafi says that that lens is discontinued & he is going to give me a better lens than the Raynox along with warranty included. So instead he exchanged the lens with a Digital Optics lens. Rafi refused to exchange the batt. & gave me a Sakar charger for free (worth $19.35). I gave my contact no. & ask Rafi to let me know as soon as he gets the Canon lens in-stock since this is still not the lens that we are looking for. He said that he will get them in a day or two  
I decided to visit the store again, since I’ve never received any update on the Canon lens & learning that the Digital Optics lens is another low quality lens that worth only about $139.99. This time I decided to exchange the lenses & accessories for a Canon XTi DSLR camera + accessories, since on my previous visit it is in-stock & in fact, they told me that they are trying to get rid of their stocks since the new XSi is coming in a month or 2. Prior to my visit I printed a copy of items from their website, complete with the price & availability. I also called the store prior to my visit & was told that the Canon XTi DSLR camera & lens were in-stock & available for pick up & they will honor the price on their website. I did NOT specify on the phone who I was or that I was interested in exchanging merchandise.  
When I arrived, I asked to exchange the Digital Optics Lens, batt. & accessories for the Canon XTi DSLR camera & lens. I was not able to make the exchange that day because: First, they asked me for the itemized receipt, Rafi never provided me with one nor they have any record of that transaction. Secondly, Rafi had already left & they can not exchange the products as they are not sure which items Rafi had previously sold me.  
The next day, I returned to 42st photo to meet with Rafi & exchange the Digital Optics Lens & batt. for a Canon XTi DSLR camera & lens. Rafi told me that he does not have those items in stock. I showed him the copy I had made from their website & re-iterate that I would like to exchange items. I also told him that I had just called & he said they did in fact have the items in-stock. Confronted with this information, Rafi said they do sell a kit with the items I’m interested in. He explained that he would honor the price quoted on 42photo.com, for the DSLR camera + charger = $189.99 & batt.= $139.99. Curious on why, I told him that I’m interested in purchasing the kit so that I can take a good look at what makes the kit that expensive.  
Rafi returned to the counter with the DSLR camera kit, which included in the box the DSLR camera as well as the batt. & charger that he was planning to charge separately. The box itself said batt. & charger included.  
I looked at the box which said contents included: batt. & charger, I then showed him the product information I had printed from their website which states that batt. & charger included in the kit. Rafi’s responded “Then go & buy it from the website!!!”  
I was surprised by Rafi’s comment but politely said to him “Let’s work this out.” At that point he ignored me as if I was not standing in front of him. I then asked “Why don’t you want to work it out with me…” As he walked away from the counter to the backdoor he said “You are wasting my time”  
At this point I left my purchases on the counter & left the store. I kept my receipt.  
Rafi simply refuse to provide me with the items I have specifically requested & paid for… 42st photo had failed to honor their exchange policy to the equipment that we had initially requested. Rafi had also displayed a numerous unethical business practices & conducts by dishonestly misrepresenting their products, quality & pricing. He also lied about honoring the price on their website & the availability of the products requested by us. I hope that this testimonial is more than sufficient to warn potential buyers & protect their investments from unethical business practices & scams that are clearly displayed by Rafi at 42st photo.

This review was modified by its author, H8Scam, on 5/26/08 12:37 AM.

I ordered my camera on March 10th with 7-9 day free shipping. The order was not shipped/processed until I called in a week later on March 17th. I needed it for that weekend so I asked them to send in 3-day UPS. I come to find that they charged me $88 for shipping. What leads me to believe that they did so was b/c the Canon 5D I bought was priced at $2,699. It then went up in price by $50 to $2,750. The sales guy just added on the add'l $50 plus the cost of 3-day shipping to make-up for that price difference. Is this unethical or what?? I'm still trying to get my $50 difference back and no one will call me back or answer me directly. One guy gave me the excuse of...it was extra cost for insurance. Yet another guy said it costs $88 to ship 3-day which is a bunch of crap. Stay away from these guys!

This review was modified by its author, fobbette, on 3/21/08 7:04 PM.

Don't be misled by the ads or salesmen at this store. I ordered a Canon camera and was sold a vastly overpriced kit to go with it (yes, shame on me for being an uninformed consumer but they have no business ethics). When the camera arrived, it did NOT have a warranty and the kit contents were cheap items that would have cost a fraction of the price elsewhere. Avoid these people!

CALL THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU BEFORE BUYING ANYTHING FROM THESE CROOKS!  
 
Seriously... call the Better Business Bureau or another official consumer agency before you buy anything from this store. I ordered a number of items from them, online. One very expensive one didn't work and 2 were not the brands I ordered. I called to say I wanted to return them and was treated with hostility. I went to the store, in person, and they refused to take anything back even though I was still within the terms of the agreement. While I was there someone else came in with an upcharging complaint, but they yelled at him (literally) until he left. I'm not sure if I am allowed to mention, here, other sites with reviews of this store... but do a lot of research. There are a lot of positive reviews about this store... Be supicious. For your own good, contact the BBB or another government agency before trusting this operation.

This review was modified by its author, Camera130, on 9/10/07 4:57 PM.

Negative experience. They sell gray market products not intended for sales in US, as has been confirmed by the UPC code, the unrecognized registration number on the box and camera, the disks that came in the box, and the lack of a registration card. Because gray market products are not intended for sale in the US, Nikon won't register or support them. In addition, cords, plugs, and software may not work/can cause damage.  
 
42 Street Photo sellers use the excuse of confirming the credit card number to make contact and push overpriced accessories. They also overcharge for shipping, and some employees go by different names (Junior, John). Sales Reps use pressure tactics, mislead and lie about merchandise and pricing - then they repeatedly contact customers to get them to delete on-line negative merchant ratings. It is clear that some of positive comments are 'padding' and are posted by store employees or associates of employees. This merchant gets a lot of business through Amazon.com.  
 
The Nikon package advertised on-line was not what I received. (One lens was different.) It was not what I ordered, or wanted.  
 
The only charge on my new credit card was the camera. But immediately after posting an on-line negative comment about questionable business practices, bogus overseas charges began appearing on my card. I've never been overseas. And I'm very careful about security and credit card numbers. My bank blocked those charges. But potential customers should be aware. I didn't have problems when I'd gotten items from them through Amazon, but when dealing directly with them it's a different reality. They are very adept at what they do and how they do it, and appear 'pleasant and polite' for a reason. It's a hook. I will never do business with them again.

This review was modified by its author, giskin13, on 5/23/07 2:05 PM.

Purchasing from 42nd St Photo was a great experience. The service was fantastic. I purchased a Nikon D70s body on-line from South Africa. The consultant(Junior) called me in SA to confirm my order after I e-mailed him my contact details. The query I had regarding the shipping cost was rectified without any problem. The price was very competative and as an add-on, the Compact Flash card was discounted very nicely. The package was shipped to Washington and arrived within 2 days of purchase. The packaging was excellent. I was also able to track the shipping progress through the UPS website from the tracking number which Junior e-mailed to me. I would definately make further purchases from 42nd St Photo. Thanks 42nd St Photo. Brett D, JHB, South Africa

After searching for the lowest price on line, I found 42nd St. photo had the lowest price after shipping. So, I purchsed a Casio S600 camera from them on 6/20/06.  
 
I was a little concerned because it said that they currently could not send me a confirmation email, but they did give me an order # and that option to call to confirm. A few hours later, one of their sales reps gave me a call to confirm my order. He was very pleasant, asked me if I had any questions about the camera, and didn't give me a hard sell about any accessories. He also told me that I'd be receiving an email with a tracking number by the next day.  
 
The email came a couple of hours later and my camera showed up the next day. All in all, a very smooth and pleasant experience.  

I have ordered Canon EF 24-105L lens from this merchant.  
 
Upon leaning that my model does not have US warratny, I cancelled my order. Sales rep confirmed it and for about two days company's web site was also saying "Order cancelled".  
 
Then, all of a sudden, I'm receiving a package with the lens! Web site now reads "Order shipped", and sales rep on the phone has no information if it ever been cancelled.  
 
The restocking fee for returns is 20%, this is probably how those guys are making money.

This review was modified by its author, pictin, on 3/2/06 1:15 PM.

Highly displeased with customer service. They balked at taking back unopened product, and then when they finally issued RMA, acted like they hadn't received the product "at my location". Now filing with credit card company to get back money. I buy almost everything online, but will NEVER do business with this firm again.

I wish I would have seen the reviews before ordering my Canon S2 IS from this company. Easily the worst online buying experience that I have had. The order was supposed to be shipped in 2-3 business days, as I needed it for a special ocassion. It did not arrive until 5 days later, but to the wrong address! I work 200 miles from my permanent address, but they confused the billing and shipping addresses and shipped it to the wrong place. I was then unable to get it until a week later, making me miss the occassion for which I rushed delivery. I was just going to let it go and not be too concerned, because accidents happen, but then the camera did not even work. The memory card reader was broken. I could tell the camera had been opened before as there was no seals on any of the packaging. When I tried calling 42nd St. Photo, I was put on hold for over 25 minutes. I finally hung up and called the next day only to be informed by a worker with such a thick accent that he had to repeat everything three times, to call back the next day because the person I needed to talk to was not in, how convenient. Finally reaching somebody the next day, I was told that I needed to ship the camera to Canon for repair. When I protested and said that I just wanted a camera that works and that they could deal with Canon because it was broken out of the box, I was told they were out of stock and could not send me a replacement camera. Not so much as an apology was offered. I then went back to their website and looked up the S2 IS, and saw that they were 'In stock'. I even called and asked another rep if the camera was in stock and they confirmed that it was. I could not believe that I had been lied to. I now am sending the camera back to 42nd St. Photo and am waiting on the full refund. Who knows how that will play out. I would strongly advise anyone against purchasing from this store. Horrible.

42nd Street Photo left a message asking that I call about my order for a Panasonic plasma HDTV. Their rep lied to me several times about this order.  
 
Here are two obvious lies:  
 
1. He says I ordered the Panasonic TH-42PX50U TV over the weekend and that explains why the web-site had not been updated to show that this TV is no longer in stock. He said the last one just happens to have been shipped over the weekend. Proof of the lie: I checked the web-site after the call, and it still shows that model in stock.  
 
2. He says Panasonic no longer sells this TV, that they now only sell the TH-42PX500U , so that's what I'd have to buy from them now. Naturally that TV is more expensive. Proof of the lie: I checked Panasonic's web-site while on the phone with 42nd Street Photo and the TH-42PX50U is of course still available. Those familiar with Panasonic's lineup know that they have these 2 separate lines, the 50U and the 500U, with different levels of features.  
 
It's clear to me that 42nd Street Photo deliberately deceived me, and I would guess many other customers as well. They advertised a low price on one model, showed it was in stock, got my order that way, then fed me their phony story that the web-site had not been updated, and, oh what a shame, the model I ordered is not even available anymore, so I should buy the more expensive model.  
 
42nd Street Photo won't be getting any business from me.

This review was modified by its author, sixfiveguy, on 11/22/05 3:34 PM.

Scam. Web page says in-stock, but they will tell you that it is a month back-order if you do not buy an upgrade (lens, batteries, etc). Same scam as USAPhotoNation.com