Hi, so I am not in the habit of writing negative reviews, however today I make an exception.
The Background:
For some background, I am 21 years old and only recently into photography. Although I do have some knowledge of lens/equipment it certainly isn't extensive.
My uncle who is very much into wildlife photography wanted to upgrade his current Nikon 80-400 to the recently released AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR. He couldn't buy it where he lives and asked me to purchase one for him. I did do some research into the lens, called up multiple shops to get quotes, I decided to go to TK Foto because it has such a good reputation here on ClubSnap.
What happened:
Well I went to TK Foto this afternoon and asked if they had any stock of the Nikon 80-400mm Vr2. I very specifically stated the Vr2. The man behind the counter said yes and took a box off the shelf. The price was ~$3300, close to stated market price. It all looked okay. I once again confirmed with him that it was the Vr2 and he very confidently said yes. I asked him when it came out and was told 5 months ago, this again fit with in with the time frame of when the lens was released.
Now the problem started when I told him I wanted to try the lens on my D5200. He put it on the camera and couldn't work out why it wasn't focusing. After him and a number of other staff couldn't figure out why it wasn't Auto Focusing one of them suddenly realised that it was a AF NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR lens. A 'D' lens, therefore didn't have a inbuilt motor. When I asked him if this was the newest one, he again said yes it was. I asked him if it was the Vr2 G and he said he hadn't heard of this lens before (a photo store staff member that doesn't know about a professional level Nikon lens that came out several months ago?). It was only after I showed him a webpage with a review on the Vr2 that he acknowledged its existence, telling me that the lens was not available in Singapore.
Why I am NOT okay with this:
Now I am fine with him making a mistake. However when I asked him if there was a Vr2 lens he told me he hadn't heard about it and this was the only Nikon 80-400mm that was out on the market and in Singapore. Furthermore, this older version of the lens was priced at ~$3300.
Now I don't like to make assumptions and I want to give TK Foto the benefit of the doubt that they made an honest mistake. However I can't help but feel they tried to cheat me into purchasing the older version of the lens whilst telling me it was in fact the latest version. That would have been a several thousand dollar mistake.
The only difference between the Vr and the Vr2 on the box it states AF-S and G on the new lens, instead of AF and D on the old lens. If in fact the staff at TK Foto knew this difference; they as professionals certainly should, it would have meant that they were knowingly trying to pawn off an old Vr1 to me at the price of a Vr2.
I understand this is partially my fault as well as I should have been more sure in myself that the Vr2 was definitely in existence. However as someone who is new to photography and hasn't spent a lot of time around such equipment the differences between them are quite minute, therefore I expect the staff at any store I go to (especially one as reputable as TK Foto!) to give me the right information and not take advantage of my lack of knowledge.
Happy Ending (not the dirty kind):
Well after that debacle I was under the impression the lens was in-fact not available in Singapore. As I was on my way down I thought I would just have one last shot at AlanPhoto and was told they had the lens. After confirming and reconfirming that it was in fact the AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR. I purchased the lens for ~$3300 and was happy with the purchase.
To conclude, I am glad I went through this. It was an eye opening experience that took me very close to make a mistake worth a few thousand dollars (as a student, that is a lot of money). TK Foto, you likely don't care, but you have certainly lost me as a customer.
Note: I am not trying to defame TK Foto, however I want others to be aware of the mistake that I very nearly made.
The Background:
For some background, I am 21 years old and only recently into photography. Although I do have some knowledge of lens/equipment it certainly isn't extensive.
My uncle who is very much into wildlife photography wanted to upgrade his current Nikon 80-400 to the recently released AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR. He couldn't buy it where he lives and asked me to purchase one for him. I did do some research into the lens, called up multiple shops to get quotes, I decided to go to TK Foto because it has such a good reputation here on ClubSnap.
What happened:
Well I went to TK Foto this afternoon and asked if they had any stock of the Nikon 80-400mm Vr2. I very specifically stated the Vr2. The man behind the counter said yes and took a box off the shelf. The price was ~$3300, close to stated market price. It all looked okay. I once again confirmed with him that it was the Vr2 and he very confidently said yes. I asked him when it came out and was told 5 months ago, this again fit with in with the time frame of when the lens was released.
Now the problem started when I told him I wanted to try the lens on my D5200. He put it on the camera and couldn't work out why it wasn't focusing. After him and a number of other staff couldn't figure out why it wasn't Auto Focusing one of them suddenly realised that it was a AF NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 D ED VR lens. A 'D' lens, therefore didn't have a inbuilt motor. When I asked him if this was the newest one, he again said yes it was. I asked him if it was the Vr2 G and he said he hadn't heard of this lens before (a photo store staff member that doesn't know about a professional level Nikon lens that came out several months ago?). It was only after I showed him a webpage with a review on the Vr2 that he acknowledged its existence, telling me that the lens was not available in Singapore.
Why I am NOT okay with this:
Now I am fine with him making a mistake. However when I asked him if there was a Vr2 lens he told me he hadn't heard about it and this was the only Nikon 80-400mm that was out on the market and in Singapore. Furthermore, this older version of the lens was priced at ~$3300.
Now I don't like to make assumptions and I want to give TK Foto the benefit of the doubt that they made an honest mistake. However I can't help but feel they tried to cheat me into purchasing the older version of the lens whilst telling me it was in fact the latest version. That would have been a several thousand dollar mistake.
The only difference between the Vr and the Vr2 on the box it states AF-S and G on the new lens, instead of AF and D on the old lens. If in fact the staff at TK Foto knew this difference; they as professionals certainly should, it would have meant that they were knowingly trying to pawn off an old Vr1 to me at the price of a Vr2.
I understand this is partially my fault as well as I should have been more sure in myself that the Vr2 was definitely in existence. However as someone who is new to photography and hasn't spent a lot of time around such equipment the differences between them are quite minute, therefore I expect the staff at any store I go to (especially one as reputable as TK Foto!) to give me the right information and not take advantage of my lack of knowledge.
Happy Ending (not the dirty kind):
Well after that debacle I was under the impression the lens was in-fact not available in Singapore. As I was on my way down I thought I would just have one last shot at AlanPhoto and was told they had the lens. After confirming and reconfirming that it was in fact the AF-S NIKKOR 80-400mm f/4.5-5.6 G ED VR. I purchased the lens for ~$3300 and was happy with the purchase.
To conclude, I am glad I went through this. It was an eye opening experience that took me very close to make a mistake worth a few thousand dollars (as a student, that is a lot of money). TK Foto, you likely don't care, but you have certainly lost me as a customer.
Note: I am not trying to defame TK Foto, however I want others to be aware of the mistake that I very nearly made.
