US based Canon / Ike supplier

I am coming to Philadelphia this autumn and I like to take advantage of cheaper US prices for an Ike housing, a 40D or 450D and maybe some glass too...

In the US I generally pay in numbers what I would pay in the UK and with the $/£ exchange rate it'll be about half price.

I'd really appreciate your recommendation of a good, reliable and competitive supplier who is prepared ship to my hotel against a confirmed visa transaction.

Many thanks, Tim

Our sponsors, Reef Photo, Marine Camera and Backscatter (and possibly UW phototech) all deal in Ikelite housings, even Ikelite sells direct. I'm sure they will work well with WP members, even ones from Wales.

As for cameras and lens, the NY based stores seem to have the best prices and it's cheap to send to Philly from NYC/Brooklyn. B&H, Adorama, 47th St are all pretty decent and similar in price. If you are buying Sigma lenses, I would suggest you purchase from a local store where you can test the lens you want. Sigma has funky QC and not all lenses are equal. I went through 4 12-24s and 2 50s at my local store to find good copies. You pay a little more but it's worth the extra money. Penn has 4% sales tax if I remember correctly. I know Calumet has a store there since I've been there once. Bargain as they will sometimes match their online prices depending on how much you buy. Happy shopping.

David Haas (dhaas on this forum) is also an Ikelite dealer, and he's in Ohio, so not far from Pennsylvania either. Since he's more of a personal distributor (not ripping on Ryan at Reef et al, they've all been great contributors to this forum too!) I'm sure he'd be willing to work with you as well. I've not done business with him personally (got lucky and found my kit all used), but have had several pleasant email chats.

Thanks for the advice guys. I appreciate your input. Tim

Oh yes I forgot I also bought my 24-105 and a Nikon D2X at Allen's Camera just outside Philly. It's just off the I95. Good service and they gave me online prices.