I just ordered a Canon 5D MK II, and if it wasn’t for having been victim of scams before, I would’ve probably fallen for this one… The Canon 5D Mk II is the latest in Canon’s arsenal.  It made a huge splash because it shoots 21 MegaPixels… AND shoots 1080P High Def.  You can get 1080p high def with a $100 camcorder these days… but the quality “just ain’t the same”.  Here are a few samples

http://www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=GetArticleAct&articleID=2326

Anyways- since I’m going to be shooting a lot of exciting motion stuff (mountainboards and the top riders, as well as skateboarders, street runners, and who knows what exciting adventures I find in ’09), as well as top CEO interviews…. I thought I should have high quality footage.  The thing about this camera that beats any other camera I can get, is that it can use my high quality lenses that I already have!  So.. I can get great depth of field, vivid colors, and low-light shooting capabilities.  Let’s see you get that quality with a cheesy $100 camcorder.

Anyways… other cool things… it shoots digitally, so there’s no more need for tapes… just carry a few 32GB CF cards, and you’re good to go.  It works with external microphones, so wireless mics and quality interviews are a possibilty now.  The cost (without lenses or accessories) $2,699.  When  doing a search on Google, I found it on a place called DVI Express for $2225. Well… at $470 less than the competition, one can pay for the extended warranty, and rush shipping, without paying the competitor rates.  When I placed the order however, my payment information was not requested.  “hmmm… that’s odd.”  So, an e-mail comes in that says to go to their site’s payment section.  The payment section states they only accept this thing called LibertyReserve… in which you have to do a wire transfer to the account.  Hmmm… something smells like Tuna!  I’ve fallen for some stuff back in the day (96), and thankfully, I like to think that I learn from my mistakes.

After Googling “DVIExpress.com”  I came up with a few things– their website was opened in November of ’08, their facility is located in a really shitty part of LA, and there’s been many people who wish they hadn’t ordered from there.  I could not find one good thing.  I e-mailed back saying to cancel my order, as I’m not comfortable with the payment system.  Here’s the reply I received… if this doesn’t make you feel all warm and fuzzy about doing business with a company, I don’t know what will:

Mr. Bengal
We process the transactions trough LibertyReserve system because they
give-us the opportunity to avoid all the sales taxes perfectly legal,
by this way we are able to offer you the best deals from the market.
LibertyReserve is for you, not for us because trough this system you
have the possibility to buy a brand new camera for a good price.
We make these efforts so we can be able to offer the best prices to our
customers.
If you prefer to pay with a credit card or bank wire then you will buy
the same item for a much bigger price because any bank transaction is
recorded and like any other company we will have to page huge taxes for
the sale.
Also, if you will intend to complete this purchase we can offer you an
9.5% discount.

Regards
Sherry Hudson
Customer Service
Northwest Electronics Inc
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I rather pay the extra $400 and know I'm getting my product.  Some reviews I found:

http://www.newtek.com/forums/showthread.php?p=794018

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1021&message=29954101 (Go forwards/backwards to see all the feedback).
An additional 9.5% discount on something already way cheaper than anyone else.... WAY too good to be true. If you're ordering from out of state, it's already without tax.